Vetlife
Health Support
Vetlife Health Support is here to offer help to veterinary surgeons, veterinary nurses and students who are experiencing mental health difficulties, including, but not limited to:
• stress
• anxiety
• depression
• alcohol and drug misuse
• eating disorders
Our mental health professionals will offer an assessment and advice or care management; guiding and supporting you to ensure you get the care that you need.
Who are the Vetlife Health Support team?
Vetlife Health Support is made up of a team of professionals: psychiatrists; mental health nurses; and therapists who have years of experience working in mental health.
Their recommendations and any treatment will be based on what has been proven to be successful, backed up by the latest evidence and research.
In the first instance please call or send an anonymous email to Vetlife Helpline on 0303 040 2551 or by Helpline anonymous email.
One of the trained helpers will either:
• take your name and contact details and pass them on to Vetlife Health Support for you or
• provide you with an email address that you can use to contact Vetlife Health Support yourself if you prefer not to give your name to the Helpline
• and/or, where appropriate, advise you on how to get urgent help from your local NHS services if you are experiencing a mental health crisis
1. The Vetlife Health Support team will make contact with you within two working days to talk to you
2. You will be registered with the Vetlife Health Support Wellness Service who will send you an email with a short survey (it only takes a few minutes to complete). We ask you to complete it within a day or so if possible (please check your spam/junk folders if you can’t see it in your inbox).
Following initial contact, they may:
• offer health and lifestyle advice with supporting literature if appropriate
• recommend a course of evidence-based therapy, which the team will help to organise
• recommend referral for external private or NHS support which, once again, the team will help you to access
Whatever the recommended course of action you decide to take, the Vetlife Health Support team will support and guide you through it.
Vetlife Health Support is a CONFIDENTIAL service, just like when you visit your GP. We will not disclose any identifiable details of our contact with you, unless there is a risk of harm to yourself or somebody else or you wish us to do so.
Veterinary mental health research
This study aimed to (i) evaluate the effectiveness of Vetlife Health Support from the service users’ perspective and (ii) identify elements of Vetlife Health Support that might benefit from improvement.
