BVA Highlights Support For When Things Go Wrong
13 years ago
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Posted
12th August, 2011 16h51
The British Veterinary Association (BVA) is reaching out to non-members with a three-month, no strings attached, free trial.
Over the past few years the BVA membership package has changed significantly in response to the needs of veterinary surgeons across the UK at all stages of their careers.
One of the biggest changes came in 2010 with the launch of the BVA’s mediation and legal representation services – the next step from the highly popular BVA legal helpline.
Last year the 24/7 legal helpline received more than 600 calls from BVA members needing help with a wide range of employment and personal legal matters. And just over one year since the launch, more than 50 vets have been referred to the mediation and representation services for further support and assistance.
Legal support cases
Like many callers Mark* wanted to check a paragraph in his contract of employment. The BVA legal advice line helped him over the phone and via email.
Karen* was notified by her employer that due to reduced workload her hours would be cut. The BVA mediation service has provided ongoing support since May when she was first referred for mediation from the BVA legal advice line.
Karen said: “The mediation team worked with me to identify what outcome I wanted and what I could realistically achieve. The representative was very professional and objective but also supportive. He understood the veterinary environment which really reassured me and he helped me stay rational in what was a difficult situation for me. I hope others take up the excellent BVA service should they ever be in need of such legal support.”
Sarah* was summoned to a disciplinary hearing in May. A BVA representation team member attended to support Sarah and act in her best interest. She also represented Sarah during the appeal hearing and supported her between meetings too.
Sarah said: “I found the legal service very useful. I was assigned a representative very quickly. Being represented at the meetings definitely helped to steer me objectively, enabling more effective communication between both parties. My rep had good knowledge of the relevant working laws and is very prompt to respond to my queries. Thanks very much to BVA for providing this service.”
Safety net
The BVA is now offering a three-month free trial or 15 months for the price of 12 to new members who sign up before 31st August.
Commenting, Harvey Locke, BVA President, said:
“The well-documented stresses that put members of our profession at risk of mental health problems are unacceptably high. With their focus on conflict resolution and individual support, however, we hope the BVA legal services will come to be seen as a safety net for BVA members should things go wrong at work.
“The BVA membership package is constantly evolving and we want to let non-members know about the success of our new services, which have proved both popular and invaluable.
“These kinds of employment issues can be hard to talk about so we hope by highlighting a few stories it will encourage others to seek the help they need from the BVA.
“The three-month free trial is an opportunity for the BVA to reach out to non-members and show them the impact of our complete membership package – from the legal and employment services and free and discounted CPD to our popular publications and money-saving financial services.”
* Please note that names have been changed to protect the individuals involvedMore from
