WILLOWS VETERINARY CENTRE TREATING STAFF WELLBEING AS PRIORITY
6 years ago 
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A Solihull veterinary centre has been prioritising staff’s emotional, physical and mental health with a specially-designed wellbeing programme.
Willows Veterinary Centre & Referral Service, which is based in Shirley, developed the event after consulting colleagues about what sort of activities would enhance their health and wellbeing.
With a national focus on Mental Health Awareness Week, which runs until Sunday, May 20, around 80 Willows employees took advantage of massages, mini health checks and mental fitness and healthy living workshops.
Now, the centre plans to run another two wellbeing events at its Highfields Road practice in the second half of the year, with physiotherapy, back care and reflexology massages on the agenda.
Brian Watson, Willows hospital director, said: “We were really pleased with the amount of colleagues who took part in the wellbeing day.
“We take our employees’ mental and physical health very seriously and want to offer as much support as possible. Our wellbeing programme will consist of quarterly events, such as this one, where we have a nurse come into the practice to give mini health checks, massages and workshops which can focus on subjects such as sleeping, positive thinking and thought control.
“Like many trades, the veterinary industry can be a stressful place and, after consulting with our team about what sort of activities they would appreciate, we are proactively putting steps in place to provide suitable support.”
Willows, which has recently opened a specialised radioactive iodine unit for treating cats with hyperthyroidism, one of the few centres in Britain to offer such ground-breaking treatment, has also introduced an outdoor breakout space for staff to enjoy fresh air in a safe, friendly environment.
The practice’s next wellbeing event is scheduled for July and will include physio sessions, nutrition workshops, mental health first aid and a women’s health focus.
Willows is a multi-disciplinary, centre of excellence which offers specialised services in internal medicine, joint replacement, minimally invasive interventions, neurology, oncology, ophthalmology, orthopaedics, soft tissue surgery, spinal surgery, diagnostic imaging and anaesthesia and analgesia.
For more information, visit www.willows.uk.net.
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