The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) is bringing in new requirements for individual veterinary practices to have a suicide prevention plan in place later this year.
From 1 April 2026, the Core Standards of the Practice Standards Scheme will require all accredited practices to implement a practice-specific suicide prevention plan, assessing potential risks within the practice setting, and putting in place measures to address and mitigate each identified risk.
The changes have been made as part of the RCVS Mind Matters Initiative’s preventative work, in which it aims to proactively look at systemic issues within the veterinary profession with a view to minimising the chance of people becoming unwell in the first place.
The decision also comes following the College’s response to two separate ‘prevention of future death’ reports issued by coroners’ courts in respect of one veterinary surgeon and one layperson who used lethal veterinary medicines to take their own lives.
The PSS requirements for a suicide prevention plan recognise that different practices will need different approaches, depending on factors such as access to lethal medicines, access to firearms, and how likely it is that will work alone.
Zara Kennedy MRCVS, Chair of the RCVS Mind Matters mental health initiative, said: “Many veterinary surgeons, veterinary nurses and other colleagues in the veterinary team have been deeply affected by the suicide of their friends, colleagues and peers in the professions.
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