Wellbeing
We prioritise the wellbeing of our people.
Every important decision we make takes into consideration the impact it will have on our people in practice. We care about supporting our colleagues’ wellbeing and progress.
Support Network
We have a wide support network for all of our clinicians so a practitioner is never alone when dealing with a case.
Our Regional Clinical Hubs support each practice in each region, our Advanced Clinical Service Network work to increase first practice clinical knowledge, and our vet-to-vet telemedicine service Vet Oracle (our virtual vet hospital) offers specialist interpretation of results and practical virtual assistance to our vets.
We also have a network of Pastoral Support Vets, mentors and wellbeing champions that help our colleagues to look after their mental health, their career and to do their best work.
Wellbeing Initiatives
We support our colleagues’ wellbeing and perform regular check-ins.
We have over 350 Wellbeing Champions who are formally trained and certified to administer First Aid for Mental Health. We have introduced a Wellbeing Calendar for colleagues featuring topics such as resilience, exercise, sleep and stress, and have also run a number of informative and empathetic podcasts discussing topics such as men’s mental health and cancer. We have also launched a new CVS Refresh reward scheme where teams receive a weekly allowance to spend on treats, classes and other activities of their choosing to support their wellbeing.
Benefits and policies
We offer an enhanced package of benefits and policies for our colleagues to help maintain wellbeing.
- Additional holiday: Our colleagues can receive up to five additional days holiday under our new long service award scheme.
- Holiday buy back: Colleagues can buy back up to two weeks holiday under a salary sacrifice scheme.
- Employee Assistance: Our Employee Assistance Programme is designed to help colleagues to deal with personal and professional problems that could be affecting their home or work life, health and general wellbeing. It’s confidential helpline is available 24/7/365.
- Maternity pay: We were first to offer enhanced maternity pay to support colleagues in starting a family and then returning to work.
- Sick pay: Our new exceptional health-related events will extend sick pay for up to eight weeks full pay for colleagues. It will be available on a discretionary basis to all colleagues affected by a serious illness or diagnosed with a health condition that requires hospitalisation, major surgery and treatment, and will also apply to major surgery as part of a gender transition.
- Fertility treatment: Our new fertility policy will provide all colleagues with up to five days paid leave to attend fertility investigations, receive and recover from fertility treatment, or support their partner during treatment.
- Pregnancy loss: Our pregnancy loss policy will provide all CVS colleagues and partners who suffer pregnancy loss in the first 24 weeks of pregnancy with up to a week’s paid compassionate leave.
- Health cash plan: We have launched a new free health cash plan to look after our colleagues’ financial, physical and mental wellbeing - enabling colleagues to claim back the cost of a range of medical treatments including dental, optical, physiotherapy and specialist consultations.
- Private medical insurance: We are offering colleagues access to competitively priced private medical insurance - for virtual GP services, fast track referrals to specialists, plus access to private hospitals, tests and eligible treatment when needed. The scheme will also include physiotherapy, health issues, and counselling and support services - both for work related and personal issues.
- Critical illness cover: We are making critical illness cover and life insurance available to colleagues at competitive rates - as a financial safety net to protect them and their family.