Following the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS)’s emergency meeting, Vet Dr Samantha Webster, clinical executive at Joii Pet Care, said: “The fact that this emergency meeting was called is a clear sign that things are worsening and need addressing in the veterinary industry before it’s too late. As vets, we’re seeing an increasing number of pet parents needing expert advice and stress levels among professionals rising higher than ever before. That, combined with fewer vets in working in the industry, is extremely worrying.
“To address this issue, the veterinary industry needs to provide the options that we now have in human healthcare. Both in-person and digital consultations should be the norm to reduce the levels of stress on working vets and also give the rising number of pet parents the chance to access care affordably and conveniently.
“If the RCVS are really serious about addressing this crisis, then they must embrace telemedicine the same way that human healthcare has; otherwise more and more vets will leave the profession. Their current strategy revolves around encouraging vets back into the profession who have left – how can they do this without addressing the very reasons they left in the first place – long hours, poor pay, high stress levels, difficulty managing work life balance.”
Joii Pet Care provides advice 24/7 to pet owners via its digital consultations and has a free symptom checker in its app. It has a team of more than 50 veterinary professionals, many of whom live abroad and a large number of whom would have left the profession had they not been able to access a better work life balance by working remotely. Joii Pet Care has been described as the “111” triage service of the industry. Joii Pet Care works alongside in-person vet practices to signpost for treatment when necessary.
