VetSafe Online Course | VDS Training

Who is running the course?

Dr Elly Russell
Training Consultant, VDS Training

Emma Cathcart
Veterinary Risk Analyst, VDS

Catherine Oxtoby
Head of Underwriting and Pricing, VDS

Emma Callaghan
Membership Liaison Adviser, VDS

What does the course cost?

£0.00 Member / £75 + VAT Non-member (VetSafe Essentials)
£175 + VAT Member / £250 + VAT Non-member (VetSafe Mastery)

How do I book?

You can book directly by using the button below or you can call us on +44 (0) 1565 743862.

Need more information?

Click here to contact us

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Learning to Build Safer Systems

We all go into work each morning to do the very best we can for patients, clients and teams. Things don't always go according to plan. Practice systems don't always make it easy for us to get things right. We all know that mistakes can, and do, happen. When they do, they can have a negative impact not only on the patient and the individual involved but the whole practice team. However, they also offer an opportunity to learn and to improve. How confident are you that your team and practice learn effectively when things don’t go according to plan?

VetSafe, the VDS’s online event reporting system, is the perfect tool to help. By gathering data, we can begin to understand not only why mistakes are happening in the first place, but also what steps we can take to reduce the risk of them happening again, leading to improved patient care and happier veterinary teams.

Would you like to:

Learn more about accessing and navigating the VetSafe system?
Understand why mistakes happen using Human Factors?
Build your confidence helping your team learn from incidents, designing and implementing improvements to better handle risks?
Explore how to create an environment of Psychological Safety in your team, building a 'Just, supportive culture.

Is this course for me?

VetSafe Essentials - Get started with Human Factors and incident reporting, free to access for VDS members and suitable for all members of the practice team, covers what VetSafe is, why and how to use it and how to get the most out of VetSafe for you, your practice and your patients.

VetSafe Mastery - Create a culture of continuous learning and improvement is aimed at those who are VetSafe Champions in their practice, are interested in leading quality improvement, or already oversee their practice Clinical Governance. It will help you engage your team to deliver real, sustainable change to tackle problems that matter to them. You will build confidence in supporting others after incidents, as well as taking away ideas on creating and maintaining a 'Just', supportive culture in your practice.

Either course is suitable for the whole team, including vets, RVNs, practice managers and other team members.

What will I learn?

VetSafe Essentials

Understand why mistakes happen using Human Factors and Systems Thinking
Understand the principles of an adverse event reporting system
Be able to access and navigate the VetSafe system
Understand the benefits of VetSafe for you, your team, your practice, and the profession as a whole
Understand how to make a VetSafe report
Understand how VetSafe works as a risk management system for practices.

VetSafe Mastery

Use Root Cause Analysis technique to review a VetSafe report
Feel confident preparing for, facilitating and leading a learning review
Understand the term 'second victim' and how the VetSafe report/review process can help support clinicians
Feel confident debriefing after adverse events and signposting relevant resources
Understand barriers to event reporting, what Safety Culture is and principles of creating a 'Just Culture'
Understand the concept of Psychological Safety, how it relates to learning from adverse events and feel confident in steps you can take to build it within your team.

What can I expect?

Online modular courses – easy to access and work through at your own pace
Free access to the VetSafe Essentials course for VDS members, with the option to add VetSafe Mastery
Modules that are suitable for the whole team, including vets, RVNs, practice managers and other staff
The tools to help you and your practice understand why mistakes happen and what can be done to prevent them in the future
6 hours CPD for VetSafe Essentials / 12 hours CPD for VetSafe Mastery

How much does it cost?

VetSafe Essentials: Free to access (VDS member) / £75 + VAT (Non-member) - per person

VetSafe Mastery: £175 + VAT (VDS member) / £250 + VAT (Non-member) - per person

VetSafe is an online incident reporting tool provided by the Veterinary Defence Society Limited (trading as VDS Insurance) to its members.

Not a VDS member? If so, these courses will still provide helpful information on understanding risk and mistakes and how to use unexpected and unwanted outcomes to improve. You should be aware if booking these courses as a non-member that they do focus on the VetSafe incident reporting system, a VDS member-only benefit.