20 Apr Safety, Health and Welfare

Process for reporting incidents and payment for abandoned tests

What we used to know as ‘Health & Safety’ is now known as Safety, Health and Welfare (SHAW) and this technicality is a useful reminder that protecting the general well-being of all those involved in delivery of Government work on farm has never been more important. All strands of veterinary work are facing manpower supply concerns, so it makes good sense to ensure that our TB testing team are fully supported when facing challenging circumstances.

TB testing is part of the statutory responsibilities that go alongside a choice to work with livestock in the UK. But getting this ‘admin’ side of farming out of the way is often unpopular and can certainly disrupt a normal working day on farm. Obviously, a bad test result can make things significantly worse! It’s perhaps not too surprising that every practice has one or two clients who can make life tricky for the staff who are only there to do their job.
Farmcare will always do everything possible to support practices who are faced with a difficult test. It’s clear that most TB testers just crack on and get the work done in almost all circumstances. However, if any TB tester has to back off and abandon the test for reasons relating to SHAW, the Authority will pay for the work that has been completed and
Farmcare will help where possible. Please remember that we ask that the attending vet completes our abandoned test report form so that we can log the event and ensure that the matter can be resolved for the future.
All incidents must be noted on the TOM Task Completion and Farmcare will follow up with the practice, where appropriate, to provide any required support.