Collaborating for Collective Change - Veterinary Human Factors Live 2026

The theme of ‘Collaborating for Collective Change’ ran throughout the day, and was clearly demonstrated by the joint hosts VetLed and Vet Empowered. VetLed aims to enhance patient care by empowering veterinary teams with human factors education and Vet Empowered is a veterinary led coaching and personal development company; both exist in similar spaces but have always seen each other as complementary peers rather than competitors. The mutual respect on display allowed for open conversations and encouraged us all to look to the wider profession for belonging, rather than just getting stuck in our own echo chambers. Sponsors VeterinaryIT.services, Supreme Search Specialists, Inside Minds, Unedited Minds and Vet Your Decisions had all been brought on because of their commitment to workplaces that demonstrate these values.

The Studio in central Birmingham provided an accommodating and comfortable venue, and delegates took advantage of the outdoor communal spaces for as long as they could in the heat; this was a conference where the queue for the ice buckets was equal to that for the coffee machine! The day had clearly been planned with inclusivity in mind. The very detailed Digital Delegate Pack we received in advance included information like a video walking guide from the train station and clear sign posting as to who and what to expect, and where to get further information. On the day there was a quiet zone, a loop hearing system and an active invitation to do whatever serves during the sessions, be that getting up for more water or choosing to sit on the floor. The closed caption system also provided some amusing interpretations of Scottish accents!  The acknowledgement that what appeals to some will not to others removed pressure to do anything other than enjoy the day, to take what serves and leave what doesn’t.

We were welcomed by Dan Tipney of VetLed and Katie Ford from Vet Empowered who introduced the key themes for the day. Primarily, we were reminded that practice is complex and interconnected and that multiple things can be true at once. As Dan said,

“When we talk about one thing, it's not to dismiss anything else. If we talk about things that we can do at an individual level to improve well-being and resilience, it's not to dismiss the role of the system. If we talk about things that we can do for each other as a team, it's not to dismiss the fact that there's things that we can do for ourselves. All these things can be true at once, even though sometimes we can only talk about one at a time.”

Katie echoed that we are not alone within these complex systems, and as such we do not need to try to do everything alone:

“No one person can do all of this, and I know that lots of us in this room have tried!  We simply cannot. That is why collaborating for collective change really is the key here”.

Appealing to the room full of scientists by using an analogy of the 3D interacting structure of a molecule, we were reminded that no problem, solution or interaction exists in isolation, and that what we discussed today was about the probability of creating better environments rather than a prediction.  Starting the day feeling empowered to ask questions and connect really set the tone for what was a fantastic day of collaboration.

Stay tuned for our next mini-blog!

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