Testimonies
Below is a selection of testimonials from the +200 we've received from staff, students, alumni, and community members in support of U-Vet staff
I have never encountered a group of people so friendly, eager to teach and supportive as the staff at UVet. My DVM experience would not have been the same without the fantastic staff and facilities. They would always go out of their way to help enhance my learning experience. Whether it was 3pm or 3am, all staff were enthusiastic and helpful and I would not have graduated with the knowledge base that I have now without them. - Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Student U-Vet offers vital clinical service to the community and has an accredited Veterinary program with a global ranking. This is crucial for the University of Melbourne brand on an international level. Students (international and domestic) are attracted to this course for its reputation for high quality education. These cuts to professional and clinical staff will affect the staff:student ratio adversely and as a result the quality of the education received. U-Vet should be supported and they are a vital part of the University community and reputation. - University of Melbourne Staff U-Vet has provided the highest level of care to very sick pets in my immediate family in recent years. U-Vet is recognised, recommended, and sought after for offering specialist, state of the art veterinary services in the region. U-Vet must be adequately resourced as an essential and unique animal health service valued by the community. - Community Member They saved the life of a much loved family pet and without their expertise and quick response not to mention the level of care they provided is second to none. A place I'd travel the extra mile for.. - Faculty of Veterinary and and Agricultural Sciences alumni The staff here have been fantastic, and the 24 hour emergency service has been crucial on a number of times to the ongoing survival of my pets. Iām already quite worried that I do not have anywhere else to go in a timely manner as the emergency department is now closed overnight. - Community Member I have recommended U-Vet to all my friends who have then referred their pet's care to your facility. I understand your staff (especially in Emergency) are really overwhelmed as it is with emergency care and by reducing the amount of staff you are causing detriment to the community. - Community Member U-Vet has provided the highest level of care to very sick pets in my immediate family in recent years. U-Vet is recognised, recommended, and sought after for offering specialist, state of the art veterinary services in the region. U-Vet must be adequately resourced as an essential and unique animal health service valued by the community. - Community Member As an aspiring veterinarian student and a local to the area, it is scary to know that there are valuable staff, which are also mentors to students, are being let go in an already tough time. - University of Melbourne Student and Local to Area My dog had received great service at U vet. In Werribee, U vet is the only clinic that provides off hours emergencies service in the west. Now the service is cut and we are left at risk when our fur babies had an emergency need. We need to travel more than 30 mins to get emergency support which is very risky for our dogs. - Community Member U- Vet has always been and will always be a integral part of the Wyndham and surrounding community. Haven take many beloved pets for emergencies, I have always found the staff to be professional and supportive. - Community Member There are no words to describe the awful decisions the have been made. There has been no thought for animal safety, mental health of staff, or practical measures by which our day runs. The students will get poor learning opportunities and more staff will leave. The changes have been made by someone who is only looking at dollar signs and not at the hospital as a whole. They have broken the backbone, ripped out major organs - while still assuming that it can function as a working, teaching, thriving entity. This will be the demise of UVET Animal Hospital - and Iām not even sure if the powers at the top actually care at all. - U-Vet Clinic Staff or Resident U-vet is a very important facility in Melbourne for the entire veterinary community as well as the public which it serves. Losing both the training facility as well as a speciality centre for general practitioners in Melbourne to refer to would be a huge loss to the entire community. - Veterinarian It will allow residents in that area to keep using there emergency department for emergencies rather than having to travel so far if an emergency is to occur near there home and their pet is in danger of dying - Veterinary nurse I was trained as a clinical veterinarian by the vets and nurses at U-Vet, and am extremely grateful for the education and experience I was given in the U-Vet hospital during my time there as a veterinary student. I do not believe I would have had the skills nor confidence to work alone as an on-call after-hours vet in private practice within 6 months of graduating had I not seen and been trained in dealing with after-hours emergency cases during my emergency rotations at U-Vet during my BVSc. This experience was also invaluable when working as the sole veterinarian in remote Indigenous communities for extended periods. As I have worked in private veterinary practice myself, I am painfully familiar with the detrimental impacts of understaffing and hence overwork on quality of life and mental health. It is upsetting and disappointing to hear of the extreme levels of overwork, stress and workplace anxiety occurring at U-Vet and of further imminent job losses from already severely understaffed work areas ā particularly after staff have risked their own health and gone above and beyond to keep working through the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic period in Melbourne, to continue providing a veterinary service for the community and to get the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine students through their degree under such extremely difficult circumstances. The U-Vet Animal Hospital in Werribee is the only emergency veterinary service in the western suburbs ā this community must not be left without an after-hours vet service. These proposed cuts are particularly galling in light of continued capital works, a multi-million dollar university-owned property portfolio, obscenely bloated management salaries and budget cut targets that are aiming to maintain university surpluses ā and have not been revised down since revenue shortfalls have turned out to be not as bad as originally projected. Buildings and surpluses must not be prioritised over staff wellbeing and essential community services. - Melbourne Veterinary School Alumni I work at another busy emergency veterinary hospital in Melbourne and have major concerns on the knock on effects the proposed staff cuts at the University Vet hospital will have on the community as a whole. We vets in Victoria are all already are struggling with the increased workload through covid, so it seems important for the veterinary community as a whole to remain open and supported in order to provide world class care for patients and owners, as well as to provide a vital education to the next generation of veterinary professionals. Without UVet in the west there are very few options for owners to take their pets for specialist opinions and as a result of recent staffing issues there we are already feeling an increased burden at my own and other emergency and specialist centres. - Community Member Uvet provides a vital service to the community and has an important role in research, student & specialist training. - U-Vet Clinic Staff or Resident I have been a hard working proud employee of The University of Melbourne for over 12 years. Even prouder to be part of a world leading veterinary teaching institution. But now I see those high standards dropping, integrity and dedication falling away because of the demoralizing way in which U- Vet staff have been treated over the past year. We are exhausted, sad and feel completely overlooked and not heard during this entire process. We have world class facilities. We had world class staff. Now itās a shell of its former self. Our reputation has plummeted. We canāt service our students or the community. So where do we go from here? - U-Vet Clinic Staff or Resident You've already lost one of the only qualified behavioral specialists in Australia, Dr. Mel Rockman, who left in anticipation of all the problems these cuts are going to cause. She is instrumental in treating my anxious and sometimes aggressive rescue. Without her help, he may have had to be put down. With her and other staff at the U-Vet we've been able to lead a much happier and healthier life. How many more outstanding staff, providing vital care, are you going to lose? - University of Melbourne Staff I have been an employee at U-Vet for more than 20 years and have never felt the morale so low amongst my colleagues. The uncertainty of job security is at an all time low and its impacting on the entire hospital and its staff. We are highly regarded in the local community, as well as being an internationally recognised teaching facility and its devasting to see how the staff are being impacted by the University's cost cuts. Changing the Emergency Service hours has impacted greatly on the local community, in that they have always been able to call, or present with the sick pets at any time of the day or night. The fact that we are triaging them to other emergency clinics because of staffing is unconscionable. - U-Vet Clinic Staff or Resident This clinic has looked after many of my family and friend's pets for so long (and has supported the humans who bring the pets for care) so well. The staff are so helpful and caring and this is one reason I recommend the clinic over any other in the area. - Community Member I resigned from my position as Clinical Tutor due to the impact of recent changes on staff levels. The situation has impacted my work and my mental health at the point of becoming not sustainable. - Former U-Vet clinic staff member Worked at FVAS for almost ten years. The staff are dedicated to their job and go above and beyond. UVet will not remain one of the top choices for people wishing to study to be a vet or those wanting exceptional care for their animals if you implement all of the cuts you are proposing. - Community Member We have been happy to travel from the eastern suburbs for many years for the caring and professional services at U-vet. We cannot afford to lose such a professional service. Wake up Melb Uni, if you need to make cuts, maybe look at the staff that are proposing these cuts to a much needed service. - Community Member University staff need support in the form of appropriate staffing levels, policies and procedures. It is concerning that so many University staffers are under increasing workloads. - Community Member Iāve seen staff fall apart over the last 12 months, and many quit as a result. As a prospective veterinary student and a staff member of the emergency team since 2017, Iām finding the idea of studying Veterinary Science at The University of Melbourne less and less appealing as Iāve seen how these cuts have gutted the vet program and lowered the standard of education offered, particularly to the 4th year vet students. - U-Vet Clinic Staff or Resident This is a facility where the staff are the most important asset. They should be looked after and retained. - Community Member I have used the services of U-Vet for 20+ yrs and the staff are exceptional and their expertise second to none, at any time of the day or night and to have specialist visits through the facility (Optical) was excellent as my cat does not travel well. - Community Member High needed within the community - the lack of after hours service severely impact western suburban community - Veterinary team member from another local clinic Without UVet people in Geelong will have to drive 1.5-2 hrs for a competent emergency/specialist centre. - Community Member I can't imagine how my cat Huey would have recovered without the caring support of the U-Vet staff. Melbourne Uni absolutely needs to keep the program and support all of the staff so they can continue helping out all of our little friends. - Community Member I graduated in 2012. The staff were passionate and patient when it comes to teaching. We received a high quality of teaching which has served us well in the working world. With these cuts the quality of the teaching at undergraduate and postgraduate level will suffer, and the vet schools reputation will be tarnished. - Melbourne Veterinary School Alumni The letter has succinctly outline my concerns of cutting UVet staff. It doesn't take a genius to figure out these job cuts will affect the quality of education or services provided to the vet students and the community. Can UoM afford to lose the AVMA accreditation? - Melbourne Veterinary School Alumni The U-Vet staff provided invaluable training for myself and the entire graduating cohort of 2011; without which I undoubtedly would not developed the keen interest in emergency medicine that sees me still working at an after hours service in Adelaide. - Melbourne Veterinary School Alumni Learning from specialists at a very high level of medicine during my student years was absolutely paramount in allowing me to develop into a good vet. It is imperative that the Uvet hospital continues on!!! - Melbourne Veterinary School Alumni The vet department had been a second home for me and my vet friends during our education there. The emergency department inspired me to open my own emergency center. I wish for continued training for much needed emergency vets to come out of the uni - Melbourne Veterinary School Alumni The rotations at Werribee hospital formed an essential part of my training and were a key factor in allowing me to develop my interest in surgery. Working in the UK and talking to vets who have trained at institutions without a centralised university owned veterinary hospital has also made me realise how important this is in making sure the that the practical training vet students get is standardised and of high quality at a facility that practices best standards of care. - Melbourne Veterinary School Alumni To maintain the highest standards of patient care requires a adequately staffed facility. - U-Vet Clinic Staff or Resident I graduated from Melbourne Uni Vet School and have been taught by many of the staff at the U-vet hospital. The knowledge that we learnt from the vets and nurses are invaluable. It will be a shame and detrimental for students and colleagues if more staff have to leave. Too many people in the vet industry are burnt out already. More support is needed to teach the next generation of vets! - Melbourne Veterinary School Alumni Having access to learning at an emergency clinic is a big reason why I chose to join the DVM program - Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Student U-Vet are very important to our community and the staff do an amazing job. I would be devastated if they close - U-Vet Clinic Staff or Resident I am a one time employer of U-Vet and will miss having the high quality of care from a well staffed hospital that has a cohort of specialised professional and specialist nurses available to care for animals in need available to us. Vet services require dedicated professional staff to run well, and staff at u-vet must also engages in student teaching as well as working to the highest standard. OHS is a complicated issue in the vet world, and we have high rates of burnout and suicide from our vets and nurses. The Universityās approach to their issue with over staffing and needing to cut staff numbers indicates no understanding of the professional realities for vets and nurses. - Community Member I'm a Vet Nurse, not employed by UVet, and have extensive first hand experience in the negative impact of being overworked, under heavy pressure and under supported in the veterinary industry. This is dangerous to staff both physically and mentally and dangerous to patients. - Community Member We use UVet as a referral centre and never underestimate the value of the care and staff there. What is happening/happened to UVet is atrocious and the veterinary profession in Victoria will suffer for it. - Community Member, Veterinary Nurse and Practice Manager The staff have so much knowledge and skill, lose your staff and you lose the knowledge. - Community Member I work for another emergency hospital. I believe in best for the pet, for me that means urgent care. If a client has to drive another 40 minutes to get urgent care, that is not best for the pet. U-Vet has been a staple in our public and vet community. We cannot let that slide away due to cuts. - Veterinary nurse In the past Iāve had excellent service for my animals at U-Vet. Over the last 18 months the level of care has significantly deteriorated and staff are clearly overworked. The above sumation is fact based and a systemic abuse of funding. Animals canāt be treated without people and students canāt be great without experienced teachers and mentors. Itās time for the University to reassess its priorities. - Community Member As a client of the facility and many relations who have worked at the facility, plus all the community members who rely on this facility for the care of their animals especially equine, Uvet needs to remain operational and staff should be treated with respect, honesty, transparency and kept informed and have the ability to be part of the decisions. - Community Member We are drowning. We are losing incredible staff every week. If we don't make a change now we may never come back from this - U-Vet Clinic Staff or Resident I worked as a veterinary nurse in the Emergency & Critical Care Department from 2013 to 2019. I was proud to be part of what I perceived to be one of Australiaās most prestigious veterinary schools and to work alongside pre-eminent specialists to deliver exceptional, world class veterinary care. During my tenure at U-Vet, understaffing, lack of support from hospital leadership and subsequent low staff morale were a constant and increasing issue. I suffered several injuries at work and found the level of pressure and lack of support to be significantly detrimental to my physical and mental health. I watched myself and my colleagues struggle with burnout, injury and illness, but remained committed to the overall value of U-Vet as a centre of excellence in clinical care and veterinary education. I was proud to be part of an institution that was known to be a world leader and, perhaps more importantly, trusted by the local community. The changes that I have observed since leaving U-Vet to change careers in early 2019 have been, frankly, heartbreaking. The cuts to staffing have made it impossible for clinical staff to deliver adequate care, let alone the world class care they strive for and are expected to deliver. The decision to cut after-hours emergency services - a public service to the Melbourne pet-owning community - is astonishing. The provision of excellent, reliable emergency and critical care has importance and value beyond a businessās profits. It is a duty. I urge the University of Melbourne to reconsider these decisions and restore U-Vet to the excellent full-service interdisciplinary teaching facility I gave six years of my life to. - Former U-Vet staff member UVet Specialists were vital in the care and assessment of our much loved family cat āMoniā without the expert care by neurologists, diabetes and small animal specialists we would not have had an extra year of loving Moni. They taught us skills we needed to support Moni and looked after her when she was too unwell to be at home and supported us to know when it was time to stop intervening. We needed their expert knowledge and it was not available at our local vet. The knowledge that they gained from trying to save Moni would be used to help other cats as well and educate young vet students. We could not have done what we did without their expert knowledge and care. It is devastating to think that others who may be in a similar position to us wonāt have the opportunity that we had with the loss of staff due to cuts. UVets is vital to the care of all creatures great and small and is vital to the development of research and education of vet students. In the midst of a pandemic hospitals were not terminating their staff so why should it be any different for the care of our sick animals. Our much loved family pets deserve better than this. UVet thank you so much for everything you did for Moni and us we will always be grateful - Client As a long standing customer I cannot rate uvet highly enough. One of my horses required constant care and was a patient there for some 7 months - Dr Liz Walmsley and the team there provider the highest level of care to my horses - it is a real concern where we are to go if uvet is closed as there is nowhere else that has the facilities & level of care - Customer Without the expert care and support provided by U-Vet my beautiful cat Moni would not have survived for as long as she did. U-Vet staff, in particular Dr Adrian Witham and Dr Emma Roberts were phenomenal. We need to support and keep such dedicated, hard working and talented vets at UVet and in our communities. - U-Vet Client U-Vet staff is always happy and friendly. These people love their jobs and we always get great advice from the vets and specialist. The students are very professional too. It is a great place for learning for our future vets. Please reopen the 24hr clinic as it is essential in our community. - Community Member To teach and further educate not only student but staff on the highest level of care for patients. Working at Melbourne uni in the anaesthesia department has always been a dream job for me and I am finally in the position to be able to try and achieve this without this I have no idea what path to next take me career down. I also have some amazing friend who work there and love working there and do not want them to loose there jobs. - Veterinary nurse My pets and families pets have been cared for and operated on by U-Vet staff for over a decade and have provided exceptional care. The amazing staff have also shown great compassion when pets have been lost. - Community Member I work with staff in both the hospital and the research field with jointly funded projects to better animal health practices in Australia and globally. To lose these staff and the skill set they bring would be devastating and we have already lost some of them. With zero consultation to us, a global pharmaceutical company who funds your research and many of your programs - Community Member and Joint research funding provider personal experience seeing staff members severely overworked throughout lockdown and staying due to their commitment to animal welfare, it is unethical to continue cutting jobs rather than providing them more support - Community Member I was working at U-Vet when the COVID pandemic hit and my contract was not renewed as a result of the pandemic. The staff at U-Vet are amazing and I miss working there very much. I canāt imagine how difficult it must be for them now that they are so short staffed. - Former U-Vet veterinary nurse. Since graduating from the BVSc at UoM, and being exposed to other teaching hospitals, I have come to realise how important all my interactions with the U-Vet Staff and knowledge gained was throughout the rest of my veterinary career. The well thought out rotations, complete with good caseload ensured that I was prepared to take on the challenges of veterinary medicine once graduated. - Melbourne Veterinary School Alumni During the pandemic last year u-vet was the only place that was open in the last few hours of our pets life. If i had to travel further than the 20mins i drove my pet would not have been diagnosed and died in my daughters arm in the back seat of the car. Normal vets aren't open late, lort smith wont always take people and 24 clinics are so far away from western suburbs. I cant thank the staff at u-vet enough for trying to save our pet and provide us with every available option and giving us a full run down of costs and likelyhood of survival chances. Sadly our pets chances were extremely bleek but again the staff were nothing but helpful and kind in making a hard decision, they were extremely compassionate and allowed my daughter time with her pet before her passing, they provided me with great information on helping my child deal with the grief of her pet. Please dont close them down as if it wasnt for them my daughter would never have had those last precious hours with her pet as she would never have made it to another clinic - Community Member Without the wonderful care and treatment my Stallion received 6 years ago for a very bad case of Guttural Pouch Mycosis , He would not be here today, he turned 20 in October, i am forever thankful that we have Werribee U -Vet as if he had to have been taken anywhere else , he may not have survived the long trip from Longwarry to anywhere else .i.e Goulbern Valley , as he could have had a massive bleed and died . We the equine owners and their horses need U-vet staff to remain at full capacity, as there are not enough good truly dedicated equine vets/ nurses/staff or facilities around, Equine vets in general are few and far between, especially up my way in Gippsland. - U-Vet Equine Centre Client U-Vet took incredible care of my senior cat Penny in what turned out to be her last days. I can't imagine losing this wonderful, highly skilled vet hospital which has been available to the pet owners of Victoria for so long. Having horses as well, just knowing the hospital is there if ever needed brings significant comfort. I cannot fathom the thinking behind this decision, especially as the University of Melbourne is supposed to be a pillar of high quality research. Please reconsider, not only for sake of the dedicated staff, but for pet owners like me who truly love our animals and want the best care for them. - University of Melbourne Staff Recently used the standing CT scan to diagnose cause of intermittent lameness- invaluable information, great service and educational experience. - Community Member U-vet are my emergency referral clinic of choice. I had 2 different horses referred to the clinic within months of each other and the quality of care given to both horses was high. I trusted the clinic staff and students to look after my most prized possessions and they did so with respect and compassion. - U-vet client I had a fantastic experience being trained by the U-Vet staff and have subsequently been selected into top universities for advanced training and achieved specialist qualification. The inspiration and support for this dream for the U-Vet team - Melbourne Veterinary School Alumni I worked in the ECC department for 6 months, 4 years ago. It was the best and most rewarding time of my nursing career. I learned so much from the dedicated staff with various levels of experience every single day. Without the staff, U-Vet are nothing - it's a pity that's not being seen here. - Former U-Vet Staff This is a vital service for the local and wider community which I have accessed on many occasions. U Vet is a jewel in the University's crown and should be treated as such. The current plans to make severe cuts are extremely short sighted as once lost this unique resource will be sorely missed. - Community Member U-vet is an essential service within the greater Melbourne and even whole of Victoria. It has been āthe placeā to take sick animals for as long as I can remember. The staff are always so generous with their time and they truely love the work they do. Iām saddened to read how stressed and anxious staff are about changes that have occurred and are proposed. U-vet is an essential service both as a clinic as well as for learning for students, that the Victorian community needs! - Community Member U-Vet is my local clinic and has always provided me with top quality care for all my weird and wonderful pets. The University of Melbourne is doing the community and their veterinary students a great disservice by implementing these staff cuts. - Community Member The veterinary industry has been inundated, the loss of teaching professionals will massively impact the learning opportunities for future veterinarians and the loss of capacity is negatively impacting the surrounding veterinarians - Community Member Theyāve provided excellent care of my patients through the ongoing specialist services. If the cuts continue, then my patients will not have adequate access to care and veterinary specialists. The hospital needs to remain open and be operational 24/7, to continue to provide the outstanding care they have provided for years. - Referring Veterinarian They are an amazing referral hospital for the surrounding vets but also due to their knowledge, capabilities and the 24 hour nature an excellent referral hospital for clinics from further distances. With the vet shortage heavily effecting the smaller veterinary clinics within Victoria, we need to maintain a facility like U vet to continue to help bring adequately trained vets out once qualified and maintain a good referral hospital. - Veterinary Nurse The hospital plays a major role in the community both human and animal. It is responsible to educate and train future veterinarians and engage in ground breaking research which has been recognized worldwide - by reducing the operations and capacity puts all of this in jeopardy and ultimately our animals. This industry is already high pressure and this action will contribute to this pressure even more. This is putting human and animal lives at risk. - Former U-Vet Staff We have been received care for our dogs at Uvet for 8 years as standard patients. Their care has been exceptional and having this resource in the area is vital, the team of specialists and researchers are deeply important. Weāve needed the emergency care several times and having none available in the area now is deeply concerning. Just this week we had an issue that was helped by the emergency nurses and doctors, thankfully it was in operational hours, but itās scary to think what might have happened if we werenāt so lucky. - Community Member Uvet provides an integral learning curve prior to assimilation of veterinary medicine in practice after graduation. Within my time at the university, we have already experienced a shortage of staff resulting in veterinary students not having the opportunity to perform necessary clinical training resulting in underperformance , anxiety and long term shortage of vets that we are currently experiencing as a whole profession. It is important to provide enough staff, case loads and not putting even more pressure on the current uvet staffs who will be under already massive demands of workloads during the pandemic. - Melbourne Veterinary School Alumni My family has owned dogs for 12 years and have used no other veterinary services. Our beloved dog Buddy, now passed on, loved visiting U-Vet and was even the subject of a student thesis when he was very young after a motor vehicle accident. If it wasnāt for the love and care that he received at U-Vet, his and our lives would be very different. We now have 2 other dogs who have known no other vets and would not fare well with having to see a different vet if we had to take them to random vet surgery for emergency treatment out of hours. Keep this hospital open and flourishing 24hours, do the right thing by the dedicated staff and the wider community who need and rely on these wonderful people. Our animals depend on you!! - Community Member These guys provided incredible service to us over New Year's when our cat had an emergency. They responded with such expertise and supported us through her subsequent euthanasia with empathy and compassion. I can't thank them enough and we will always be grateful. To lose this service would be a catastrophe for our community - the world doesn't (and shouldn't) revolve around Parkville. - Community Member What a shame to squander such a valuable service and resource. I have had various pets over the last 15years that have over some stage of their lives needed vet care and emergency care. The staff and students at this establishment have always provided exceptional care and support in those times of need and now as a new dog owner I am left worried about where we will have to go and how long it will take to get there if there's a real problem. How short sighted does management have to be to dismantle a practice with such a hard earned excellent reputation for the sake of saving lesser known less valuable courses... I can not believe the way you have treated your staff regarding redundancy decisions and am left speechless over the brain drain you have inflicted on yourselves!!???!!! Reducing PHD specialist vets down to GP services is DEGRADATION and displays management skills on the lowest level of existence. - Community Member As a pet owner and having had the need to treat pets in emergency after hours twice, one on New Years Eve, anotherā mid Stage 4 Covid lockdown, I cannot commend the professionalism and care of all members of your staff at these extremely distressing times. The care shown to a rabbit in ICU, and the compassion in relaying the news of her passing were incredible. Furthermore the work performed to save our bulldog amidst the obvious stress and stressors the pandemic evoked on staff and owners, her care was conscientious, compassionate and went above and beyond ānormalā. In particular Dr Lucy was exemplary in her care and continual phone updates whilst our dog was in ICU and U-Vets care. To force all staff to work above and beyond a safe - Community Member, Past client of after hours emergency services at U-Vet My cat was recently bitten by a tiger snake š late at night and I freaked out as I didnāt think heād make it out alive, thank good for U vet for their fast action into saving his life - Community Member As an alumni who has witnessed close friends (staff and students) mentally and physically suffer from U-Vet's the Pandemic Reset Program, I am truly disgusted by the actions (and lack of actions undertaken during the height of the pandemic) made by the administrators of this hospital. There is no doubt in my mind that the leadership of this hospital has clearly failed to deliver what they were aiming to achieve through this change. I understand that changes were/are necessary at these unprescedented times - but the high level approach that was made and the lack of foresight from the adminstrators is criminally negligible to say the least. I've heard recently that the management just realising what the true impact of closing an emergency centre is for a referral hospital. I'm sure that decision makers will hide behind the fact that there aren't enough personnel available and the difficulties of hiring more veterinary staff - but please don't forget that you drove these people out. I hope the university and the vice chancellor hold the failed management team accountable and right the ship for the sake of my beloved alma mater. - Melbourne Veterinary School Alumni As a member of the veterinary profession I know the value that U-Vet provides to Melbourne, the greater veterinary community, and advancement of scientific research. I am also aware of the profound mental health risks of members in this profession and related jobs, and being under resourced and under pressure exacerbates these. U-Vet is an excellent veterinary facility and should be supported through the increased pressures of the Covid pandemic and beyond, not undermined by further cuts. - Veterinarian In times of the current pandemic, vets and staff who are already in a high stress environment have been asked to step up and meet a rising demand. We are overwhelmed by the current workload. Cutting funding and staffing will be detrimental. UVets need to be supported with more. - Community Member and Veterinarian U-Vet Werribee helped save the life our dog and we are grateful to all the staff and doctors for a wonderful job. When we visited, we saw there were a number of pets needing emergency care and reducing the resources for the facility will surely impact the speed at which care can be given to pets and might eventually lead to the passing away of some. I hope the U-Vet facility especially in Werribee will continue get the funding and support it needs to serve the community with the best care and resources. - Community Member As an institution that serves the community, the University and Vet Clinic should be able to provide the expected level of service and staff need safe workloads. - University of Melbourne Staff It is plain that inadequate staffing will lead to a rise in workplace injuries. An inability to provide 24/7 support to veterinary clinics, or emergency care as a result of staffing cuts will only threaten the good reputation and international accreditation of U-Vet . University Management need to join the dots. - University of Melbourne Staff The Uvet hospital used to be open 24/7 and which was very helpful for any emergencies, which I have used in the past. Please keep jobs and keep it open, for the sake of all of our animals. - Animal owner The fact that it is so busy tells you everything, saved several of our rescue dogs. - Community Member I have had 3 cats looked after here by staff that are caring kind and very very knowledgeable. I am disgusted that such dedicated people could be sacked at a time when we need them. Covid19 has increased pet ownership and all these furries need the best of care. I know that U-Vet provides this. Stop cutting staff - Community Member U-Vet provides high quality research supported expertise to members of the community. - Community Member Itās important for the community of animals in the west - Community Member Providing care to those in need should be core values of the University of Melbourne - University of Melbourne Staff U-Vet Werribee is a vital part of training veterinary science students, as well as providing critical emergency services to the community. Please do not let it be shut down this way. - Melbourne Veterinary School Alumni They are experts in their field and passionate about best care for our pets - Community Member This is a time to pull together not tear apart - Community Member We need support to look after our beloved animals - Community Member Some things are more important than money - Former U-Vet Staff We cannot let this facility continue under resourced. It is too important to our community. - Community Member The university is responsible for teaching the next generation and is necessary as a valued specialist centre. - Melbourne Veterinary School Alumni The clinic provides training, education, employment and an accessible service for the Australian community. - Community Member The veterinary staff have been essential to guiding students in being a veterinarian and helping them gain the confidence in my practical skills. - Melbourne Veterinary School Alumni I attended uvet with my previous dog for over 10 years. The staff at uvet were so great that I continued to see them at uvet after I moved to Geelong. - Community Member Excellent and necessary teachers and community service providers. - Melbourne Veterinary School Alumni They all worked tirelessly to help me gain my qualifications. The absolute best Veterinary teaching department in the world. - Melbourne Veterinary School Alumni Unimelb vet school graduate from 2015. The vet hospital staff at U-vet is amazing and incredibly selfless when teaching vet students. - Melbourne Veterinary School Alumni I strongly believe this facility needs to remain open and be properly funded because many of my friends have travelled across the city so that their much loved pets could receive the specialist help that this facility provides. If this facility is not staffed well, those pets would either be euthanised prematurely or would die in pain without any treatment.Additionally, we need to maintain high quality training for future vets or we will be forced to import ever greater numbers of these highly specialised skills. - Community Member This is an invaluable service with highly skilled & experienced staff. It absolutely represents the best of veterinary care for a wide variety of animals. - Community Member I have concerns not only for the health and wellbeing of past and present staff but also patients. Training for students and servicing the community. - Practice Manager and Vet Nurse of small animal clinic Being from Geelong I have been referred to your specialists a number of times. A reduction in the number of staff or services would have a significant detrimental effect on the Victorian community of animal owners. - Community Member I have been taking my dog for 10yrs and they have always been amazing anytime day or night. - Community Member We have many animals in our care and it is so reassuring to know that the The Melbourne University backs the research and development which takes place in Werribee. - Community Member I think the culling of more staff members will have a detrimental effect on the health of patients and current staff alike. Putting more stress and strain on an already stressful job is not the best way to provide care. - Community Member As the number one facility and the gold standard nation wide you were once regarded as the best veterinary hospital in the country, it would be such a shame to lose this and also to lose all of the staff that make it such a special and amazing place. - Community Member U-Vet have saved a number of friends horses over the years performing colic surgeries. Also my sisters pony was also saved when she was sick also spending a week there. - Community Member I absolutely loved working in the ECC department, everyone provided excellent care. The hospital was highly looked upon and its devastating how things are going there - Ex employee UVets are a needed and valued service. A lot of National and state events are held at Werribee each year. - Equestrian competitor at Werribee I do not currently have my pets but understand the great work the uvet do and how it is the animals that ultimately lose out with the changes that are happening. - Community Member I work at a regional veterinary hospital and we rely on U-Vet as a referral hospital. - Veterinary Nurse I have taken my dog here before. I also know they are a teaching facility for the next load of veterinarians and vet nurses. They are also one of the only emergency vets on this side of the ever growing western suburbs but this service has also been taken away as well and now staff are being made redundant. Whose benefiting from this change? Itās certainly not the majority. - Community Member My cat needed radioactive iodine therapy and the staff there were lovely and helpful with daily messages and reports. This industry needs all the support it can get! - Veterinary Nurse As a horse and dog owner it has been reassuring over the years to know that in any emergency at any time of day or night that the services provided by Werribee U vet are accessible and of the highest standard. It is unnerving to think of a possible situation where, especially for equine services, that the option to travel to Werribee may be taken away or impaired. They have saved the life of my dog with a twisted stomach where,even though I had taken her to a 24 hour vet that provide excellent care. The situation was above their expertise. What would I have done that night instead of travel to Werribee? I have also experienced some extremely stressful horse situations where the staff have been fantastic and make you feel like you are in great hands. Please consider all of the ramifications of these nonsensical decisions. - Community Member I have attended U-Vet for many years. The staff are fabulous, knowledgeable and caring. I have needed to attend for after-hours emergency care several times. Cutting your after-hours emergency service was a huge blow to the community, but I am even more disappointed to discover your lack of respect and support for your own staff. - Community Member As a veterinary practitioner of almost 30 years and a Werribee born and bred local with an extremely successful a d respected practice in Point Cook, we relied on the services at U-vet to assist us in caring for our patients. The short sighted and poorly considered demolition of services has not only lead to a collapse in this structure but also far wider implications. The duress being placed on local practices and staff, inundated with picking up the overflow of patients not able to be accommodated. The severity of the emergency case load we are having to see in amongst the massive growth in case load. How do we find the time, manage the load and associated stress, the client frustration and aggression in a timely [way] when we are in a mental health crisis within the industry. Then there are the students, poor in-house exposure and the reliance on private practitioners to provide, find time for and fund these opportunities for your students. Longer anaesthetic times, more consumables as they learn to place catheters...more surgical nursing and vet wages supervising none of this is free of cost to supporting vets. I have always offered placement and supported the development of students, giving back, however believe the current escalation in cost to clinic should be offset. There are substantial other costs other than financial that appear to have received little consideration. Please rethink the short sided changes as I would seriously had to rethink recommendation and referral to U-vet and would be reluctant to offer employment to your recent grads. - Melbourne Veterinary School Alumni Staff are always lovely & supportive in times of need for our pets. We need 24 hour care facilities for animals in the western suburbs. - Community Member I was once a member of one of the best veterinary ECC teams in the country and the job cuts has dwindled down the team to not even a skeleton of what it used to be. Not having enough staff to open during the after-hours period defeats the purpose of an emergency service. It is a big loss to our local community,referring veterinarians and DVM students. As a UoM Vet school alumni it hurts me to see the reputation of my alma mater become a laughing stock of the industry. - Melbourne Veterinary School Alumni Because educating the next generation of veterinary clinical staff should not, simply cannot, be undertaken in sub standard conditions. - Wildlife Hospital Manager The exotic vet team at UVet were all outstanding. I can't believe that it has got to the point where there are some days of the week with no exotic vets in attendance. The fact that UVet is no longer a 24 hour vet is also very upsetting - there are no other options in the area for the outer western suburbs. - Community Member Have taken several horses for emergency treatment when beyond scope of my local vet. Staff experience has been essential in pulling them through. On each occasion vet students received invaluable training whilst observing and assisting in surgery and treatment' given by highly skilled staff. - Community Member I have had to rush both my mini dachshunds to u-vet in the last 4 months. 1 with bloat and 1 white a disc issue in her neck. If it wasnāt for the amazingly, fantastic,caring staff I donāt know what I would have done. My boy had back surgery at u-vet years ago amd I recommend them to everyone. Please think of all these wonderful and caring staff, our animals who are family and the community. - Community Member U-vet have been there for me and my animals in emergencies and they are very important for our local community, even more so now that the community continues to grow. I have many animals and in particular, guinea pigs, many of them rescued from people who canāt look after them. The small animals vets are very caring and knowledgeable. The fee is affordable compared to all others and the opportunity provided for students to engage with small animal health is very important as there are limited options for owners to find adequate care. I donāt know where I will go if U-vet is no longer an option, the powers that be must understand that U-vet serves a community and animals welfare should be the main priority and this is the message they need to pass on to the next generation of vets. - Community Member As a student, it has become evident that there is not sufficient staff available to provide opportunities to students when we are at the University. We are often in large groups and grovelling for attention or opportunities such as blood draws or catheter placement because we are all stressed as we are assessed on it but have minimal opportunities to perform these tasks due to the staff to student ratio. - Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Student U-Vet is the only 24 hour veterinary service in the Wyndham area with specialist equipment on hand. When my cat went into cardiac arrest at 2am in September 2018 they were the only ECC unit that could handle his case. They not only train veterinarians but vet nurses and support staff as well. They are an important resource to an important industry - Community Member I can not express how important the team at uvet are to our lives and that of our pets. For over 20 years they have been caring for our animals and have gone above and beyond our expectations. Even now that we live over an hour away I still continue to visit and communicate with the team about our beloved boy Wilkie. We would be truly lost without the team at uvet. - Community Member U-Vet played a vital role in caring for my dog who was diagnosed with cancer in 2019 and I'm forever grateful for their guidance and knowledge in treating our family members with such care and expertise. Please do not cut their funding or staff numbers as the community relies heavily on U-Vet day after day. - Community Member U-Vet have been there in my time of need on many occasions. All of these have been an emergency and after hours. The next available after hours emergency Vet is very far away and I don't think my cats that I have taken into care would have made it without Uvet being there. They have always gone above and beyond. Amazing service. - Community Member U-Vet were there to support me when my cat became ill late at night and was the only emergency vet in the area. Whilst my cat was too unwell and needed to be euthanized the staff were so supportive and having them open so late and bang close by meant my cat could be seen very quickly minimizing any pain or suffering. Not having this vet staffed to support 24 hours puts tremendous strain on local vet clinics when weāre already quite full. It has been very difficult for me to get vet appointments in the last months since the hours were changed as most vets are booked up a week or 2 in advance. Plus for any emergencies out of hours I need to travel to Kensington. - Community Member As a first time pet owner we took our puppy to U Vet emergency and they were all very caring and patient. Wish your emergency was still running in Wyndham as we are now left with no local options - Community Member I rushed my fur baby to U-Vet after a sock incident. Their professionalism, care, compassion and quick response was amazing. The reduced opening hours have already had a detrimental effect on the community forcing animal owners in Wyndham to seek emergency care as far as Kensington (an average 45min trip) which could mean the difference between life and death. U-Vet is an essential service and vital establishment for Wyndham please donāt take that away from us! - Community Member U-vet have twice helped us in emergency medical help for our dogs and have been amazing both times. In a significant growth area I think it is a shame that services are being scaled back, putting the well-being of pets and animals in the community at risk. - Community Member UVet provide an essential animal emergency service to the Western suburbs community, a service of which I have required a number of times. It is imperative that the same service level prior to covid-19 is maintained - our animals need it! Therefore, the University should not be cutting staff, and putting extra pressure on existing staff who are already burnt out. - Community Member As I final year student in 2020 we witnessed all of the above to be true. These staff are incredible teachers and clinicians who the next cohorts of students will miss out on learning from in what is essentially a skeleton staff remaining - Melbourne Veterinary School Alumni Australia needs high level training institutions for its veterinary graduates as well as the specialist training programs provided by Melbourne University. Please prioritise the retention of the key staff that make this possible. There are excellent graduate veterinarians and specialists I know who have come from Melbourne. - Veterinarian I could not have got the final year experience and learning if that for all of the U-Vet staff. Now working as a vet for 2 years I can still recall a multitude of techniques and knowledge both vets and nurses at the hospital taught me on the job that have been invaluable to my career. - Melbourne Veterinary School Alumni Vets all over the world are coping with increased work loads and stress during Covid. It is unacceptable to take these actions at any time but especially during the pandemic. I studied with the staff and found them to dedicated and hard working. Why on earth would you spend so much money revamping the buildings and then reduce your workforce ? - Veterinarian
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