Compassion doesn’t have a job title
It’s in the quiet moments, the ones that never make it into the medical notes
A reassuring look during a tough consult. A hand held in the waiting room. Going the extra mile when nobody’s watching, just to make a patient a little more comfortable. Across the profession, from client care to recovery wards, people are quietly going above and beyond every single day. The Vet Times Compassion in Practice Awards exist to notice it, name it, and celebrate it. No categories, no hierarchy, just the moments that make this profession what it is.
Whether you’re a vet, an RVN, SVN, PCA, a client care team member, a practice manager, or part of the wider practice team, if you’ve witnessed it, you can nominate it.
Key Dates
28 September
Entries open
6 November
Entries close
13 November
Four Compassion Champions announced
(selected by our Vet Times and Animal Friends Pet Insurance panel)
13–25 November
Public vote for Compassion Champions of the Year opens
W/C 30 November
Two Compassion Champions of the Year announced each receiving a £1,000 gift voucher of their choice courtesy of Animal Friends Pet Insurance
December
Compassion Champions of the Year celebrated across Vet Times and Animal Friends Pet Insurance
It's the quiet, unseen moments that matter the most.
Clinical excellence
Reducing a patient’s fear before a procedure. Sitting on the floor with a nervous animal. Going the extra mile when nobody’s watching, just to make things a little more comfortable.
Client support
A hand held in the waiting room. A hard decision made a little easier. Handling financial stress or end-of-life grief with understanding, not judgment, the moments that stay with clients long after they leave.
One-team
Who keeps your team standing when the shift gets tough? The colleague who uplifts everyone else, advocates for wellness, and holds the room together on the hardest days.
Community care
Compassion doesn’t stop at the practice door. It could be a wildlife rescue, a free community clinic, pet owner education or charity work. The care that happens off the clock and away from the clinic floor.
These are starting points, not boxes to tick.
If your story doesn’t fit neatly into one, tell it anyway.
Tell us a story that didn't make the medical notes.
Entering only takes a few minutes. We’ll guide you through it, tell us what happened, what was done, and what changed because of it. Add a photo or short video, and that’s it.
Step 1.
Tell us who and why – set the scene; who needed compassion, and what were they facing?
Step 2.
Tell us what they did – the moment, the gesture, the dedication that made the difference.
Step 3.
Tell us what changed – the outcome, the relief, the impact that rippled outward.
The Gallery of Compassion
These moments rarely make the medical notes; we want to make sure they aren’t forgotten. Every approved nomination has a permanent home here, not just the Compassion Champions. It’s a growing, living record of the compassion happening in practices across the profession, one unsung hero at a time.
