Veterinary Defence Society

If you’re working as a locum vet or veterinary nurse, the chances are you already use an umbrella service to handle your payroll. After all, when you’re moving between different practices, you don’t always have the time to juggle multiple timesheets.

But if you think that all umbrella companies offer a similar service, think again. At The Umbrella Service, we’re the only UK company that now offers Veterinary Defence Service cover as standard. The Umbrella Service’s unique partnership with VDS allows us to offer you a range of benefits that no other payroll company can match.

What is the VDS?

The Veterinary Defence Service is a mutual insurance company providing professional indemnity cover. Since 1865, it’s been run by experienced veterinary professionals on behalf of the veterinary profession.

Membership means you have a dedicated team working hard on your side to defend your personal and professional reputation. If you’re a veterinary surgeon or RVN, you’re required by the RCVS code of conduct to have this type of insurance cover.

VDS indemnity insurance is the gold standard for personal liability cover in the veterinary sector. Our partnership means we’re the only umbrella payroll company in the UK to offer their exceptional insurance as part of our services.

The Benefits of Working with The Umbrella Service and VDS

Other companies may offer you professional liability insurance. But no other UK umbrella service can offer you the kind of sector-specific cover that VDS provides.

There are numerous benefits to being covered by the specialists, some of which include:

• VDS offers a choice of indemnity limits appropriate to your experience and practice so you don’t pay for cover you don’t need.
• If you need to make a claim, VDS ensures its handled by a trained vet with full knowledge and understanding of how to handle proceedings through the correct RCVS legal channels.
• You’ll benefit from a range of useful resources including support and advice, monthly newsletters and free membership of the VDS Students Club.
• You’ll also have access to VetSafe, the VDS’s confidential events reporting service, designed to help you develop solutions to problems that occur and improve the quality of your veterinary practice.

The result of all these benefits is peace of mind and veterinary-specific cover that no other umbrella service can match.

Tailor Made Cover from VDS

Our VDS cover is tailored to your needs, right down to the number of days a week that you work and the type of work you do. So you need never pay for general cover you don’t need, and enjoy all the benefits of cover that works for you. And because you pay weekly, we can adjust your cover to your exact working patterns.

If you’re already covered by this exceptional insurance, and you want to use our umbrella services, don’t worry. VDS will refund the cover you’ve already paid for when you’re working with The Umbrella Service.

The Umbrella Service and VDS have you covered

If you want to benefit from one of the most powerful professional partnerships in the veterinary sector, get in touch with The Umbrella Service today.