Some More Info On How To Utilise Your Drivers...
WHAT HAPPENS AFTER YOU'VE SENT BACK OUR GDPR FORM?
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1. We'll set up your WhatsApp Drivers Team. Included in the WhatsApp group are... One/more of your staff from your Vet Practice, your new Drivers AND me (Alana, founder of UKWT). [This takes about 10mins].
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2. We'll let you know which local Rescues our Drivers can transport to, from your Practice (due to a lack of Wildlife Rescue regulation across most of the UK, we only transport to the proven, high welfare Rescues on this MAP).​
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That's it, you'll be all set to go after these steps. You then just follow our procedures to ask Drivers for transport help, to give them the info to transport the animal to the Rescue and to help keep them safe while transporting. [See below.]
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HERE'S THE PROCEDURES TO FOLLOW (LAID OUT TO BE AS QUICK AND EASY AS POSSIBLE)....
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VET PRACTICE [TRANSPORT SUPPORT PROCEDURE]
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Once you have confirmed with the Wildlife Rescue that they can take the animal...
HERE'S THE PROCEDURES TO FOLLOW....
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INFO FOR YOUR VET PRACTICE:
Contacting your Volunteer Drivers… [Please ensure that you have already spoken to the Rescue and secured spaces for the animals.]
- Message when you need transport support. Try and ALWAYS include a starting and ending postcode - eg. "Picking up from us at XYZ and taking to X Rescue at ABC" - as it helps Drivers to quickly understand how long a journey might be and it raises 'yes, I can help' rates a lot.
- Tag the Drivers, asking if anyone is free. [Eg. "@___ @___ @___ is anyone free to help please?"]. The reason for this is because spring/summer are very busy and sometimes so many teams are pinging away that Drivers will start to ignore the messages that are coming through but if they see that they've been personally tagged in a transport request, they know that it's a message they should definitely respond to, at least saying whether they can help or not.
- Once a Driver has offered to help, provide them with the necessary info (outlined below).
- I always ask the Drivers to message in the WhatsApp group as to when they have picked up the animal and when they are home safe. [They should message in the group because I will be in the group too, so I can be a back up to have an eye on everyone’s safety, while they’re on the road.]
- Thank them.
Info to give the Driver…
The address of your Vet Practice (just in case they haven’t picked up from you before) AND info on the animal(s) they’re picking up AND address of the Rescue they're dropping of to (in case they haven't been there before).
Please make sure that you have ALL paperwork on the background of the animals, where they were found/when etc and all medical treatments and medications, ready for the Driver to take with the animals, to pass on to the Rescue.
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Finder name, Address & phone Number (or just the area, if you’ve not been given permission to pass that info on)…
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When/where found…
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Any Injuries/illnesses…
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Any treatments/medications (what dosages)…
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Any food/water they may have consumed...
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Looking after the Volunteer Drivers…
I ask all Drivers to message in the WhatsApp group so that I know when they've picked up, have dropped off and when they're home safe.
When they've completed the transport... Thank them, if you can. All of the UKWT Drivers have spent their own funds on equipment, tools, hot water bottles and often they choose to cover their own fuel. All of this is often around full time jobs. The least we can do is appreciate them. We're all in this together. [I will be in the group to also thank them AND remind them to hot wash their towels and disinfect their carrier(s) etc.]