Supporting our vet partners in delivering clinical excellence

We operate a Joint Venture model in our First Opinion veterinary practices which allows our veterinary partners to focus on their clinical practice while we provide the business services needed to run an efficient business.

We support individual vets having the freedom to make medical and surgical decisions, including the procedures they carry out and the products they use within their practices. We have the utmost respect for their professional knowledge and expertise.

While clinical freedom is a central tenet of our veterinary business, having unified Vets4Pets branding across most of our practice estate has led us to develop an innovative approach to clinical governance, helping vet partners aspire to common standards of clinical excellence.

We have introduced the new role of Clinical Development Manager (CDM) to provide Quality Assurance, promote clinical excellence and best practice, and support our practices with clinical audits, coaching and support. Experienced veterinary surgeons have been recruited into these regional, field-based roles. We have developed the Aspiring to Clinical Excellence (ACE) programme based on similar schemes operating in medical organisations as well as professional requirements from the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons and the Veterinary Medicines Directorate. Our CDMs are conducting ACE audits in every First Opinion practice across the Group. These audits review 20 critical areas of practice process and policy and will be updated regularly to drive continual improvement.

Sadly, bereavement is an inevitable factor of pet ownership and an everyday occurrence in veterinary practice. We have developed a unique suite of resources to support practices in providing bereavement services to clients in a sensitive and compassionate manner.