VBJ articles

In the first months of lockdown, BVA guidance meant most practices were only able to deal with emergency cases, and work all but dried up for some. But for the teams at Vets Now Manchester, the coronavirus crisis meant that while some things changed, in many ways everything stayed the same...

35 mins

Running a fast-growing 24-hour small animal practice is a demanding job, whatever the weather. Throw in a pandemic that shuts down society for months and that task becomes a whole lot more complicated, as VBJ discovered when we spoke to JVP at Vets4Pets Northampton, Jenny Millington...

35 mins

For most small animal practices across the UK, the story of coronavirus has been pretty bleak – certainly where practice revenues have been concerned. But at Bury St Edmunds Veterinary Centre the crisis has played out differently, as VBJ discovered when we hooked up with partner Jenny Reason...

30 mins

The coronavirus outbreak has brought massive and sudden change to the veterinary profession. But practices are adapting to a new normal and lessons are being learned every day, as the team as Willows Veterinary Centre and Referral Service in the West Midlands is discovering...

26 mins

When Lennon Foo opened Amity Vets in Newton Abbott nearly three years ago, he had a bold vision for the way he wanted to deliver veterinary care. VBJ caught back up with Lennon to see how his practice and bold, client-centred vision was bearing up to the coronavirus crisis...

26 mins

Vet Chris Copeman built one of the first Passivhaus homes in the UK and now he has opened its first Passivhaus veterinary practice.

Buying into a partnership is still a big part of the plan for many veterinary surgeons. But what happens when that plan suddenly has to change? VBJ paid a visit to Swaffham Veterinary Centre in Norfolk to find out...

3 mins

Spinney Vets near Northampton has just undergone a significant refurbishment that has seen the practice double in size. Now the dust has settled, VBJ paid a visit to see if the investment has paid off...

1 mins

The demise of the high street is a well-documented phenomenon in villages and towns across the UK. But as VBJ discovered when we visited West Sussex last month, for some vets this has provided the perfect opportunity to put their practices back at the heart of the communities they serve…

2 mins

Earlier this year, Lambert, Leonard and May (LLM) Farm Vets became the latest farm practice to join the VetPartners group. VBJ paid a visit to see how this change has impacted on one of the UK’s most highly respected farm animal outfits...

41 mins

The UK has 725 referral practices, which means 17% of all veterinary sites are now dedicated referral centres or offer referral services. So, anyone thinking of entering this crowded marketplace needs to pitch their offering carefully...

3 mins

Building a small animal practice right next door to a cattle market might not seem like the best piece of logic. But for Ben Gamsa and his team at Cotswold Vets, near Swindon, it made perfect sense...

3 mins

The recruitment crisis has hit hard in veterinary practices of all shapes and sizes across the UK. But in some places it’s hit especially hard, as VBJ discovered when it paid a visit to rural Lincolnshire.

2 mins

One of the biggest reasons given for the growth of corporate veterinary practice is that the traditional partnership model is broken. But is that really the case? VBJ headed to Didcot, Oxfordshire to find out...

2 mins

Not many equine practices in the UK have such a gilt-edged reputation as Oakham Veterinary Hospital. And as VBJ discovered when we paid a visit to the horsey hotbed of Rutland last month, it’s a reputation well earned…

2 mins

Few other practices better reflect the near exponential growth of the UK referral sector than North Downs Specialist Referrals. The Surrey hospital has trebled in size in its 15 years – a tale of sustained success and one that echoes a wider story…

7 mins

Wildbore Vetstop sounds like it might be a rather intriguing, perhaps even slightly dangerous, place to work. But what’s in a name? Not a lot, as VBJ discovered last month when we headed north to hear another independent success story…

A first opinion hospital practice on the edge of Epping Forest, with in-house CT and MRI, and a dedicated radioiodine unit in nearby Harlow, the practice has certainly branched out in recent years...

2 mins

It is always a tough task setting up a new veterinary practice from scratch. But some have it tougher than others – as VBJ discovered when we headed to Merseyside to visit Village Vets last month…

2 mins

Running the referral division for one of Europe’s largest corporate practice groups can be a complicated business. VBJ discovered just how complex when we paid a visit to CVS referrals director John Innes at the ChesterGates Referral Hospital Veterinary Specialists.

2 mins