First UK co-operative veterinary practice to open
The opening of a new veterinary practice in Causewayhead near Stirling has attracted more attention than is usually the case in light of the fact that it will be the first UK veterinary practice to be owned completely by its own employees. Operating out of a regenerated building in central Causewayhead, Animal Tails Veterinary Practice is owned and operated by five local women who first discussed the concept over a chinese meal a little more than a year ago.
Commenting, Director and veterinary nurse Luisa Fallon said "As far as we know, this will be the first completely employee-owned veterinary practice to open in the United Kingdom...This is a significant departure from the traditional tier managed practices and, more recently, the corporate models that are trading at the moment. It is also differs from the partnership style practices because all the employees, including those that are not veterinary surgeons, are owners. Only recently have we seen veterinary nurses become partners in practice, so the concept of an all employee-owned veterinary practice is new to the industry."
Also commenting, veterinary surgeon Stephanie Whyte added that "One of the biggest challenges in modern veterinary practices is high staff turnover and low morale which has a knock-on effect that clients notice. We're confident our practice can provide something different, and our staff will look forward to coming to work."
Animal Tails Veterinary Practice will open on May 21st 2012.
Defra has published guidance for the vet sector ahead of a proposed UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary agreement.
