The inaugural Vet Times Big 6 Live debate, held at the 2023 SPVS Congress in Birmingham, saw senior figures in the sector tackled key issues for the future of veterinary practice, including the “under care” debate, the use of technology in practice, working patterns, ownership and management models.

The live debate, hosted by chief reporter Allister Webb, featured RCVS president Melissa Donald, BVA president Malcolm Morley, XLVets chief executive Andrew Curwen, BVNA president Charlotte Pace, PetsApp co-founder Thom Jenkins and SPVS board member Ami Sawran.

Big 6 Live at SPVS Congress 2023

With a growing number of practices being acquired by corporate groups, the age-old tradition of buying into an independent practice is slowly becoming a thing of the past, leaving many ambitious young vets with little option but to start from scratch.

In this VBJ First Opinions Podcast, editor James Westgate talks to a young couple who did just that – building their “dream practice” from the ground up, with a little help from VetDynamics along the way.

Claire Smith and Josh Willmot from Beacon View Veterinary Clinic join First Opinions to discuss the ins and outs, and ups and downs, of going it alone – from the inauspicious start that saw them open their doors to the public just a month before COVID forced them closed again, to the pride at building a successful, thriving business under the most difficult of conditions.

They are joined by veterinary business expert Alan Robinson, who offers his thoughts on the processes of starting a practice and some important tips for those considering this route for themselves.

VBJ First Opinions, Ep 19: Starting your own practice

Welcome to a very special Vet Times podcast - our 100th episode.

The episode’s host, Vet Times editor James Westgate, said: “I’d like to take this chance to thank you guys for listening over the years and helping us to reach this magnificent milestone . 

“To mark the occasion, we decided to do something a little bit different and a little bit special, so we’re delving into the world of contextualised veterinary care – and to help us do that, we have assembled a panel of some of the leading vets in the charity sector.”

Joining us in this episode are Alison Thomas, head of veterinary services at Blue Cross; RSPCA chief veterinary office Caroline Allen; Steve Howard, head of clinical services at PDSA; Dogs Trust deputy director Runa Hanaghan; and Maggie Roberts, director of feline welfare at Cats Protection.




Image © pixstocker / Depositphotos.com

Ep 100: Contextualised veterinary care

London Vet Show 2023 saw Vet Times and the Big 6 panel discuss the thorny topic of the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) review of the veterinary profession, specifically focusing on the opportunities it could provide the sector.

Led by Vet Times editor James Westgate, the session looked at how the professions could change for the better, with industry experts including VMG president Miles Russell, BVNA president Lyndsay Hughes, XLVets chief executive Andrew Curwen, British Veterinary Union chair Suzanna Hudson-Cooke, SPVS board chair Peter Orpin and BVA senior vice president Malcolm Morley.

Ep 103: Big 6 Live at London Vet Show 2023

This Vet Times Extra Podcast, sponsored by IDEXX, sees editor James Westgate discuss the benefits of wellness plans and the important part played by diagnostic testing in wellness clinics.

To offer their expert insights, James is joined by Carole MacColl, professional services vet at IDEXX, and Ben Sweeney, vet and founder of telehealth platform VidiVet, which works increasingly with veterinary practices as part of health and wellness planning.

In the first of this two-part series, topics discussed include:

• What are the main benefits of wellness clinics?
• Which pets benefit most?
• How can wellness clinics benefit younger animals?
• What should vets be looking for in wellness clinics?
• What diagnostic tests should be included? 
• What do we do if we find something?

•••••••••••••••••

𝗖𝗔𝗥𝗢𝗟𝗘 𝗠𝗮𝗰𝗖𝗢𝗟𝗟 𝖡𝖵𝖬𝖲, 𝖯𝖦𝖢𝖾𝗋𝗍, 𝖵𝖾𝗍 𝖤𝖽, 𝖥𝖧𝖤𝖠, 𝖬𝖱𝖢𝖵𝖲 
Carole graduated from the University of Glasgow in 2011, and gained experience in first opinion practice before undertaking a rotating internship with a focus on emergency and critical care. 

She spent time as an ECC clinician in referral hospitals throughout Australia and the UK, before accepting a role as a senior vet in the RVC’s first opinion teaching hospital.

Carole joined IDEXX as a Professional Services Veterinarian covering the South of the UK in 2021. 

𝗕𝗘𝗡 𝗦𝗪𝗘𝗘𝗡𝗘𝗬 𝖡𝖵𝖲𝖼, 𝖬𝖲𝖼, 𝖢𝖾𝗋𝗍𝖠𝖵𝖯, 𝖬𝖱𝖢𝖵𝖲 
Ben graduated from the University of Liverpool in 2008 and is passionate about positive innovation and using insights from the veterinary profession and pet-owning population to fuel evolution in how we offer veterinary services.

Ben founded VidiVet, a tele-triage app that works with vet practices to support their customers 24/7 – www.vidivet.com

•••••••••••••••••

𝗦𝗣𝗢𝗡𝗦𝗢𝗥𝗘𝗗 𝗕𝗬 𝗜𝗗𝗘𝗫𝗫
IDEXX offers a comprehensive veterinary wellness care diagnostic solution, which gives deeper medical insights into your patients’ health, helping them live happier lives.

Our Preventative Care solutions contain our Faecal Dx antigen test, to enquire about an 8-week no-cost trial for your clinic, visit https://pages.idexx.com/fecal-dx_free-trial_en-uk#contact-form

Vet Times Extra: Test for success, part 1

Older animals presenting with renal disease often do so because of other clinical issues.

Simon Tappin, head of internal medicine at Dick White Referrals, talks us through some of the diagnostic challenges in this week’s Vet Times Podcast.

 – 

Simon is a European and RCVS-recognised specialist in small animal internal medicine and honorary associate professor at the University of Nottingham.

Having trained at the University of Cambridge, after qualifying he spent two years in small animal practice before taking up a residency in small animal medicine and intensive care at the University of Bristol.

He joined Dick White in 2007. He holds the RCVS Certificate in Small Animal Medicine and the European Diploma in Veterinary Internal Medicine. He is an active member of the BSAVA and editor of Companion Journal.

He has lectured widely in the UK and Europe on subjects including emergency medicine and interventional radiology. Simon’s current research interests are the prevalence of the multi-drug resistance gene within the UK and the implications on disease aetiology.

He gave the lecture “Renal disease in geriatric patients – what can I do?” at London Vet Show.

Ep 26: Simon Tappin on renal disease in geriatric patients

PetsApp is a digital platform that has already helped hundreds of practices increase client engagement and generate extra revenue.

An app-based total telemedicine solution offering video consults, payment processing capabilities, role-based text chat and much more, PetsApp is truly transformative tech.

Record numbers of UK practices are turning to telemedicine* due to ongoing coronavirus restrictions and innovative but intuitive tools such as PetsApp have been the key for many in making it happen.

Listen to PetsApp CEO Thom Jenkins explain how this adaptable platform can provide a secure base for any practice to weather the current economic storm and build for a brighter future…

–

Thom Jenkins is a qualified vet and co-founder and CEO of PetsApp, a mobile-first veterinary telemedicine platform enabling veterinary clinics to offer text chat and video consultations to pet owners.

He is chair of VetForum, an international series of B2B veterinary sector events and serves as an advisor to YLD – one of London’s fastest growing software engi­neering and design consultancies.

* Wave 4 COVID-19 Veterinary Industry Tracker CM Research.

VBJ First Opinions, Ep 10: Thom Jenkins discusses PetsApp

The Vet Times podcast is a weekly show in which we speak to individuals making the headlines or providing valuable information for Vet Times readers, delving into the subjects that matter to the UK veterinary profession.

Vet Times Extra: Test for success, part 1

Vet Times Podcast

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