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XLVets Practice
Focus
I was a member of our large
animal department when
we were one of the original
independent practices to join
XLVets ten years ago. Back
then the focus was on how
being a member of XLVets
could benefit the farm and
equine side of the practice, but
now being a part of XLVets has
benefits for all members of
the small animal team too. So,
when I was asked to write this
article, I decided to canvass the
opinions of our small animal
staff to find out what being a
part of XLVets means to them.
Access to country-wide
expertise
All of our vets have used the
‘specialist groups’ which is
a country wide network of
clinicians within XLVets who
have additional qualifications
or expertise. If we have an
interesting or difficult case
we can contact the relevant
‘specialist group’ with the case
information to obtain advice
on diagnosis, management
and outlook for the patient
without the additional cost
often associated with referral.
Knowledge sharing
Many members of our staff
have been on one or more of
the informative and useful
courses run by XLVets. These
can be clinical days for the
vets and nurses as well as
meetings tailored for our
accounts, reception and
managerial staff. All of these
courses provide continuing
professional development
across the practice making sure
everyone is kept up to date
with the latest advances across
the veterinary profession.
Teamwork
Our Practice Manager, Projects
Manager and Deputy Head
Nurse were all enthusiastic
about being able to share and
discuss ideas with a wider
group of like-minded practices.
For example, if we decide to
buy a new piece of equipment
we can find out who has used
what previously, and the
benefits and pitfalls of that
equipment, before we invest in
it. Even the workload for the
production of this Small Talk
magazine is a shared effort;
different practices producing
different articles each quarter
means we all get a professional
magazine, without having to
do all the work ourselves!
Value for money
We always aim to give our
clients the best value for
money when it comes to the
medication that their pet
needs. By being an XLVets
member we can negotiate a
better price for medicines from
the pharmaceutical companies
and pass this benefit on to
our clients.
Being part of XLVets means
that we are able to share
ideas, learning, resources, and
information, enabling us to
feel that we are part of a large,
respected and progressive
organisation, whilst still
maintaining our Hook Norton
Veterinary Group ethos and
independent approach,
providing the best service
we can to our clients and
their pets.
02
small
talk
XLVets and Your Practice
- what does it mean?
Juliet Owens MA, VetMB,
MRCVS
Hook Norton Veterinary Group