Organisational background

Scotts was first established in the county town of Bedford in 1955 and has evolved over the years. Today we are a Small Animal Veterinary Hospital providing comprehensive first and second opinion care for a diverse and varied caseload, including exotics.

In addition to our SAVH, we also have two consulting-only satellite branches, each within a 15-minute drive from our main hospital.

We are an experienced team of approximately 50 staff and we provide our own 24hr emergency provision, on-site at our purpose-built veterinary hospital.

In terms of facilities and equipment, we have all the gadgets and gizmos you would expect to see in a modern, purpose-built veterinary hospital such as digital radiography (including dental), brand new state of the art echo & ultrasound, endoscopy, separate wards for different species including isolation, in-house laboratory, on-site hydro-physiotherapy aquatic treadmill to name but a few.

We also have Advanced Practitioners in the team and certificate holders (and those working towards them) in Cardiology, Diagnostic Imaging and Medicine. We work closely with an orthopaedic surgeon who carries out referral surgery on-site and we are also just 40 minutes away from a specialist referral centre.

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We are a Vetsure Graduate Friendly Practice with four of our senior vets (including two clinical directors) appointed as VetGDP Advisors.

Mentoring, guidance and reassurance are combined with a comprehensive induction phase to help provide all new recruits and newly graduated veterinary professionals with the necessary tools needed to apply their theory and gain confidence in their own ability, all with a good helping of clinical freedom. From customer service and client interaction to ECC, medicine, diagnostics and surgery, we feel a great induction is the key to great future success in the veterinary world!

Progression within your field is encouraged and nurtured here too.

The veterinary team works on a three-tier rota. Tier 1 is staffed by our on-call veterinary team. They work a 1:5 rota which is a mixture of days, lates, nights, weekends and generous days off (currently based on 47hrs per week, on average – which includes all OOHs).

We find this provides a good balance between time in the building, for case continuity and time off. This team is fully supported by our senior vets and Clinical Directors who provide ‘back-up’ OOH’s support by phone and in person if required.

The on-call vet and veterinary nurse stay on-site for the duration of their shift, with the use of our on-site, self-contained accommodation. This tier would suit a new or recently graduated vet, looking to gain experience and grow in confidence in a broad range of disciplines with the reassurance they have the experienced support on hand when they need it, during the day and OOHs.

All Tier 1 vets’ duties are carried out at our main hospital and not at the branches. Tier 2 is staffed by vets who are usually at least 2 years graduated, who can confidently manage routine surgery, diagnostics and medical cases. These individuals may already have a certificate or may be looking to complete a certificate and are capable of working more independently. Tier 2 vets may also carry out some shifts at the branches. The senior tier or Tier 3 includes vets with at least 5yrs post-graduate experience and our Clinical Directors who have many years of experience between them (between 7 and 30+ at the last count!).

Consistency of care is really important to us and the rota system we have in place regularly enables the clinical team to follow through with care from admission to discharge.

But it’s not all about the work, is it? We believe it’s just as important to feel part of the team outside of work too. Our social committee, annual rounders match, Christmas parties and baking extravaganzas help to do just that and it’s entirely your choice as to how much or how little you’d like to get involved.

Organisation aims & mission

We are committed to providing professional and compassionate care, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

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We genuinely care about the way our services are delivered and received. We listen to our clients and encourage feedback. We are a collaborative employer and work with our team to deliver an excellent standard of RCVS accredited patient care, welfare and customer experience.

• We are a supportive, friendly and progressive team. We encourage teamwork and enjoy creating opportunities for development and career progression.
• We offer a generous CPD package to support this, including support for those who wish to pursue a certificate.
• We see a diverse and varied caseload and have great facilities for 1st and 2nd opinion work.
• As the only independent practice in the town, we enjoy a good helping of clinical freedom and flexibility.
• Providing our own OOH’s service on-site means we also get to see cases through from admit to discharge.
• We encourage case discussion so our twice-daily rounds help provide support, guidance and reassurance.
• We also have a lunchtime journal club, with pizza provided! (every 6-8wks or so).
• We’re a social bunch and employees can get involved as much or as little as they like, from rounders in the park, to cake bakes and bingo!
• Our location is a perfect base for exploring the local countryside too. In Bedford, you are never far away from nature and if you enjoy countryside walks, bike rides, a coffee on the river or a train ride to London, Bedford is an ideal place to call home!

Scott Vets’ Head Nurse Cat Bennet talks about what she loves about the practice: