We are currently a medium-sized, 100% independent small animal practice. We believe that patient welfare and good case continuity leads to better outcomes for our patients and a more fulfilled clinical team.

The practice has been situated at the same sight in Henley for over 40 years. We are now an 11-vet practice with over 50 members of staff working out of our main surgery in Henley and our branch surgery in Twyford.

We have built the practice around the ethos of providing exceptional first-opinion veterinary care to our incredibly loyal client base and strongly believe that two key elements allow us to do this:
1. Staying independent and therefore in control of all our own decisions.
2. Providing our own out-of-hours service to ensure patients get the best quality care, that owners see familiar faces and that patients do not need to be transported between different sites when they are at their most vulnerable.

We also have a very strong people culture and when all employees were recently asked what is the best thing about working for the practice nearly everyone responded with ‘The Team’ or ‘The People’.

We are not a practice that is primarily focused on making money – instead, we prioritise our patients, our clients and our people and believe the business will flow on the back of that.

We have exciting plans to build and then move to a state-of-the-art new practice over the next three years which will facilitate our expansion and cement our position as one of the stand-out independent small animal practices in the southeast of England.

We are located in the beautiful town of Henley-on-Thames famed for its Royal Rowing Regatta and the subsequent Henley Festival. If rowing is your thing then Henley is the place to be!

We are on the edge of the Chilterns Hills where there are abundant opportunities for dog walking, running, road cycling and mountain biking.

London and all its attractions are now just a 30-minute train hop away due to the new cross-rail and Elizabeth line service, meaning theatres, museums and major sporting events are right on our doorstep. If food is your passion we have amazing local restaurants and pubs to suit all pockets including some of the most famous chefs and restaurants in the UK.

Nestled between the M40 and M4 the area has great transport links to the rest of the country and we are about 30 minutes from Heathrow airport by car if your travel aspirations lie further afield.

All in all Henley and the surrounding area is a great place to be.

Our mission is to provide exceptional independent first opinion veterinary care to our clients and to provide a safe, fun working environment for our team where people are encouraged to develop and reach their potential.

We value our people, and we make sure they are compensated appropriately with all employees paid for every hour they work as we believe this ensures our colleagues will go the extra mile to provide the best care.

We strongly believe in people development and offer very generous CPD allowances and time to do this CPD.

We train student nurses through to being RVNs and take on new graduate vets as we believe in investing in the future of both our practice and the profession.

We have great development opportunities within the practice. Not only do we have a Head Nurse we also have a Nurse Team Lead, a Nurse Hospital Lead and a Nurse Theatre Lead. All these roles have been filled with internal candidates.

In the vet Team we have a Clinical Director and a Junior Vet Manager who is also VetGDP qualified allowing her to mentor our less experienced vets.

We have clear reporting lines and ensure that all colleagues have regular 1:1s with their managers and therefore the opportunity to give and receive feedback.

The Team at the Veterinary Centre is what really makes the practice a great place to work. Having nearly 50 employees with large vet and nursing teams means there is always someone to ask for help, someone to bounce ideas off, someone to challenge you, or someone to have a laugh or a cry with!

We have a team of people from many different backgrounds but with the joint goal of wanting to provide fantastic veterinary care for our patients and their owners.

Located in Henley we have a very loyal customer base, and we have the ability to work up cases to the highest standard which provides excellent job satisfaction.
While many practices don’t do their own out-of-hours work anymore the team at the Veterinary Centre is very proud that we continue to do so as we believe it means our patients get the best care that is totally within our control, and it means we can offer a great service to our clients.

Finally, by remaining staunchly independent we are in control of our own destiny and we are not beholden to corporate dictates’! Everyone should feel valued and not like a ‘tiny cog in a massive machine’!

• We look for competent, confident individuals to fit in to our large Team of Vets, Nurses and Support staff.
• We always seek strong Team players who will thrive in a busy dynamic working environment.
• We look for people who expect to be valued and who will have their opinion sought out and are prepared to be proactive and motivated in helping us achieve our aim of providing exceptional veterinary care to our clients and their animals. It is vital that vets and nurses want to be a part of clinical discussions, ward rounds and that they want to help drive the practice forward.

Key attributes

• Strong team players – ability to get on with people
• Organised and methodical
• Prepared to give an opinion and make suggestions
• Great communicators
• Motivated and enthusiastic

We have a high proportion of colleagues who work part-time which is often due to finding the balance between maintaining a career in the veterinary sector and being a parent.

We are always open to looking at part-time roles and look to support parenting needs wherever possible.

We also allow employees to bring the canine members of their families to work with them!

We accommodate flexible working where possible and have a large number of vets and nurses that are part-time. We do our best to accommodate shifts that fit with team members’ wishes and private lives.

We actively encourage team members to work in the areas of veterinary practice that interest them most.

We are very much at the start of our sustainability journey, but it is something we are looking to get more involved with – we are already making some product decisions based on sustainability criteria such as using a company that supplies fluids in recyclable packaging.

Within our large Nursing Team we have a Head Nurse, a Nurse Team Leader, a Nurse Hospital Lead and a Nurse Theatre lead. All of these roles have been filled by internal candidates and are potential career development roles for nurses in the future.

Similarly, we have a Junior Vet Manager working under the Clinical Director who manages our vets with less than four years of experience.

All colleagues have regular 1:1s with their managers and the Individuals development plan is always a key part of those discussions.

We provide generous CPD budgets and actively encourage individuals to use them