You may think that your veterinary practice is owned and run by your favourite veterinary surgeon and, in some instances, this may very well be the case. There are different types of veterinary practices that are owned and run by different people, with some practices being owned by other companies which you may not even relate to the veterinary world!
Let’s have a look at the different types of veterinary practices and discover how you may find out whether your veterinary practice is a corporate business.
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Different types of veterinary practices
From first opinion to referral, exotics and equine veterinary practices, there are a whole bunch of different places that you may visit with your furry, feathered or scaly friend.
Privately owned
Traditionally, veterinary practices were usually owned, run and managed by one, two or more vets that had a business partner relationship. This is still the case now, with many vets, nurses or management teams opening and running their own veterinary practices.
Corporate
Corporately owned veterinary practices are owned by a larger company. This means that they are not owned by an individual vet. They are managed by a central and local business team, including directors and sometimes shareholders.
Charity
Registered charities, such as the PDSA, are a charitable veterinary company. The PDSA does not receive funding from the government and is entirely funded by public donations. Similar to a corporate company, a charity-based veterinary practice is run by a central business team and managing director.
What does it mean if my veterinary practice is corporate?
As an owner, not much will change if your local practice has become part of a corporate business. When an independent veterinary practice is purchased by a corporate company, its branding, team and quality of care are unlikely to change.
Corporate practices usually have a unified standard of care across its practices, and you can expect the same sort of client experience at any of their practices. The 6 main corporates in the UK are CVS, IVC Evidensia, Linnaeus, Medivet, Vet Partners and Vets4Pets/Companion Care.
A corporately owned veterinary practice will have a centralised business team who will then support practices in the daily running of the business.
How can I tell if my vets is a corporate?
There are a number of different ways that you can tell if your practice is owned by a corporate company. These include:
Website information
Check the information on your practice’s website. Usually at the bottom of the page they will have their contact information, along with the practice name followed by the organisation that owns it.
Social media
Have a look on your vets’ social media pages. They will usually detail what corporation they are part of, similar to the information found on their website.
Written correspondence
On some types of correspondence from your veterinary practice, there is likely to be a header and footer (top and bottom of the document) where the practice details are listed. It is likely that the practice information and corporate company are listed here.
Unsure? Just ask!
If you are unsure of who owns your veterinary practice, then just ask a member of the team. It’s not a closely guarded secret as to who owns a practice.
Is an independent practice better than a corporately owned practice?
In theory, there should be no difference in the quality of care that is received from a corporate or an independent practice. The RCVS is the governing body of veterinary practices, and actions carried out by veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses fall in line with RCVS guidelines, no matter whether they are employed by a corporate company or an independent practice.
Each team can differ between practices, so your experience may change depending on an individual’s qualifications, experience and personality, instead of whether a practice is corporate or independently owned. You should base your preferred veterinary practice decision based on the best interest for you and your pet.
Final thoughts on corporate veterinary practices
No matter if your local veterinary practice is independent or corporately owned, you should rest assured that your pet will receive the best possible treatment from your practice. If you are unsure of how your practice runs, always speak to your veterinary practice who can help you better understand who the best port of call is for the required information. At the end of the day, animal health and wellbeing are at the forefront of any vet’s or nurse’s agenda, regardless of who employs them.
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