Overview

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 10-vet practice with 35 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 weekday 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 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.

Company values

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.

What makes The Veterinary Centre a great place to work?

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’!