Head Vet

**The Vet - London**:
**Salary**:
**From £65,000 depending on experience**

**CPD**:
**Support allowances available**

**Relocation Package**:
**Options available**

**Overall purpose**:
This is a fantastic opportunity for a dedicated, customer-focused Head Vet to join the team at our state-of-the-art Morden surgery.

This role spearheads continuous improvement of the service capability of the surgery and the upskilling of colleagues in order to become a centre of clinical excellence. In doing so, this role is key to driving turnover and profitability.

You’ll be a key member of our surgery’s management team, delivering excellence in clinical care and customer service. You’ll be responsible for delivering preventive services, treating sick and injured pets and be able to demonstrate a real passion for promoting pet wellbeing. As the surgery’s senior clinician, this role is responsible for all aspects of clinical governance and for helping to steer the overall direction and unify the clinical culture of the business.

You'll join our team of passionate, highly-skilled Veterinary Surgeons, Veterinary Nurses and front of house staff. Our Veterinary Surgeons have a range of interests and skill sets, including internal medicine, imaging and surgery.

**About us**:
We’re part of the UK’s largest, independent, family-owned veterinary group with a nationwide presence. We offer exceptional care in the local communities we serve, helping pets to live long, happy and healthy lives with their families.

Our state-of-the-art surgeries are purpose-built, light and spacious and equipped with the latest technology. We’re committed to creating an environment that offers exceptional clinical care and where our colleagues love to work, our patients are calm and our customers feel assured.

We’re continually investing in developing our growing team and there's never been a better time to join us

To attract and retain the best talent in the sector, we offer market-leading salaries, flexible work patterns and locations, a generous bonus scheme, opportunities for voluntary work overseas, fully-funded post-grad certificates, quarterly recognition payments and electric company cars.

**Duties and responsibilities**

**People**

Work in partnership with the other members of the surgery’s management team:

- To create an environment in which all colleagues are happy, healthy and stimulated
- To run the surgery at its optimum efficiency and productivity
- To deliver the best customer experience and patient care
- Recruit and induct new Veterinary Surgeons, ensuring they have the necessary support and have a clear understanding of The Vet's expectations, based on the practice procedures manual

Manage all Veterinary Surgeons (including Locums), ensuring:

- Their time and expertise is most effectively utilised
- They are proactively and thoroughly conducting case work-ups and follow-up appointments
- Their interactions with clients and patients are consistently excellent
- Their clinical records are accurate and up to date
- They are correctly invoicing

Ensure new graduates are:

- Adequately progressing the Vet graduate scheme
- Being supported by their mentors
- Foster a learning culture, agreeing CPD requirements for all Veterinary Surgeons, monitoring the effectiveness and sharing knowledge

Approve Veterinary Surgeons’:

- Work rotas
- Holiday requests
- Sickness absence
- Monitor clinical performance of all Veterinary Surgeons; and provide the appropriate development and coaching to drive their continuous improvement
- Conduct performance management and annual appraisals for all Veterinary Surgeons.
- Ensure there is regular opportunity for case discussions and the communication of clinical initiatives.

**Operations**
- Conduct consultations, investigations and surgical procedures, practicing outstanding first opinion medicine and surgery, with a focus on preventive and diagnostic driven healthcare.
- Adhere to and reinforce compliance to The Vet Practice Procedures Manual, Standard Operating Procedures and Standard Forms.
- Conduct clinical audits to develop the Vet team and to improve the surgery performance. Maintain a reflective no-blame culture of clinical audit.
- Investigate and resolve clinical adverse incidents and customer complaints using these as an opportunity to reflect and improve processes, standards and protocols. Influence and lead the team to change embedded ways of working to improve outcomes.
- Liaise with the Group Practice Manager on the findings and corrective action requirements from internal audits, ensuring they are completed in the agreed timescale.
- Maintain timely, accurate and up to date clinical notes for each patient; and ensure that the Vet team does the same.

**Customer**
- Lead by example by consistently demonstrating a caring, professional attitude to customers and patients.
- Intuitively read the customer, patient and the situation to anticipate needs. Influence cus