Our history

The Pet Vet is founded in Doncaster

Our first surgery in Doncaster was opened by Dr Rob Jones MRCVS (pictured with his dog, Skye). Whilst designing the surgery, Rob carefully considered the customer experience, patient wellbeing and workplace environment, which, at the time, were genuine differentiators in the area.

Rotherham surgery opens

Using the same design blueprint, Rob created a purpose-built £1m+ surgery to bring the very best veterinary care to Rotherham and its surrounding communities.

Barnsley surgery opens

Then there were three! Another £1m investment was made in purpose-built premises to deliver veterinary excellence and patient care to the furry, feathered & scaled residents of Barnsley.

Doncaster is doubled in size

Due to increasing local demand, The Pet Vet Doncaster was expanded to more than double its original size. It still remains one of the busiest surgeries in our group.

Dr Mel Fuller joins

Initially appointed as Managing Director, Mel’s brief from Rob was to bring inspiration from other industries, and keep raising the bar as an employer and service provider. Mel restructured the surgery and central services teams and agreed and investment plan, both of which were essential to help deliver her programme of development and growth. Mel was appointed CEO in 2022.

CT unit installation in Rotherham

Our Rotherham surgery received a £120k investment in a state-of-the-art 128-slice CT scanner, enabling us to provide an enhanced diagnostic imaging service for pets across South Yorkshire, some of whom are internally referred from other The Pet Vet surgeries as well as from external referrals.

St Francis Suite concept is launched

Every surgery has a dedicated room that is designed with soft furnishings, dimmable lighting and a warm colour palette. Our St Francis Suites are purposefully different from our clinical consulting rooms, creating a warm and peaceful atmosphere for anxious pets or customers, chemotherapy, difficult conversations and end of life care.

Lincoln surgery opens

In excess of 5,500 sqft, The Pet Vet Lincoln was the first independent veterinary practice in the UK to be located within a prime retail park.  Having taken all the learnings from the existing surgeries, Lincoln became the new design blueprint and those have been retro-fitted with Lincoln’s features and facilities to keep standards consistent. The surgery was a finalist in the 2024 BVHA Practice Design Awards.

Rotherham is extended

Due to increasing local demand and to support the growth of the business, Rotherham surgery was doubled the size, increasing its capacity to:

• 9 consultation rooms
• 4 operating theatres
• Separate dental theatre
• New cat, dog and small furry wards
• A Central Services Unit

Central Services Unit is established

Our Central Services Unit is comprised of a small group of HR, finance, marketing, maintenance and operations professionals whose purpose is to ensure our surgery teams have everything they need to deliver exceptional veterinary medicine, patient welfare and customer experience every day, in every location.

Quality Pet Care is acquired from CVS

Securing external funding from Thincats enabled us to acquire Quality Pet Care Ltd (T/A The Vet), springboarding The Pet Vet from a group of 4 surgeries which were geographically close by, to a group of 12 with a nationwide presence. The subsequent 2 years were a period of integration, consolidation, and recruitment to ensure that every surgery had a strong foundation from which it could achieve its full potential.

First opinion plus concept is launched

Every The Pet Vet surgery is large and purpose-built, employing highly qualified clinical colleagues. This has enabled us to provide a wider range of services than a typical GP practice, including:

• Advanced diagnostics and treatment pathways, giving customers an alternative choice to external referral for more complex conditions.
• @home services
• In-house overnight hospitalisation.

‘The Vet’ rebrand commences

Roll-out of deskless receptions

To give a more personalised customer experience, visitors to our surgeries are greeted on arrival, offered refreshments and receive a personalised check-in and check-out process. Our surgery phones are still answered by the surgery team, but in a dedicated office. So there’s no long any queuing in reception, there’s a calmer environment for pets awaiting their appointments, and our calls are answered much more quickly.

Rebrand is completed

It’s important to us that customers, visiting us in the evening, have the same experience as at customers that visit earlier in the day. We know this is best achieved by creating a workplace environment that is ergonomic, light, airy and comfortable for colleagues. So, the second phase of the rebrand involved a total refresh of all the prep areas, wards, operating theatres, laboratories, utility rooms and welfare areas.

Feltham surgery opens 

We have acquired our new surgery site at The Centre, Feltham, North West London; and development of the former 5,200 sq ft Poundland unit is underway, being transformed into a state-of-the-art surgery. We expect to open on 1 August and have started taking new registrations and recruiting for clinical colleagues.