Overall purpose:
As a key member of a surgery’s management team, this role is responsible for consistently driving exceptional customer service and clinical care whilst promoting pet wellbeing, delivering preventive services and treating sick and injured pets.
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.
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.
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 Pet Vet’s expectations, based on the practice procedures manual.
Manage all Veterinary Surgeons (including Locums), ensuring:
- Their time and expertise is most effectively utilise
- 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, practising outstanding first opinion medicine and surgery, with a focus on preventive and diagnostic driven healthcare.
Adhere to and reinforce compliance to TPV 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 customers to follow best-practise advice.
Ensure exceptional clinical standards and if anything ever goes wrong, ensure that complaints and concerns are resolved timely, professionally and in line with the values. Escalate matters to the Group Practice Manager if VDS involvement is required.
Communicate promptly and effectively with customers regarding progress of investigations, treatment and follow-up care.
Ensure that inpatients receive the appropriate clinical care and an effective handover is conducted between colleagues and/or out of hours providers.
Encourage the use of internal referrals and seek the assistance of appropriate colleagues or advisory bodies to deliver clinical excellence.
Strategic Activity
Collaborate with the central leadership team to expand and improve the services provided at the surgery through eg purchase of new equipment, introducing new protocols, recruiting new roles, funding additional CPD.
Lead from the front by fostering internal collaboration with the three functional teams (Vets, Nurses & Front of House) to deliver the best patient care and customer experience.
Be an ambassador and lead the team to live The Vet’s purpose & values.
Proactively plan and contribute to the overall strategy for the surgery and regularly analyse data to understand issues and identify opportunities to drive performance in line with the overall business strategy.
Maximise the commercial performance of the clinic by monitoring key performance indicators such as average transaction values and diagnostic percentages. Identify and pursue opportunities to improve commercial and clinical performance.
In line with best in class veterinary standards, coordinate the surgery’s efforts to maintain/work towards Practice Standards Scheme (PSS) certification and achieve further certification, where appropriate.
Ensure the surgery meets it’s ethical requirements – all colleagues act in accordance with the RCVS code of conduct, PSS and VDS guidelines.
Support the leadership team in promoting the strategic plan and the values of TPV and driving continuous improvement
Special projects as agreed with the Managing Director
KPIs
- % audit corrective actions
- Daily surgery financials
- Monthly Veterinary Surgeons’ turnover
- % surgery follow-up consultations
- Year on year comparison of retention of Veterinary Surgeons
Behaviours
The role is based in a fast-paced environment and the Head Vet must lead by example.
This role demonstrate strong communication, organisational and people management skills. The post holder must also demonstrate empathy, kindness and compassion.
The post holder must be professional, confident and calm – inspiring confidence in the customers and team. Enthusiastic and positive yet emotionally resilient.
The Head Vet must demonstrate flexibility and the willingness to provide cover for absences and weekends, if required, which may include working at other surgeries (by prior agreement).
The post holder must work collaboratively with Head Vets across the group to share knowledge, experience and resource.
The role requires a commitment to proactively developing own skills whilst completing CPD in accordance with The Pet Vet and the RCVS requirements.
The Head Vet must adhere to health & safety guidelines, ensuring their Vet team does the same.
Skills & capabilities
An accomplished all-rounder who can develop and coach clinicians to achieve their full potential, whilst demonstrating empathy to create an engaging, supportive and fun working environment.
A first-class GP Vet. With a firm understanding of the importance of a “diagnostic-first” approach, rather than symptomatic therapy.
Experience of audit and leading clinical change from audit processes, complaints and unexpected significant events.
Confidence in engaging with customers and their pets and understands the benefit of augmenting the owner-pet bond.
A highly engaging and memorable individual who can quickly establish credibility and respect to build strong relationships.
Sound commercial acumen.
Working conditions
Hours of work will be undertaken to reflect the needs of the business.
Time will be available each week to complete essential administrative tasks, although this must flexible so as not to adversely impact the effectiveness of the surgery, patient care nor customer satisfaction.
This role will require the Head Vet to be active for long periods of time.
The Head Vet must adhere at all times to the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons Code of Professional Conduct; and ensure that their direct reports do the same.
Direct reports
- Veterinary Surgeons
- Locum Veterinary Surgeons
- EMS Veterinary Students
