Oldham Today Rewound

Vets Now! BSAVA 2024

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Episode notes

I’m Ian Wolstenholme and I used to work in the veterinary space as a manager in 2 local independent small animal practices.  Like many similar sectors - optical, dental and so on, many of these often family-run practices were acquired by a handful of corporate businesses, losing their identity and ethos.  It was one such experience that made me decide to leave the profession back in 2018, though, as a pet owner, you are never away from the vet, be it for routine vaccinations and other preventative care or, heaven forbid, a real medical emergency.  

Like so many of my colleagues, I’ve known for a long time that there is a wide range of prices for similar services depending on the practice and, like much of retail, has caused consternation at least, and at worst, huge public anger.  So much so that the Competition and Markets Authority the CMA recently published its multiple  concerns the vet market and has decided to launch a formal market investigation into pricing and transparency of services and business in the sector.  The CMA is asking that anyone who may be substantially impacted by their proposals should contact them by 11th April 2024.  You can have your say by typing cam vet review into google and following the dot gov dot uk links.

Last week saw the annual British Small Animal Veterinary Associaltion congress take place over 3 days in central Manchester.  It seemed like a perfect opportunity to go along to find out more about the current mood across the profession as well as revisit my proverbial old stomping ground.

Programme first broadcast on 29th March 2024