Re: starting up a new sa practise.

macflea — Sun, 17 May 2009 15:00:46 GMT

thanks for replies guys, i will probably go for it in a years time, its all about saving up at moments to have the funds for intial year.

regards macflea

Re: starting up a new sa practise.

Gillian Mostyn — Sat, 16 May 2009 13:36:38 GMT

Probably worth mentioning that there were 2 of us so we were able to share the workload somewhat . As Ian mentioned, we opened 8.30 - 7 mon - friday and 9 - 1 Saturday - so if there had only been one vet then it would have been tough. We also did all our own on-call. Having said that, I had our second child 12 months after opening so Ian covered the surgery on his own for 6 months, so it can be done.

From my perspective, it was personnel that was toughest. Didn't realise as an assistant just how much time and energy it took to manage the staff. We have a great team - but it has taken quite a lot of effort to get it that way.

As Ian said, it is tough but it has been both professionally and financially very rewarding in the end. Don't go for it unless you are 100% comitted. Feel free to message us if you want any help or advice.

Re: starting up a new sa practise.

Ian Mostyn — Fri, 15 May 2009 22:00:42 GMT

I think you have picked the world's longest question to answer! We have started two surgeries from scratch so I have been through all this before and it takes a lot of effort but is ultimately worth it. There is too much to cover in one post, or even a weekend so I will just limit myself to a few points.

Finding the right building is vital - look for a main road site, near some primary schools so loads of families. Parking is a great advantage but location, location, location. we mapped out where all the vets were in the north of England, looked at poulation densities and demographics (National Statistics website) before deciding where we wanted to be then just looked and looked. Took us 18 months of planning to find the building and open.

Choose a good strong name and use consistent branding throughout.

Planning permission - speak to the council. You will probably need change of use unless the building was previously a doctors or children's nursery (oddly classed as same use by some councils). Dealing with councils requires patience and time.

Equipment we limited to just the essentials and initially, bought all the big stuff second hand (xray, developer, anaesthetic machine) but got quality ops table and fittings. Cheap kitchen units can look good if carefully chosen, easy to fit yourself and don't cost too much in the sale. We still don't have much lab equipment or toys. essential is op table, anaesthetic machine, consult table, dental machine, xray and developer, autoclave, otoscope, stethoscope, glucometer and that is about it. Ultrasound, biochem, microscope etc can all wait. Get enough surgical instruments for 4 kits only, enough sinks and a good fridge.

We started with 2 full time nurses and 1 part time receptionist. Well staffed which was expensive but we wanted to give the impression that we were fully functional and staffed at all times. We are open all day rather than shutting. Quiet at first but worth it in the long run.

Speak to the drugs companies first, they will often set you up with freebies and initial stock. Wholesalers may give you 1 months initial stock on a delayed payment scheme - we paid for initial stock 6 months later. Banks, just talk to them and work with them. They are usually helpful to vets.

We did small only from the start, no need for locums or extra work. If you don't have the confidence to go for it, don't bother. Legislation is hard work, just keep at it. No substitute for time spent. We made a loss in our first year, small profit in our second and are now comfortable. We have gone to having 14 members of staff and 2 surgeries now after 5 years. Lots of hard work, long hours, financial stress at the start but great fun and worth it all now.

Ian