New partners for independent vet practice

An independent veterinary group has appointed two new partners into its leadership team.

Alex Oliver and Laura Pearce have joined the partners at North Yorkshire-based Bishopton Veterinary Group (BVG), taking the group’s total number of partners up to 11.

Dr Oliver joined BVG in 2018 and is now a farm sector partner, while Dr Pearce is now a small animal sector partner after joining in 2021.

Oversee teams

The pair, who are both based at Bishopton’s Ripon practice, will oversee teams of vets, nurses, vet techs and administration staff within their respective divisions.

Their new roles will also see them engage with different aspects across the business, from finance and marketing to procurement and sustainability.

Dr Pearce, who said she was “extremely proud” to become a partner at BVG, is relaunching the group’s Lifetime Care Club scheme – which curates bespoke parasite prevention plans for pets based on their individual risk instead of recurring prescriptions – in June.

The advanced practitioner said becoming a partner is “an opportunity to implement [her] strongly held beliefs, such as risk-based parasiticide treatments,” which she said has been welcomed by both clients and colleagues.

“Another major development has seen us become an accredited ‘Zero Pain Practice,’” she added.

“We’ve adopted new techniques and invested heavily in training for our team to maximise our knowledge around painkillers, as well as the options for managing chronic pain conditions and arthritis.”

Maintain independence

Dr Oliver said achieving partner status at BVG was a “long-held ambition” of his, adding: “Becoming a partner is also part of our long-term plan to maintain our independence.

“This enables us to control our pricing structure, maintain our high service levels and ultimately puts us in charge of our own destiny, which all benefits both our clients and our team.”

The group, which celebrated its 80th anniversary in 2023 and has six practices across North Yorkshire, is a founding member of XLVets, a community of independent vet practices.

XLVets chief executive Andrew Curwen said their appointment “is a superb example of effective succession planning.”