1 Jul 2018
There is something very British and familiar about a high street veterinary practice based in a converted red brick house. Late Victorian and Edwardian era buildings often ooze character and charm, but also present some unique challenges to a growing business...
James Westgate
Job Title
Sitting with clinical director Joe Hill in his office, it becomes immediately clear Northlands Veterinary Hospital is an extremely busy veterinary practice working close to capacity.
A 24-hour hospital hub for branch sites in Northampton, Corby, Rushden and Raunds, the two-storey converted town house positively buzzes with activity. Vets, nurses and admin staff zip past, through and around Joe’s central office space, like locos on a complicated train set put together in a space that’s just not quite big enough.
It’s a familiar scene in practices across the country when the appointment book is full, and Northlands – with its narrow corridors and closed floor plan – is clearly no exception. After starting out as a mixed practice in the 1960s, changing times and economic realities mean large animal work has long since fallen by the wayside.
Not that this has had a negative impact on Northland’s fortunes, however, with steady growth in the region of 2% per annum and annual turnover now exceeding £3.2 million.
