23 Apr 2026
Group’s Clinical Board Annual Report detailed stewardship and quality improvement efforts across the UK and Europe.
Chris Simpson
Job Title
VetPartners group director of clinical research and excellence in practice Rachel Dean, with the report
A veterinary group has revealed it has reduced its UK antibiotic usage by two-thirds over the past five years.
VetPartners shared some key figures in its latest Clinical Board Annual Report, detailing the efforts of its group clinical board across the nine countries in which it operates – the UK, Ireland, Spain, the Netherlands, Portugal, Germany, Italy, Switzerland and France.
The group revealed its UK team has reduced its antibiotic purchasing (in kg per full time equivalent vet) by 65% since 2021 and by 34% in the past year.
Between January and December 2025, the UK team purchased 2,802kg of antibiotics, down year-on-year from 4,290kg in 2024 and 6,772kg in 2021.
On average, the team bought 1.54kg per full time equivalent vet across the year, compared with 3.34kg in 2024 and 4.39kg in 2021.
In December, VetPartners’ Equine Clinical Board launched a new QI project across six hospitals to audit perioperative antimicrobial usage for specific surgical procedures.
The group offers colleagues an antimicrobial stewardship course and resources on its learning platform.
VetPartners’ clinical boards developed 179 clinical decision-making resources in 2025, while across its teams they published more than 60 articles and publications covering small animal, equine and farm animal clinical research.
Other QI projects include an audit of cattle caesareans and an examination of vaginal prolapse in ewes.
Overall, more than 6,000 colleagues are said to be involved in clinical board activities.
VetPartners group director of clinical research and excellence in practice, Rachel Dean, said: “While each country can make a meaningful difference on its own, our true strength lies in coming together as one group – combining our expertise, sharing our clinical experience and supporting each other to drive even greater progress.
“Our clinical communities are growing all the time, and the Clinical Board Annual Report is a celebration of work we did across the group in 2025.”
Dr Dean added: “All meaningful change in clinical practice begins with a conversation. The more conversations we have across the whole group – focused on our patients and on shaping clinical practice that is fit for the future – the greater our ability to progress care.”
She concluded: “The report also highlights how our group quality improvement work has grown significantly.
“It is all about examining how we practise today, deciding collectively how we want to evolve, and ensuring we are progressive, forward-thinking and ready for tomorrow.”