Small Animal Vet, Hay Veterinary Group, Herefordshire, Competitive Salary

Small Animal Vet required at Hay Veterinary Group, Hay on Wye

The Role  

We are looking for a Small Animal Vet to join our experienced friendly team in the beautiful market town of Hay-on-Wye. 

You will be working in a modern purpose-built premises with all the normal toys including digital dental x-ray and new doppler ultrasound machine.  We encourage all our clinicians to do a bit of everything but there is support for specific interests.  All of our certificate holders gained their qualifications whilst working in the practice.

Work life balance that works for you

Our flexible approach to rota patterns and working hours truly tips the scale on your work life balance. We know that everyone has demands and priorities outside of their career and we want to make it brilliantly easy for you to strike the right balance. Whether you are looking to fix or flex your work patterns, we can find the right solution for you. Ideally you will be working 40 hours per week over 5 days, but we can potentially be flexible with this with the standard day being 8:30-5:30. Currently there is a requirement for 1 weeknight a week plus one weekend in 4 but we are looking to reduce this in the future.

About Us

Sitting on the bank above the iconic River Wye and straddling the English / Welsh border, Hay is a great place to live and work. Overlooked by the Black Mountains and a short drive from the Brecon Beacons there is also everything for the outdoor enthusiast. The town itself boasts a myriad of independent food shops including bakers, butchers, breweries, distillers, greengrocers, and a deli. It is also justly famous for its bookshops.

 Hay may be small, but it packs a mighty cultural punch. The world-famous annual book festival in May attracts writers, politicians, musicians and more, and is repeated in miniature at the winter festival each November.  Throughout the rest of the year thousands of visitors are drawn to the town to enjoy independent galleries and exhibitions, while locals enjoy various choirs, theatre, creative writing, history, and photography groups.  If you have an interest, it’s likely that someone else in the town does too and there’s a group for you.  

 We are lucky enough to have a very comfortable (and licensed) independent cinema showing everything from blockbusters to art house to National Theatre Live productions.  The recently restored mediaeval castle hosts regular art classes and exhibitions.   

Mountain bikers, walkers, runners, and paragliders are frequently seen in the hills above the town.  In the summer the Wye is alive with canoeists, paddle boarders and wild swimmers.  

Cycle hires and repairs (and a coffee) can be had next door to the practice. There is a thriving and welcoming running club within the town that hosts a hopefully soon to be official park run once a week. Llangorse is twenty minutes away and has a sailing club on the lake and an indoor climbing centre.  

 When tired out by all Hay has to offer, the town is well served with places to eat, drink and unwind. 

There are plenty of pubs and restaurants to choose from, with takeaways, pop up pizza vans, gastropubs, tapas, and modern British tasting menus. 

Hay is a family friendly town with lots of baby and toddler groups, a new library and a good choice of local primary and secondary schools (including the award-winning Hereford Sixth Form just a bus ride away). 

We have minimum 15-minute appointments with the last scheduled for 5:15 during the week and 12pm on Saturdays to give us plenty of time to enjoy our surroundings. We aim to provide a comprehensive, personal service to our clients and patients. We also have links with a local animal rescue charity that we do a lot of work for.

About the Team and Culture

We are A family run practice with a great team, many of whom have been with us since the practice was founded (including those who have been away and come back again). Our friendly team consists of 4 small animal, 1 mixed, 1 TB tester and 2 large animal Veterinary Surgeons. Alongside this we have 5 RVNs, 1 SVN and an additional RVN is currently completing their period of supervised practice after a period away from work.

We have three certificate holders in the clinical team (veterinary and nursing) who are able to provide help and support whatever your level of experience.  We pride ourselves on our collaborative clinical approach with regular informal case discussions.  The opinions of all our team members matter. 

 A departing vet (heading back home to New Zealand) left us this message: “To the greatest, most hardworking, good looking, amazing team ever, love yas!  Kia Kaha, Arohahui”

Applicant Requirements

Our ideal candidate will already have some level of experience and it is essential that you are already qualified and licensed to practice in the UK.
You will have a willingness to contribute to our OOH rota and an interest in surgery is desirable.

 Because our employees matter

We recognise that our people are fundamental to the success of our business. Investing in our people, premises and processes is at the heart of what we do. In addition to a competitive base salary, you will benefit from -

Work life balance

• 6.6 weeks annual leave
• Increasing holiday allowance based on length of service
• Your birthday as a paid day off

Wellbeing

• Private medical insurance
• Enhanced family-friendly policies, including maternity/paternity/adoption/shared parental and surrogacy pay
• Cycle to Work scheme
• Initiatives focused on employee wellbeing
• Non-accidental injury support

Development

• £1,250 CPD allowance with 5 days paid pro rata
• Certificate support
• Learning and development opportunities via the IVC Evidensia Academy
• Access to Vetlexicon – our online encyclopaedia provider
• All our Vets & Nurses can apply for research funding
• All our Vets get £1000 per annum to spend via our Care Fund
• Infection Prevention and Control Programme
• Quality Improvement Programme

Professional Memberships

• BVA membership
• VDS cover
• RCVS fees

Additional

• Pawsome Benefits – reward gateway giving discounts and cashback with 100’s of retailers
• Pension – 5% Employee/3% Employer
• Discounted staff pet care

As a BAME and LGBTQ+ inclusive employer, we are keen to hear from candidates from all minority and diverse groups. As a Disability Confident Employer, we are keen to hear from candidates with disabilities and long-term health conditions and would be happy to discuss any reasonable adjustments needed during the recruitment process.

If this position is of interest to you then please get in touch.

Please quote BH7796 when you apply.

To apply, please send your CV to Jim via the APPLY button or call 07890 610129 for more information.