To be a partner or not be a partner, that was the question for busy vet

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1 Vet Times The website for the veterinary profession To be a partner or not be a partner, that was the question for busy vet Author : anonymous Categories : Business Date : January 1, 2013 Not many vets have the spare time to direct a Noel Coward play for their local amateur dramatic group. However, one Hertfordshire-based professional, Paul Morton, has been doing exactly that, balancing life and work, having made the decision to go into partnership with an established industry name. OVER RECENT YEARS, an increasing number of vets have decided to join a partnership venture. It can suit mature vets looking to reduce their workload or younger vets looking for their first entry into partnership. Four years ago, Paul Morton of the Mansfield Cottage practice, Cheshunt, Hertfordshire, made the significant professional decision to be partnered with Medivet, the major veterinary group. Quite simply, he did it to allow himself to retain a personal life beyond the practice, and also to pursue his love of amateur dramatics Paul is often seen treading the boards with The Company of Players in Hertford. As a consequence of the contract with Medivet, he now owns 50 per cent of the Mansfield Cottage small animal practice, with Medivet owning the other half. Paul is a branch partner and full-time head clinician, supported by a part-time vet, and believes he has managed to accomplish a good balance of life and work as a result of being a Medivet partner. I trained long and hard to become a vet. Treating animals and meeting their owners is allimportant as far as I m concerned, says 45-year-old Paul. Previously, I was feeling more and 1 / 6

2 more fettered by the increasing bureaucracy and regulations. Complying fully with health and safety, staff issues (as a small standalone practice), and covering staff absences and holidays, were all constant pressures. Now, much of the day-today administration is handled by Medivet. This has freed me up to focus on treating and looking after the welfare of animals, he explains. Vets are now faced with increasingly complex clinical challenges, legislation and health and safety issues, all unheard of in those far off days of TV vet James Herriot. When I trained to be a vet, I wasn t trained to run a business. Having a business partner means I can easily seek advice from vets in other branches on complex clinical issues. An sent round results in a whole flurry of replies from vets who have encountered a similar problem, and I find their help invaluable, adds Paul. So much of the day-to-day strain I once faced is now taken up by Medivet, with its nearby 24-hour continuous care and emergency centre at Enfield, Middlesex, providing after-hours cover, as well as round-theclock patient care and observation when required. There is also the added advantage of access to MRI scanning at the 24-hour centre in Hendon, north-west London, he explains. Even when ongoing care has to take place at another branch, the patient remains his and he continues to generate income for practice, a system that Medivet states helps to bond the network and continuity of long-term client relationships. Paul qualified from the University of Bristol in 1992 and, after working for a year in a mixed practice in Somerset, moved to Mansfield Cottage. When the then owner, Roger Drew, retired in 2007, Medivet bought the practice, keeping on Paul as an assistant. A year later he was approached about becoming a partner in the branch. There was a certain degree of nervousness on my part. Any change is unsettling, but after a few months those worries were soon dispelled and the transition all went very smoothly, he recalls. According to Paul, the transition period was pretty straightforward. Some members of staff did have concerns about the changeover and it was more about managing those than any major problem, Paul recalls. We were fortunate in using the same computer system as Medivet did at the time though, so that was one major potential headache that didn t arise, he explains. Medivet, with more than 50 partners, is owned and managed exclusively by practising vets. Senior partner Daniel Preter claims that all too often an independent practitioner can become demoralised by the bureaucratic burden of running a practice. A great deal of administration arises from new legislation, and pleading ignorance is no excuse. New information and technology streams into the market place, and our profession s governing body rightly expects vets to remain up-to-date and competent throughout their working lives. The Medivet network now numbers 91 practices across the UK, having recently expanded into the south-west in Dorset and north-west into Liverpool, Telford and Wigan. On a final note, asked what would have happened if he hadn t gone down the Medivet route, Paul 2 / 6

3 Morton is in no doubt. I probably would have bought the practice on my own eventually and ended up with far more stress and work running the practice. One thing is for certain The Company of Players in Hertford would definitely have seen less of him. Getting the work/life balance right Balancing work and lifestyles is hard in any profession. Paul Morton seems to have achieved a lifestyle that works for him, but how hard is it for you? Let us know your experiences, and what the real pressures are of running a practice in the editor of VBJ, Derek Smith, at dereksmith@vbd.uk.com 3 / 6

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5 Paul Morton, committed vet and passionate thespian. 5 / 6

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