Tailor-made referrals suits clients and local practices

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1 Vet Times The website for the veterinary profession Tailor-made referrals suits clients and local practices Author : anonymous Categories : Business Date : April 1, 2015 Dogwood Vets is based in a building previously occupied by a clothes factory. It is a small animal referral hospital and has only been open for six months, but business is already booming. VBJ headed to Sale to hear a real rags-to-riches story. PRACTICE PROFILE Dogwood Vets, 9 Lawson Grove, Sale, Manchester M33 6JN. Staff Two full-time vets and two registered veterinary nurses. Fees Initial consult fee: 95. Follow-up consult fee: 45. OPENING A REFERRAL practice has always been a risky venture. Potentially skyhigh start-up costs and the well-documented difficulties of finding good enough staff are just two factors that, in themselves, are enough to put most people off. But the really scary thought is that after spending a fortune and climbing out on to the proverbial limb, the telephone remains silent and the cash register stays shut. Thankfully, Donald Sheahan, owner of Dogwood Vets, had a pretty good idea his plan was going to work. Having worked in the Greater Manchester area for much of his career, the European specialist in small animal surgery had built up enough contacts to be confident that when he took the plunge, he wouldn t be diving into an empty pool. Obviously, doing something like this is always going to be a bit of a risk, said Don. But we are 1 / 33

2 building a product to serve the needs of both clients and local practices. Thankfully, many of the local practices that have referred to me in the past have embraced my new practice and have come on board. We have also started to work with around four or five new practices through word of mouth and face-to-face introductions. Dogwood is based on the idea that if practices have a difficult case they need help with they can just pick up the telephone to discuss it with me. Advice will always be freely and happily given. Minimalist Walking into the practice in Lawson Grove, Sale, the overwhelming impression is of simple functionality. A minimalist layout over the two floors of the building with whitewashed walls, zero clutter and no retail area leaves clients in no doubt Dogwood Vets is all about delivering the highest clinical standards nothing else. It is an ethos Don holds dear and one likely to inform every move he makes as the business continues to develop. I wanted it to look like you were coming into a clinical hospital environment. Our primary focus is to offer clinical support, so a more commercial approach to the presentation of the premises would not suit our mode. I am here to deal with cases and sort them out. The approach appears to be working well with Don and his small team seeing roughly 80 cases since opening the doors in August last year. As well as Don, who handles all small animal surgery cases, the practice also employs fellow European specialist David Crossley, who holds a diploma in dentistry. Top-end equipment The pair both work in large, state-of-the-art operating theatres on the first floor of the building with kennels, a cattery and two large and airy consult rooms on the ground floor. Also located on the ground floor is Don s pride a joy a new Toshiba Astelion 16-slice CT scanner. As one would expect, Dogwood Vets also boasts a digital x-ray system from Veterinary X-ray, a Karl Storz endoscopy system and a Synthes plating system. These top-end items have been acquired through a combination of hire purchase and leases, but the CT scanner has been bought outright. To provide the best clinical outcomes and ensure value for money for clients, I felt it was important to invest in the best tools and equipment, added Don. 2 / 33

3 Installing a CT scanner can be a real headache for some practices, but due to the concrete construction of the building, issues surrounding radiation protection were negated. But that didn t mean there wasn t plenty of money spent and plenty of work needed to get the rest of the building up to scratch. Don said: In the end we spent about 140,000 on the refurbishment of the building and another 170,000 on the CT scanner. Elsewhere, we had to put walls across the two theatres upstairs along with new flooring. We also had to put a lift in too for health and safety reasons and that cost around 25,000. We had to knock a few walls down and spend a bit on the kennelling to create a nice open-plan area that is less stressful for our patients and a nicer environment for the nurses and vets to work in. It cost us a bit of extra money, but I think the result has been worth it. Medicalia installed the piped gas upstairs, while the landlord, who handily is also a builder, fitted air conditioning throughout the building with Don and his team doing what they could for the refurbishment in their spare time. Finance Money was saved where it could be, but Don, a father of three, has taken a considerable punt to get the business off the ground. A loan from the Royal Bank of Scotland made up the bulk of his start-up capital, but the University of Liverpool graduate had to commit a big chunk of his own cash too. Don said: We have put in about 500,000 in total and we have a 10-year lease. Our breakeven figure for the year is about 220,000 and I am confident we will beat that by turning over about 350,000 in our first year. Don prefers to use a peripatetic ultrasound imaging service run by Jerry Shimali and his wife Anna Newitt, who are both specialist imagers. It requires a little bit of planning, but the technology and wealth of skill they have means I can ensure the highest quality of care for my patients. Likewise, the images from our CT scanner are sent out to a specialist by telemedicine. They can give us a turnaround in 24 hours. If the business continues to grow, Don plans to initially add a medic to his team, but standards will not be sacrificed for growth. The model here is to grow steadily while maintaining the highest standards, he said. 3 / 33

4 I am very happy with the way things are at the moment and, if we stick to the plan, I am confident we can grow while continuing to provide an excellent service to our clients. 4 / 33

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6 Reception desk on the ground floor. 6 / 33

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8 Clients with chalkies. 8 / 33

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10 Area for washing dogs. 10 / 33

11 The dog ward. Consultation room. 11 / 33

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14 Autoclave. 14 / 33

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16 Preparation table. 16 / 33

17 Nurse preparing patient for procedure. Preparation room. 17 / 33

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20 Workstation. 20 / 33

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22 Dogwood Vets impressive 16-slice CT scanner. 22 / 33

23 Dental theatre. Operating theatre. 23 / 33

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26 Scrub area. 26 / 33

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28 The first floor digital x-ray room. 28 / 33

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31 Nurses workstation. Ultrasonic cleaner. 31 / 33

32 Practice owner Don Sheahan in his office. 32 / 33

33 Staff kitchen on the first floor. 33 / 33 Powered by TCPDF (

Access and sustainability key to new practice success

Vet Times The website for the veterinary profession https://www.vettimes.co.uk Access and sustainability key to new practice success Author : anonymous Categories : Business Date : November 1, 2012 Opened