Life Cycle of a Pet: A Fireside Chat

Veterinary clinics are at the unique position of being a lifelong companion to the nation's pet owners - from first vaccinations, to wellness check ups and dental, to end of life care. This allows operators to position themselves as holistic caretakers, but what implications does this have on how you run your business? What tools are in place to empower veterinary teams to 'be there' consistently without over-stretching themselves?

Is there a possibility that pet owners can become partners rather than customers? How can we innovate patient advocacy efforts in a sustainable way, when pets present a near-bottomless well of need?

To answer this, we'll investigate building a community-focused practice that can look after pets whilst alleviating the pressure for teams to innovate spontaneously.

Robin Hargreaves is a director of a 20 vet mixed practice in East Lancashire. He has worked exclusively in companion animals for the last 34 years after qualifying from Liverpool University in 1985. He was brought up on a hill sheep and beef farm in the Yorkshire Dales and most of his family are still involved in agriculture.

In 2013-14 he was President of the British Veterinary Association and currently, alongside his full time veterinary work, he is veterinary advisor to Agria Pet Insurance, and sits on the council of the Royal Veterinary College.