Small Animal Veterinary Surgeon

About Us

The Hampshire Vet is a newly established, proudly independent 9-vet small animal practice in Basingstoke. Emily and I (Jamie) started the practice in 2022, driven by our commitment to deliver excellent medicine and provide a genuinely personalised service to both patients and clients while working in a happy and supportive environment. We believe the key to achieving this is to create a practice where our team can enjoy their jobs, pursue their interests, and develop their career while maintaining a good work-life balance and having the time for the things they love outside of work.

We started as a mobile practice while our hospital-standard premises were developed, and this was a great way to build our client base, ready for our doors to open in August 2023. Since then, we've had an exciting time; our team has already grown from 3 to 23, including a dedicated night team providing 24/7 out-of-hours support, and we have achieved RCVS small animal practice accreditation. We were also delighted to win the New Business of the Year Award at The Basingstoke Inspire Business Awards 2024 and to be shortlisted for a SPVS National Veterinary Start-Up Award! These achievements are a testament to our dedicated team and the amazing clients who trust us with their pets.

But our plans don't stop there. We're already working towards achieving RCVS Hospital status and ISFM Gold accreditation, and still have a quarter of our premises to develop, with plans to expand our surgical suite with a dedicated orthopaedics theatre. We're even considering the addition of a CT scanner to enhance our services further. We have several new team members joining us in early 2025, and we are looking for a vet, ideally with some experience, to join us on our ongoing journey.

Our team

Our team has various interests and lots of experience to share. Emily particularly enjoys soft tissue surgery and became an RCVS Advanced Practitioner in 2015. I have completed my certificate in small animal medicine and am now working towards registration as an Advanced Practitioner. Lisa is pursuing her interests in diagnostic imaging by undertaking a cardiology certificate and is also an Advanced Practitioner in surgery. Hannah enjoys all aspects of general practice, and Annie has a special interest in emergency care, helping fearful patients and managing complex medical cases. Our dedicated night team includes Lucy, who is working towards her ECC certificate; Chiara, who is interested in emergency care and is considering a certificate; and Angelika, who holds a post-graduate certificate in ophthalmology and is pursuing her ECC certificate. Our fantastic nursing team of 8 RVNs perform Schedule 3 procedures and leads the surgical and inpatient care, offering invaluable support along with our four brilliant receptionists.

With the additional support of peripatetic services, including a visiting cardiologist, an orthopaedic surgeon, and an ophthalmology specialist, we can keep the majority of cases in-house. For more complex cases or those that require advanced imaging, we have a choice of referral centres nearby, including Anderson Moores, Lumbry Park Vet Specialists and Fitzpatrick's Referrals.

What our team thinks about us

"Having previously worked with Emily and Jamie, I joined The Hampshire Vet because I believed in their vision for the practice and their commitment to clinical excellence and client service. I moved from a practice where I felt undervalued, and my clinical progression was not supported. It has been refreshing to work in a practice with a great culture where vets are given clinical freedom and autonomy, individual strengths and interests are supported, and staff feel valued. They value job satisfaction and support clinical development while encouraging a healthy work-life balance. Vet, nurse and client care teams all work together as one team and support each other in what is a friendly and enjoyable place to work." Lisa MRCVS

"Coming to work at The Hampshire Vet was like coming home. I've found not only a practice that supports and encourages the opinions and involvement of all staff but also wonderful colleagues who understand that everyone is an important part of making an independent practice work. All of us are different in our styles and approaches, but we're all working towards the same goal - that of excellent, reliable and personalised veterinary care. It's a privilege to be part of the THV family." Beki RVN

"The Hampshire Vet is a positive and supportive working environment. The management team genuinely care about their staff and makes time to ensure everyone feels fulfilled in their job role. Sharing ideas for improvement is actively encouraged. I always feel listened to, and I know my opinion is valued. After 31 years as an RVN, I have finally found my happy place!" Molly RVN

Our culture

Our core values are exceptional in-patient care and maintaining high standards of evidence-based veterinary medicine while providing outstanding communication with our clients. We are a supportive, collaborative team and will go out of our way to help one another. Everyone's ideas are valued, and we encourage open discussions to improve our clinical standards.

We are committed to developing our services to ensure the best possible patient care and a rewarding workplace for our team. Our vets have the clinical freedom to manage their cases, and we actively encourage personal development and have the caseload to support certificates. We are also happy to invest in the best equipment; we recently upgraded our portable ultrasound to a top-of-the-line model with linear and cardiac probes and have just received delivery of our new Vetscan Imagyst.

The rota

Our full-time vets work a 4-day week with a set day off each week. We share the operating and consulting duties, so there is time to develop your skills in all areas. We schedule a protected hours lunch break and set admin time at the end of each day so that you can catch up on admin, make phone calls and be out the door on time. We value everyone's work-life balance and are happy to be flexible with the rota so you can enjoy your hobbies and make those important events.

Our weekend rota is currently 1:5 (Saturday and Sunday 8 am-7 pm) with time off in lieu of the weekend worked. Within each 5-week cycle, we organise the rota so you have 2 long weekends. As our team continues to grow, we plan to introduce two shorter daytime shifts and schedule two vets to work each weekend.

Having our own onsite night team, which includes 3 dedicated night RVNs, allows us to maintain a high level of care that prioritises the needs of the patient without the need for our day vets to work out-of-hours.

Outside of work

We're a close-knit team that enjoys spending time together, whether for our annual boozy festive celebrations and night out on the town, catching up over a meal, or trying something new. Now that our team has grown, we will be organising more social gatherings so that everyone can connect outside of work.

In your free time, you can explore the stunning Hampshire countryside, with the South Downs National Park to the east and the enchanting New Forest National Park to the west, perfect for scenic walks, cycling adventures, and simply enjoying the tranquillity. We also benefit from excellent transport links to London and other major cities via road and rail.

We offer:

• A salary of £35,000 to £70,000 depending on experience
• 6.6 weeks holiday, including bank holidays
• CPD encouraged, with certificates supported and funded
• Private healthcare
• Professional fees paid for RCVS and VDS

If this sounds like what you've been looking for and you want to be part of our adventure, we'd love to hear from you! Call us for an informal chat, or apply now.