Practice Life Magazine Issue 16 June/July 2017 by The Magazine Production Company

June/July 2017

Equine special Personalities in equine practice Equine client evenings

SOCIAL MEDIA

When it goes wrong

THE MAGAZINE FOR VPMA & SPVS MEMBERS

In the spotlight

Ryan Jones and Andy McCann

SUPPORTIVE RELATIONSHIPS The ‘how to’ guide to mentoring

THE MAGAZINE FOR VPMA & SPVS MEMBERS

Financial planning for life

At PPS we’re specialist financial advisers to the veterinary profession, so not only do we understand financial planning, most importantly we understand it in your professional context. Whether it’s about your own finances, or about your practice, we’re here to support you. Starting your career

Rewarding your team

Developing your finances

Selling your practice

Developing your practice

Planning for retirement

To find out more or to receive a free, no obligation financial review, give us a call on 01527 880345 or visit our website at www.pps-vet.co.uk @ppsvet

www.pps-vet.co.uk

Professional Practice Services is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, entered on the Financial Services Register under reference 218105. Address: 2 The Courtyard, Harris Business Park, Hanbury Road, Stoke Prior, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, B60 4DJ. Professional Practice Services is a partnership owned by PPS Group Holdings Limited and Dr Paul Jackson.

EDITORS’ LETTERS

Editors’ Letters

elcome to June’s Practice Life. This quarter saw a very sunny BSAVA in Birmingham and SPVS officers and council took the chance have meetings with each other and with our counterparts from BVNA. Much CPD was done, product knowledge was brushed up in the exhibition and, most importantly, we were able to catch up with colleagues and remember what an amazing group of people the veterinary profession is. The top memory for me was joining SPVS past and current presidents in translating a commercial transaction for some fizzy drinks into the language we hear when transacting with our own clients: “I never signed for a second drink; you should have made it clear the extra work I asked you to complete would cost more”, “I’m a regular client, I’ve been here every year for the past five years, you can trust me”, and best of all “Youse are supposed to love drinkers!”. A variation of the usual theme of

often say that I wear two hats in the veterinary world. At BSAVA this year my badge said “Press” but I also attended as the curious practice manager wanting to see and hear about developments in our ever-changing industry. Interestingly, while I witnessed the usual “stop me and buy one” approach of many exhibitors to delegates who dared slow down as they passed by the stands, I sometimes felt as though I was of little commercial benefit to many manning the stands in the Barclaycard Arena this year, simply because gentlemen and women of the press are not (generally) going to purchase anything! In daily practice, I regularly hear comments that BSAVA is starting to be “the poor relation”. Nonsense! The proverbial congress cake may be getting smaller thanks to more players and yes, the aisles in the exhibition hall may have been a little wider once again in 2017, but as it celebrates 60 glorious years, BSAVA still has that certain “je ne sais quoi” and long may it continue. We are often bombarded in our industry with many “national this that and the other” days, weeks or months and I’ve often felt disappointment at the little resources given to some, which, with a little

you-wouldn’t-say-that-in-Tesco that amused us hugely at the time. The exhibition was a great chance to catch up with colleagues and exchange the anecdotes that get us through the tough times in practice for the rest of the year. Our next big gathering will be at the SPVS Lancaster weekend (June 7-9) and we hope to see many Practice Life readers in their roles as managers and practitioners, at the standalone Saturday graduate mentoring day and the 30th anniversary gala dinner. It really does promise to be a very rewarding day and spending time with next year’s graduates is not only reinvigorating as Iain Richards reminds us in this issue [p11], it directly led to me recruiting my newest vet when I met his colleagues there last year. Hopefully see you in Lancaster or at one of our other fantastic CPD meetings this summer,

Leigh-Anne Brown, SPVS editor

bit more “clout”, would make them truly fantastic and effective. As I write, VN Awareness Month is heading towards the finishing line and this year seems to have gone that extra mile with clever use of social media. In my practice we took time to do in-house videos and audio recordings about what vet nurses do and expanded on that very simple hashtag #whatvnsdo. Our nurses appeared on local radio, getting their message out to an estimated audience of 40,000. If you look at how retail promotions have developed, it does seem to me that the veterinary industry lags behind in this area. Here’s a caveat – look at the number of vet programmes on TV. Won’t viewers of these start to assume the industry is awash with advertising cash? Manufacturers, such as those exhibiting at BSAVA et al, really need to devote a bit more funding to grassroots support for practice campaigns to do them justice. Controversial, eh?!

Ian Wolstenholme, VPMA editor

Practice Life is the magazine of SPVS and VPMA. If you are interested in joining either or both associations, visit www.spvs.org.uk and www.vpma.co.uk

June/July 2017 z Practice Life

Contents Editors SPVS Leigh-Anne Brown, MRCVS VPMA Ian Wolstenholme, Practice Manager Editorial Team Emma Dahm Helen Tottey Publisher Mojo Consultancy Ltd Suite 15, STANTA Business Centre 3 Soothouse Spring, St. Albans Herts AL3 6PF Tel +44 (0) 1727 859259 info@mojoconsultancy.com www.mojoconsultancy.com Advertising and Sales Enquiries Libby Sheridan MVB MRCVS Tel:01727 859259 Sales Administrator Eva Lambe Practice Life is the magazine of the Society of Practising Veterinary Surgeons and the Veterinary Practice Management Association. It is distributed quarterly to the members of both associations as well as a wider mailing list of veterinary practices annually. www.spvs.org.uk www.vpma.co.uk The magazine contains articles on veterinary business and management as well as other topical updates and relevant features. The information contained within these articles is intended for general information only and does not replace the need for advice from qualified professionals in the relevant field. Articles and photographs are welcomed for submission, though publication is not guaranteed and is at the discretion of the editors.

© 2017 Practice Life All rights reserved. Practice Life is edited, designed, and published by Mojo Consultancy Ltd. No part of Practice Life Magazine may be reproduced, transmitted, stored electronically, distributed, or copied, in whole or part without the prior written consent of the publisher. A reprint service is available.

UPDATE: NEWS & VIEWS 5

VPMA NEWS Practice Manager of the Year, VPMA-MMI Roadshow

SPVS NEWS Snowscene, Lancaster’s 30th Birthday

NURSE TALK Team Vet, Members’ Advice Service

COLLEGE CORNER Practice Standards: what the awards can do for you

VDS Equine Warts n’ all

IN THE SPOTLIGHT With Ryan Jones and Andy McCann

WELL-BEING The ‘How To’ guide to mentoring

MANAGING PEOPLE Discovering personalities in equine practice

CLIENT CARE AND MARKETING Equine client evenings, When social media goes wrong

BUSINESS HEALTH AND FINANCE Making business plans work

PRACTICE DEVELOPMENT Recruitment and interviews

CPD SHARED BSAVA Congress reviewed, Client first and last impressions

CPD DIARY Difficult conversations, Change management, Focus on Practice Finance

WHAT’S COMING UP SPVS-VPMA Events diary and a look at the next issue

35 28

Opinions expressed in this journal do not necessarily reflect those of the associations, the editors, Practice Life Magazine or its publisher, Mojo Consultancy Ltd. ISSN 2053-1877

Practice Life z June/July 2017

News & Views

Marathon effort pays off!

VETERINARY duo Carolyne Crowe and Brian Faulkner have smashed their fundraising target for their “ten2london” marathon challenge. The pair ran 10 marathons in 10 days, culminating in the London marathon on April 23. Their target was to raise £10,000 for the Brooke equine charity but, on going to press, the total raised had topped £16,000. In a joint statement the pair said: “At the beginning of last year neither of us had run a marathon and now we’ve completed 10 in 10 days and raised over £15,000 for the Brooke in doing so! We have pushed ourselves physically and mentally and we’re very pleased to have completed the challenge without any serious injuries that a good rest didn’t fix! “Finishing at the London marathon was emotional and we’re incredibly proud about what we’ve done and achieved and seeing our videos at www.ten2london.co.uk brings back so many memories. We would definitely do another marathon but not 10 more in 10 days!

“It’s been an incredible project and we have loved every moment of it, from the planning and logistics to the training, the nutrition, the mental preparation, as well as the last 10 days of running a marathon every day. Each day was very different and it was a massive thrill to run around some of the most beautiful parts of the British Isles and to have such a supportive team.”

Pet owner poison line opened AN ANIMAL poisons information service aimed at pet owners has been launched by the Veterinary Poisons Information Service (VPIS). According to VPIS, many enquiries about potential poisonings from pet owners do not require intervention; therefore, callers will be advised what course of action to take but will not be given treatment advice. Those concerned about a pet will be advised that they either don’t need to do anything, they need to go to the vet immediately, or they should seek veterinary attention but not urgently. Nicola Robinson, VPIS’ head of service, spoke during the Animal Poisons Line launch at BSAVA Congress. “It is this advice that VPIS believes will benefit both vets and owners by reducing the

cases that are seen urgently, but could wait, or those cases that are seen and given treatments that did not need to be seen at all.” The cost of the service to the owner is £20 if they call between 8am and 8pm and £30 from 8pm to 8am. The number for pet owners to call is 01202 509000; vets should use the normal number for any enquiries – 0207 3055055. Promotional materials and more information is available from vpisglobal.com

Correction to author biography: At the time of publishing the March/April 2017 issue, Lockharts Solicitors underwent a merger with Veale Wasbrough Vizards. The biography for Rachel Crean, author of ‘Dispute Resolution: what are the alternatives to court?’ should read, ‘Rachel is a partner in Veale Wasbrough Vizards’ commercial litigation team, based in London. Prior to joining Veale Wasbrough Vizards in January 2017, Rachel led the dispute resolution department at Lockharts Solicitors. Rachel trained at a niche healthcare law firm and, since qualification, has specialised in healthcarerelated litigation and dispute resolution, with a focus on primary care. She can be contacted at rcrean@vwv.co.uk, tel: 020 7665 0950.’

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VPMA News As a manager, would you like more confidence when supporting colleagues with mental health difficulties and maintaining a positive working environment?

President’s Welcome Once again the presidential year is flashing by... as this goes to press as I am half-way through my second year. This time last year we had just introduced our new board members – 12 months on they have provided a real contribution to the VPMA board in many areas. We are nearly ready to launch our new website that we think is going to prove a real member benefit as an information hub for anyone involved in practice management. A lot of hard work has gone into making the site more user friendly and relevant to our association. Once it has gone live please let us know of any information or resources you would like to see there as we will be constantly looking at ways to improve it and keep it as a valuable resource. Our New To Management webinars are proving a great success. They are a great source of information for those who are new to management and leadership roles, and also for those whose roles are changing as they take on more responsibility. Initially, I didn’t think webinars were the most effective way for me to learn – I am easily distracted – but having taken part in one and being involved in the Q&A session at the end I was amazed at the engagement and the number of questions that came flying in on a whole range of issues that are common to us all in practice. It was like being at one of our regional meetings – but online! Again, we are looking for feedback on the topics covered so far and any other areas you think we need to include. This project has been one of the main achievements during my presidency and it’s proving to be much needed! I would like to say massive congratulations to Anne Corson, the winner of this year’s Petplan Practice Manager of The Year award. Being part of the judging panel for the awards is a great honour and a highlight of my year. Being part of the awards ceremony is an amazing experience and a great celebration of all the positive aspects of veterinary practice. So as I look forward to the second half of the year we are planning our next strategy day so I look forward to letting you all know our plans for VPMA and its membership in the coming months. Renay Rickard RVN CVPM VPMA President

Join us on a new one-day course run jointly by the RCVS’ Mind Matters Initiative and the VPMA. The course will cover: • Mental health awareness • HR employment regulations and the law • The role of the line manager in supporting someone with poor mental health • Making reasonable adjustments • Planning “return to work” • Designing and putting in place wellbeing action plans The course will be run with a small group, offering plenty of opportunities for discussion, questions and practical exercises. The courses will run from 9.30-17.00. For more information visit the website http://www.vpma.co.uk/education/cpd.html

New to Management webinar update We are coming to the end of our inaugural series of New to Management webinars and we are delighted with the response we have had. Created after talking to nurses at Head Nurse Congress 2016 and others within the profession, this series of webinars has covered the topics that nurses with management responsibilities wanted help with. Free to our members but available to buy for non-members, the speakers have delivered excellent content to help all team members as they take on management roles. If you are not currently a member and would like to purchase all or some of the webinars to help your team, take a look at the website http://events-by-vpma.co.uk/ To view the “box set” of webinars, VPMA members should login to the members’ section where you will be able to access all of the first series: l

Team Work: Encouraging Harmony

Appraisals: A Simple Guide Difficult Team Members and Disciplinary Processes

Time Management Communication with Clients and the Public

Complaints: How to deal with them and how to avoid them happening in the first place!

Due to the excellent feedback we have received from these webinars, we are planning a follow-on series. If you have any topics you’d like to see covered, email: secretariat@vpma.co.uk

VPMA NEWS

PRACTICE MANAGER OF THE YEAR: THE FIVE-MINUTE INTERVIEW

Anne Corson talks to Practice Life on all things practice management following her gaining the acclaimed Practice Manager of the Year title at this year’s Petplan Awards ow did it feel when you heard your name announced H as the winner? When I heard I was the winner in the Practice Manager of the Year category I was stunned and completely overwhelmed. The entire evening was fantastic; I wish I could relive it again in slow motion. I t’s a fantastic achievement. In your 20 years as Practice Manager at Pennard Veterinary Group what do you feel has been your greatest achievement? My aim as a practice manager is to ensure that everyone is happy – staff and clients. One of the highlights of my career was organising our first charity event in aid of Breast Cancer Awareness. We hired a couple of lanes at our local swimming pool with the idea of having a relay team of clients, friends and staff to swim the distance of the English Channel. The night before was rather sleepless, worrying whether swimmers would arrive and would the idea work. On the day, everyone at the pool embraced the idea, we even had routine swimmers involved. Not only did we swim to France, we returned, raising over £1,000. We now organise an annual charity drive. ow did you come into the role at Pennard? H Tell us a little about your career so far. My career path started at the Royal Veterinary College where I was a trainee veterinary nurse. Two years in London was a big life learning curve. Coming from a small fishing village on the north-west coast of Scotland, London and the social life at the RVC was a huge distraction. I left London, failing my nursing exams, but still wishing to follow a career in the veterinary field. I took on a live-in role in a mixed practice in Tonbridge. I sailed through my exams and became head nurse. I became interested in laboratory work and one of our vets at that time encouraged me to study part-time for a degree in Biomedical Science. On the back of that success I embarked on studying for a PhD, all to prove to myself I was intelligent after my first VN failures. When my employers retired, I was ‘sold as seen’ to Pennard Vets where I became practice manager. The video shown on the evening of the awards mentioned your charity work – swimathons and moonwalks. Can you tell us more about this? I have supported many charities throughout the years. A group of friends and I have started taking part in sponsored walks, from five miles to full marathons, mainly for charities which have a special personal meaning to us. We find it is a way of helping others, keeping fit and ensuring that we get together on a regular basis to train.

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Anne Corson with Rob Beckett and Renay Rickard.

hat have been the biggest changes you have seen in W veterinary practice management in the 20 years you’ve been in the industry? The biggest change in veterinary practice management is technology; not just the computer-based systems but the communication. Everything can be done instantly by email. Not to mention the wonders of Facebook, which is very helpful when trying to locate lost pets. VPMA is running a series of New to Management webinars for those new to the industry or to a management role. What one piece of advice would you give to someone entering veterinary practice management, either that you received or you wish you had received? Main advice to a practice manager: make sure you communicate – well! But it’s not just about you speaking it’s also about listening to others. unning a veterinary practice can be stressful. What do R you do to relax? Relaxation for me takes the form of lacemaking, embroidery, a good book always with a cup of tea.

VPMA NEWS

Regional News a successful preventive healthcare plan. Following this, Linda Mogford held her first regional meeting mid-March in Bridgend, with guest speakers Arlo Guthrie of vetsurgeon.org and vetnurse.co.uk and Sam Morgan, RVN, of Abbeydale College talking about recruitment. Jerry Crick held his first meeting on the March 23 in High Wycombe – and discussed with his delegates topics such as recruitment, You may recall that in the last issue we stated that we were in discussion about benefits, training, sickness and disability. This was closely followed forming a new region in north-east by the South West Regional Meeting Scotland. We are delighted to announce hosted by Suzanne Headington and that Michelle Murphy and Stephanie Renay Rickard, with Emma Warren and Simpson have joined the regional team Sophie Newberry from Elite Staffing and will jointly run meetings in the Solutions giving a talk entitled Eight north-east of Scotland. We wish them mistakes to avoid when recruiting top well and hope they gain the support talent for your practice. The end of of both members and non-members March saw Michelle Southern host by attending their meetings. her first meeting for Scotland South, We are delighted to note that in this and welcomed Doug Muir from quarter our ROs have held a total of 10 Compassion Understood to speak. meetings and collectively attracted more Regional Organisers Janet Hughes than 60 delegates. Keep your eye out and Janie Clare ended March with a on the regional page of our website for meeting in St Helens – they ran their details of all future meetings. meeting as an open floor discussion Regional Organiser Liz La-Page group with topics on recruitment, kicked off this year’s meetings, hosting retention and sickness. the first one at the beginning of As we rolled into April, Michelle February in Sevenoaks. Guest speaker Murphy and Stephanie Simpson held Gerry Harkins of Premier Vet Alliance their debut meeting in North East Scotland, and discussed with their attended, giving a talk on How to run

delegates recruitment and student veterinary nurse placements. This was closely followed by Tamsin Swain’s meeting for the East Anglia region, with guest speaker Alison German from the College of Animal Welfare giving a talk on social media, The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. Doug Muir returned and gave a talk at the Cheshire / Derbyshire regional meeting at the end of April hosted by Kate Mincher, and Lisa Winter concluded the meetings for April hosting an event in York – and discussing with her delegates topics such as recruitment challenges, time management and team management. At the VPMA’s board meeting in March it was agreed that any VPMA member attending a regional meeting could bring a non-member friend with them free of charge (the current cost for non-members is £24 including VAT). So please do spread the word – these regional meetings are a great opportunity for managers to get together and talk to others who experience the same daily problems and issues – and now you can bring a friend or colleague with you free of charge!

Renay Rickard – VPMA President & Regional Co-ordinator

MEET YOUR REGIONAL ORGANISERS If you are not in touch with your local regional group and would like to get more involved, please contact the VPMA Secretariat: secretariat@vpma.co.uk CHESHIRE/DERBYSHIRE Kate Mincher Tel: 01663 745294 ro2@vpma.co.uk CHILTERN HILLS Jerry Crick Tel: 07771 573762 ro24@vpma.co.uk EAST ANGLIA Cath Grimsey & Tamsin Swain ro6@vpma.co.uk EAST & WEST SUSSEX Liz Panter ro7@vpma.co.uk

ESSEX REGION Liz La-Page Tel: 07772 382465 ro22@vpma.co.uk KENT REGION Siobhan Park Tel: 07849 773 152 ro23@vpma.co.uk NORTH EAST/CO. DURHAM Claire Bake Tel: 01388 602707 ro16@vpma.co.uk NORTH WEST REGION Janet Hughes & Janie Clare Tel: 07964 505226 ro17@vpma.co.uk

SCOTLAND NORTH EAST Michelle Murphy & Stephanie Simpson Tel: 07841 417610 or 07900 923398 ro25@vpma.co.uk SCOTLAND SOUTH Michelle Southern Tel: 07972 918189 ro18@vpma.co.uk SOUTH WEST Suzanne Headington & Renay Rickard Tel: 01242 680000 or 01208 872254 ro20@vpma.co.uk

WALES Linda Mogford Tel: 07891 176572 ro5@vpma.co.uk WEST MIDLANDS Rebekka Fiorani ro1@vpma.co.uk YORKSHIRE Lisa Winter  Tel: 0777 268 2617  ro8@vpma.co.uk Practice Life z June/July 2017

VPMA NEWS

MIND MATTERS

MENTAL WELLBEING COURSE FOR MANAGERS VPMA’s Helen Sanderson attended the first training day, run jointly with RCVS, and reports for Practice Life

VERY one of us either knows someone, or is dealing with someone in our work environment, who is suffering or could be suffering from a mental health issue. Whatever the magnitude, these issues not only affect the individual but the whole team may be affected, this is why we at the VPMA felt that giving training and tools to managers to help them recognise and understand mental health was so important. The course is run over one day and I have to say it was well worth my time attending. We started by learning to understand the drivers of wellbeing and these aren’t what you would imagine – for instance, “sleep” and “recovery time” are two of them… do we ever ask our colleagues if they are getting enough sleep? I don’t think I have. Life does have stress and some of it is good and can help performance, but this can easily slip over the curve if any of the drivers are not in place. Recognising an issue was the next topic and we all discussed what that looked like under the different headings of physical, emotional and behavioural, helping us to recognise what stress might look like in our teams. We then discussed some scenarios to help us understand what heading this behaviour might come under, and we ran through a useful stress management tool to help us understand how we could deal with it. This was then followed by a discussion on how to recognise suicidal thoughts. We used a scenario to run a group discussion on how we would deal with someone we thought was in danger and help us understand when to call for help. Maintaining your own wellbeing and that of your teams is just as importing as recognising illness. We learnt about the “five a day” concept of wellbeing, which you need for yourself and your team; mental hygiene is never taught so it is an important tool that we all took away back to practice. We finished off the day by discussing how we support our colleagues either back to work or on a day-to-day basis. We discussed the six attributes of compassion: motivation, sensitivity, sympathy, distress tolerance, empathy, nonjudgement and how to run the back to work interview with a great structure of questions to ask to support you and your colleague. As a manager it highlighted to me that we need to not only look after our colleagues’ mental wellbeing, but we also need to be aware of our own so we are also in a good place to support them. The course gave me the tools to recognises and support June/July 2017 z Practice Life

my colleagues to succeed, and signposted useful resources available locally or through the veterinary industry if required. If you do one thing for your team’s wellbeing, I urge you to attend one of these days. Dates for the Mind Matters for Managers training days June 14

Holiday Inn Express Swansea

June 23

Holiday Inn, Edinburgh

June 27

Lumley Castle

July 4

Hitchcock Pavilion

July 6

De Rougemont Manor

July 10

Bromsgrove Golf Club

July 12

Daresbury Park Hotel

July 19

Newmarket Race Course

For more information visit http://www.vpma.co.uk/education/cpd.html The course is delivered for us by mental health specialists Connecting with People. Course costs are subsidised by MMI and VPMA, to make it as accessible as possible. £120 for the day, including lunch, or £80 for VPMA members. To register visit: http://bit.ly/2qNLLRM

SPVS News President’s Welcome

Brian Faulkner

I trust you are having a good year. Alongside various contributions and communications, four events have dominated my attention as SPVS President in the last quarter. These are 1) SPVS Snowscene; 2) a new addition to the SPVS calendar which I have introduced this year, namely the SPVS Leadership Academy; 3) the arrival of our new SPVS Executive Director, Nichola Watson; and 4) participating in the Petplan veterinary awards. Snowscene is the longest-running SPVS ‘scene’ and is traditionally hosted by the incumbent president and I was very happy to take on the job, having already acted as trip leader in 2013. Thirty-eight participants travelled either by train (Eurostar), plane or automobile to a five-star hotel in Les Arcs, France, during the first week of March. The weather improved as the week went on and, after a white-out on the second day, the remainder of the week was the perfect combination of great snow and good visibility that allowed us to make the most of the extensive ski area. Of course, it wasn’t all about the skiing – there was CPD to attend. James Cronin of Eight Legal and Dan Clay of Clay and Associates gave excellent presentations on the law relating to HR issues and tax planning, respectively, that were relevant and thought-provoking. Having attended various SPVS ‘scenes’, I am always struck by their friendly and inclusive atmosphere; they provide excellent networking opportunities and it’s both refreshing and reassuring to discover that other people, in similar work positions to you, experience the same difficulties, frustrations and challenges, as well as successes. The SPVS Leadership Academy took place in March and again in May at Walton Manor Hotel, Warwickshire. The course, totalling four days, was set up to help practices review and improve their practice management systems with a particular focus on improving profitability. There will be a more extensive report in the September issue. As I said, Nichola Watson joined SPVS as our executive director at the start of April. Nichola joins us with extensive experience in running and managing membership organisations. Nichola’s first week was a ‘baptism of fire’ as it happened to be our quarterly officers and council meetings, followed by a whirlwind tour aimed at getting to know the profession during BSAVA congress. I look forward giving you an update on how Nichola is getting on in forthcoming issues. I was also privileged to be involved in judging and presenting the Vet of the Year award as part of the Petplan Veterinary Awards during the BSAVA Conference. This award was particularly meaningful to me as I was lucky enough to be awarded it myself in 2008 and I know how much impact it will have on the winner’s career. Reading the thousands of nominations for those shortlisted for awards reminded me of the many people working in practices who are inspirational, be it for their veterinary skills or the way they help and support their colleagues or clients; it was a difficult task to choose the overall winners but lovely to see them being recognised for their achievements.

SPVS Dates For Your Diary 2017/18 July 7-9 SPVS Final Year Seminar: 30th Anniversary! Lancaster University This year sees the 30th anniversary of this event, which is aimed at helping new graduates as they embark on their career. Did you attend the seminar as a student? Come and help us celebrate this special year at the 80s-themed gala dinner.

July 8 Employing New Grads: Harnessing their Potential Lancaster University One-day course for owners and managers employing new graduates. Includes mentoring, nurturing resilience, and a panel of recent graduates who will share their experiences.

March 10-17, 2018 Snowscene Hotel Eder, Maria Alm, Austria. Contact SPVS office for details office@spvs.org.uk

If you require further information about any SPVS events or have a general query, contact the SPVS office for details. Email office@spvs.org.uk or telephone 01926 840 318. Nichola Watson joins SPVS as Executive Director with an extensive background of working with professional membership and charity organisations. She is looking forward to working with SPVS Council to develop and enhance our member benefits. “Membership benefits are at the heart of any membership organisation and should reflect the needs of its member base. I’m excited to be part of the SPVS team and eager to start working on our new ideas for an improved member experience,” she said. www.spvs.org.uk

urvey S s e e F 2017 available! now access an mbers c e m S h V SP s throug t l u s e r the website S V P S e th k vs.org.u p .s w w w

Brian Faulkner, SPVS President

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SPVS NEWS

LANCASTER: MAKING THE MOVE FROM LECTURES TO ANIMALS THIRTY years on, some things have changed and some haven’t when it comes to the SPVS Lancaster Final Year Student Seminar, writes SPVS’ Iain Richards

hen I was 25, it was a very good year. Or September 1987 to be specific. My final year beckoned: for the first time we’d be dealing more with animals and less with lectures. From finals, it was a short step to the real world of work and that was even more exciting. In addition, we were setting off to Reading for a meeting called “The First Postgraduate Job”. Those three days stuck as highlights of my university time ever since (and this wasn’t just because Liverpool won the talent show). Perhaps it was the content of the lectures, which contained information still relevant today. Or perhaps it was because the organisers gave us the feeling that, after long years of A-levels and exams, becoming a vet was within sight and we were made to feel welcome within the profession. Some 30 years later I’m involved in taking the next group of final-year students through the Final Year Seminar, or as it’s usually known, just “Lancaster”. And the founders designed the course so well that today we get the same feedback: “I was made to feel like a vet for the first time”. That is so important and the remarkable thing is that it isn’t ever discussed at organisation or wash-up meetings. It just happens. It happens because, for all that many of us may rail against the problems of practice, in reality, we love it. So much so that the passion spills over in our conversations with the students. It’s a two-way process, though, I’ve heard many speakers and helpers tell of how invigorating they found the weekend. SPVS office has unearthed the original programme and it is remarkable how the general themes have remained the same. The graduates in 2017 need to know how to apply for a job, how to excel at an interview, how to survive the first few days, how to enjoy the next few months and what to do for the next job. The biggest change is the number of alternative careers that we now present, along with the advice that being a vet does not have to mean being in general practice. Geoff Little is mentioned in the original programme and is still involved 30 years later, although Des Thompson is missing, which just seems wrong! The course moved to Lancaster a couple of years later, where it has remained. There have been some changes since the first days, mostly to take into account the changes that are occurring in the profession. We haven’t been afraid of the controversial, with sessions on the ethics of making money and presentations about suicide. The basics, however, remain the same. One session still current is the comparison of the three main areas of practice: large, small and equine. The presenters have altered, but their message remains the same – “What I do is the best bit of being a vet and you others just play at it”. The comedy interplay between the speakers makes listening to the presentation each year great fun.

June/July 2017 z Practice Life

Some things have changed at Lancaster; you can judge which!

It’s even better if you can chair and wave the flag for the only real vet life: mixed practice (Ed: ahem! Bias alert...). And because practice structures and finances have changed, we’ve now incorporated more information on practice structures, independent, corporate and JVP. Part of the strength of Lancaster is the support it gets from the profession. Run by SPVS, we receive generous funding from BVA, BSAVA and RCVS Trust. Then there are the commercial sponsors we rely on. It’s a curious conference for them to sponsor as none of the delegates have any spending power, or are likely to for some time to come. The wise companies, however, know to play the long game, as contact with students at Lancaster can establish a rapport that can last many years into the future. I have a particular fondness for Coopers Pitmann-Moore, now long merged with other companies, that stemmed from that Reading meeting. They sponsored a quiz, “The Vet Factor” and, in short, I won and was able to go on an expenses-paid trip to the American Association of Equine Practitioners conference in San Diego – a nice change from dreary December Yorkshire. That relationship meant I’d always see the Coopers reps both as an assistant and a subsequent owner. Thirty years on, the profession has changed massively. Digital radiography, ultrasound, in-house biochemistry. Even new diseases. Hyperthyroid cats were not on the curriculum in 1988, they were just thin, old cats. Out of hours was as normal as breathing, but the weight of the mobile phones was no joke. Some things don’t change – human nature doesn’t! Most of what we engender at Lancaster is dealing with people; clients, pet owners, practice owners, and, most treasured of all, practice nurses. SPVS Lancaster remains a crucial part of the student curriculum and the SPVS year. Many of us have been involved for a long time and want to remain so – as long as we feel we have something to impart. The ultimate aim of Lancaster is that while the newly qualified vet may still view the world through bewildered eyes, we ensure that those eyes are wide open.

SPVS NEWS

THE SPVS

SNOWSCENE CPD EVENT Martin Atkinson reports from this year’s CPD event in the snow, with the themes: “What vets really need to know about employment law – seven secrets for the profession” and “Tax: taking a closer look at the biggest cost to our business”

nowscene 2017 was held in Arc 2000, the highest of the satellite resorts of Les Arcs, in the Tarantaise region of the Haute-Savoie department of France. Our hotel, the newly opened Taj-I Mah, provided a comfortable refuge, albeit, despite its impressive facilities and high bar prices, it struggled to live up to its five-star status. A total of 38 delegates, speakers and guests attended and in a change from the norm most travelled direct by Eurostar ‘snowtrain’ from St Pancras while the northern contingent flew from Manchester to Geneva. Few ski resorts are more accessible by train, as Bourg St Maurice is situated in the valley below Les Arcs and the station directly connects to Arc1600 by a funicular railway. When the storm hit for the first few days only the most intrepid ventured out and then not for long. Winds gusting to 100 mph hit the mountains closing all but a couple of lifts and at times it was difficult to face the icy blast or even stand upright. Of course every cloud has a silver lining and we were gifted a metre of fresh powder snow, although sadly as the avalanche risk was so high until the end of the week the best off-piste skiing and even some pistes were inaccessible. Les Arcs boasts a link with the neighbouring resort of La Plagne

on the same lift pass via a futuristic, glass bottomed, two story cable car and a large party took advantage of this. A restructuring of the timetable during the poor weather saw lectures being more heavily loaded in the early part of the week so we could take advantage of the better weather forecast later. Many of the party took the short gondola ride down to Arc 1950 for a long lunch to escape the worst of the weather. Apart from a little re-jigging, the days followed the usual format of an hour and a half lectures in the morning with the same in the evening providing 15 hours of CPD while giving ample time to enjoy the slopes during the day. The CPD content, organised this year by SPVS President Brian Faulkner, was provided by James Cronin of Eight Legal (employment law and HR support for vets) and Dan Clay from Clay & Associates Ltd (tax specialists). Some of the Snowscene regulars had rebelled against an entirely non-clinical programme, but then SPVS is a non-clinical organisation and those of us who attended were rewarded with enthralling and informative talks on important issues, which we may sometimes have a tendency towards an ‘ostrich like’ attitude, by entertaining and knowledgeable speakers. Practice Life z June/July 2017

SPVS NEWS

James’s first lecture covered recruitment: probationary periods and restrictive covenants, anti-discrimination law, notice periods and discipline, and interviewing. The second talk was on contracts (if your conditions are too generous you may find that you are worse off than if you just follow statutory law and it is better to have no contract than a bad one). If you just follow statute with your terms and conditions you can still reward good performance without being held to contract by poor performers. James spoke at length about managing performance and attitude; illness and the difficulty of defining depression and anxiety. The lecture on ‘saying goodbye’ showed how the law rarely works for small employers and negotiating an exit, which although financially painful, is usually less expensive, certainly in terms of time, in the long-term. James discussed the value

of ‘without prejudice’ meetings and how it is always better to deal with and potentially get rid of the poor performers early on and not procrastinate. His final lecture was about creating an elite team – planning and aligning business needs with employee expectations. We discussed at length the difficulty of recruiting staff and how offering more will attract employees in a very restricted marketplace. However, as ever it seems there is a dilemma between providing affordable treatment for our patients and managing a highly profitable business. This is something that does not always sit easily with the traditional practice model and the ethos of most veterinary surgeons who may be good clinicians, he impressed on all of us how we undervalue ourselves. Dan covered the structure of practices with reference to private vs LLP vs limited companies, tax comparisons, reporting obligations, period ends and the pros and cons. He spoke at length about income tax planning: tax computations, dividends vs salary vs PAYE and director loan accounts. The talk on property taxation included ‘buy to let’, business property and planning opportunities. The fourth session was on expenses and overheads: what is available, annual investment allowance, benefits in kind and salary sacrifice options. His final talk was on buying and selling: LLP vs limited company, debt and capital gains tax, and planning opportunities. A final get-together was held early Friday evening with the traditional presentations to the speakers and whip-round for staff gratuities. Saturday morning saw an early start to travel home, albeit a couple of us stayed on for a few more days skiing.

ROLL UP FOR LANCASTER FOR BOSSES!

HAVE contributed to the SPVS final year student event at Lancaster university in a variety of capacities in recent years. This year I will be chairing a new initiative, writes Robin Hargreaves. Entitled Lancaster for bosses or Train your new grad day, this will be a full day of talks, debates and panel discussions. I have been on the Mind Matters group run by the RCVS since its inception and through this I have become acutely aware of the strain both employers and employees can be compelled to operate under. It seems clear that staffing issues are a cause of stress in both directions. Recruitment problems have been the biggest challenge in our practice of late. It seems sensible, therefore, to improve retention. Equally, it seems logical that happier and more fulfilled team members are likely to stay with you longer. Reducing the stress that running or working in a veterinary practice inflicts on us all must reduce the

June/July 2017 z Practice Life

risk of poor mental health and wellbeing. Speakers for the day include Carolyne Crowe and Nick Steele, who will explore managing stress and mentoring. There will be a session on the PDP, which we hear is still poorly understood in practice. Recent graduates will share their experiences – good and bad – in the transition from student to working vet. These topics have always been important, but with the increasing awareness of problems with wellbeing and emotional health and in what feels like a recruitment crisis, the support, development and retention of veterinary colleagues will be critical features of a successful sustainable businesses. By looking at the retention and support of veterinary colleagues from the perspective of employers, employees and experts in the field, we will try to equip veterinary businesses to help themselves and, in so doing, help all of us who spend so much of our time in that environment. Every employer, senior partner, practice manager and clinical director of a practice should consider joining us – and coming to the Lancaster 30th anniversary gala dinner. You might even find your next vet there!

Nurse Talk

In association with

BVNA COUNCIL

As junior vice-president of BVNA I thought it would be good to take this opportunity to let you know more about me and the BVNA, writes Wendy Nevins. Firstly, a little about myself and my background. I started work as a trainee in Surrey during 1991. Following a move to Devon and having had my second son, I started work at a two-branch, small animal practice as a nurse, VN assessor and then practice manager. I moved to the north-west in 2002 and worked as a nurse in a small animal practice, before becoming the VNAC co-ordinator at Myerscough College. After four years, I returned to practice as a part-time VN, to give me more time with my sons. In 2007 I started working for the Park Veterinary Centre. I now work as a consultant and also as a locum veterinary nurse. As you are likely aware, being an RVN is not always a bed of roses. I have had my ups and downs for sure, but I have always been drawn back to practice. I did spend eight months working as an estate agent after I qualified, but soon realised veterinary nursing was where I needed to be. I don’t usually mention that in my biography for fear of putting people off!

I joined BVNA Council in October 2016 and was immediately impressed with the dedication and commitment of the council members, and wondered why I had not done this earlier in my career. I was honoured to be elected as junior vice-president of the association and am looking forward to continuing with the great work that has been done by both Fiona and Sam over the past few years. The aim of the BVNA is to promote animal health and welfare through the ongoing development of professional excellence in veterinary nursing. The BVNA, formed in 1965, is the only representative organisation for veterinary nurses and other veterinary support staff in the UK. BVNA Council is made up of a team of registered and student veterinary nurses from around the UK who work tirelessly fitting in BVNA business around family and work life on a voluntary basis. Council meets every six to eight weeks at the BVNA Office in Harlow. All council members are elected student and registered veterinary nurses, with a common desire to represent the veterinary nursing profession and complete belief in what veterinary nursing can achieve. The BVNA is the association for veterinary nurses – we are your representative body – not just an annual congress! Help us develop our profession further by adding your voice and becoming a member. Join the VN Voice portal and tell us your views on matters that affect you. I am certain that the BVNA has an exciting few years ahead and I am so excited to be part of it – watch this space!

BVNA AND BVA LAUNCH TEAM VET CAMPAIGN Team Vet is BVA’s idea, with support from BVNA. It is about bringing everyone within our veterinary community together under one banner and supporting each other. The I support Team Vet campaign is being launched against the backdrop of Vet Futures and VN Futures and in response to the EU referendum result, at a time when it has become even more critical to highlight the essential role of the veterinary team in animal health, animal welfare and public health. BVA and BVNA are encouraging veterinary surgeons, veterinary nurses and the wider veterinary team, as well as veterinary clients, colleagues and members of the public, to get behind the campaign. Veterinary colleagues may support the campaign in a number of ways: • Wear the I support Team Vet free badges by emailing marketing@bva.co.uk. Badges will be sent in multiples of five.

• Encourage family, friends and clients to wear the badges and display them prominently in your practice or place of work. • Share the campaign on social media, using @Britishvets, #teamvet and download the Team Vet Twibbon to your profile. BVNA president Sam Morgan said: “BVNA is delighted to be involved with and fully supports the I support Team Vet campaign. Now is a really important time to stand up together, both professions, united over common issues. We both have animal welfare at the forefront of our minds and both professions need to work together. Veterinary nurses should be proud to stand up and be part of Team Vet!” Practice Life z June/July 2017

NURSE TALK

BVNA MEMBERS’ ADVICE SERVICE: THE TOPICS The BVNA members’ advisory service (BMAS) is a confidential helpline provided as a benefit to members. Any BVNA member is able to call the helpline for work-related and personal advice. Each month the BVNA receives a list with brief information about every call, although the detail is vague enough that it does not enable identification of an individual or practice. Support is given by experienced professionals on a range of subjects including employment law, financial and legal matters. BVNA has a council member acting as the liaison between council and BMAS. The BMAS liaison helps to advise the service staff on any professional issues that may be brought up by a caller – for instance, calls relating to the RCVS Code of Professional Conduct for Veterinary Nurses. BVNA is then able to look at the reasons for calls and determine if there is something the organisation should be doing about a particular issue that many veterinary nurses are experiencing. In 2016 the BMAS helpline Total Calls received 306 calls, 95% of which were work-related issues. Call times are recorded by the helpline staff, with the shortest calls taking five or 10 minutes to answer, and the longer calls taking 60 to 90 minutes. BVNA is also provided with information on whether a call is an ongoing issue.

No of calls (mins) Total call times

5 8 10 59 15 93 20 5 30 114 45 15 60 11 75 90 1 150 Total 306

40 590 1395 100 3420 675 660 0 90 0

Mean call time (avg)

Median call time (mid pt)

Mode call time (most often) 30

Disciplinary and Grievance

Call Types

Call types There is a huge range of call types that come into the advice line. For the purposes of this report, calls were divided into four broad areas: pay and conditions, disciplinary and grievance, maternity-related calls and others. Each area has been examined in further detail with information from each call allowing for a further narrowing in on the issue brought to the BMAS. Disciplinary and grievance Disciplinary and grievance issues made up 20% of all calls received by BMAS. These kinds of issues are extremely June/July 2017 z Practice Life

stressful for the person involved, and BMAS is able to provide supportive advice to help members tackle their issue objectively. Grievances range from advice on bullying to problems with working hours. Grievance and disciplinary issues are the calls that have a longer call time associated with them, as often the members who call while going through this process are extremely distressed. This report separated the disciplinary process into further categories to discover that 14% of calls in this type related to queries about the investigation process. This may suggest many veterinary nurses are unaware of the procedures in place in their practice. BVNA would like to encourage any of its members who are going through any part of the disciplinary process to call the helpline. Many disciplinaries arise as a result of a mistake made at work, and it is important to remember that everyone can make a mistake – part of reflective practice is acknowledging

NURSE TALK

Maternity

The advice service is delivered by experienced professionals and can offer expert advice on a range of subjects including legal issues, employment matters, matrimonial and financial matters. The helpline is totally confidential and no details will be divulged or action taken unless you specifically request it. Veterinary nurses may also ask for the advice given to be provided in writing. The helpline number is 01822 870270 (have your BVNA membership number ready) or, alternatively, email nickyackerley@hrsupportconsultancy.co.uk

Pay and Conditions

this and taking steps to ensure the same things don’t happen again. BMAS is here to help give support for members going through this difficult process confidentially. Maternity issues BMAS clients still need help understanding their maternity rights and often request assistance to negotiate with employers who do not understand or apply maternity law correctly. BMAS is able to provide support for both staff members and the management team, who often may not have an HR background. The advice offered will ensure the practice deals with maternity issues in accordance with the law, for the benefit of all involved. Pay and conditions The greatest number of calls to the BMAS line related to management; with callers either having problems with the management style in their place of work or managers calling for advice on how to handle situations with their team. The second most common call related to contract issues – with changes to the contract being the biggest issue raised. Hours and holiday issues ranged around working time directives, legal minimum holidays and flexible working hours. Questions relating to health concerned mental health issues, physical issues and accidents at work. Pay issues involved incorrect payments of salaries and sick pay, with only one call where the client was asking for advice on requesting a pay rise.

BVNA WEBINAR ON RCVS’ PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT RECORD

In April, BVNA released a webinar through its VN Knowledge platform on how to get started using the RCVS’ professional development record (PDR) and showing how easy it can be to log CPD without needing paper certificates. CPD is recognised in many forms, not just lectures or webinars, and can include discussion groups, mentoring and in-house training. The RCVS’ PDR for Veterinary Nurses is a tool to help you log your CPD and allow the RCVS to audit it easily. The PDR can also be used to set targets for your development and monitor your progress. In the webinar, BVNA junior vice-president, Wendy Nevins explains how easy it can be to record CPD without the need for a paper trail. In 2015, a new Royal Charter was introduced to underpin the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons’ role in the regulation of veterinary nurses, placing them on a similar regulatory footing to veterinary surgeons. Once the Royal Charter came into effect, all Listed Veterinary Nurses were automatically entered onto the RCVS Register of Veterinary Nurses, becoming RVNs. All RVNs are now held accountable for their professional conduct and also for their continuing professional development. The CPD requirement for veterinary nurses averages out at 45 hours over a three-year period. The VN Knowledge platform is free to sign up and all webinars are free to BVNA members. Non-members can access free materials only and will be required to pay to view additional webinars. Visit the website for details http://www.bvna.org.uk/ news/archive/post/200-vn-knowledge--recording-yourcpd-using-the-rcvs-vnpdr

Practice Life z June/July 2017

College Corner

PRACTICE STANDARDS

WHAT THE AWARDS CAN DO FOR YOU! A SPECIAL Practice Standards Scheme awards event held during BSAVA Congress this year attracted around 100 people – including vets, veterinary nurses and practice managers. The evening meeting highlighted how Practice Standards Scheme (PSS) Awards may benefit practices, and celebrated the achievements of practices that had been successful in the awards application process.

Deborah Croyle and team

acqui Molyneux, RCVS Council member and chair of the Practice Standards Group, which is responsible for coordinating the scheme, introduced the event. She revealed that some 60% of veterinary practices are now enrolled on the PSS. Jacqui introduced Pam Mosedale, PSS lead assessor, who explained the background to relaunching the PSS and its awards in November 2015, and how the new awards are designed to give practices the opportunity to demonstrate to clients the areas where they excel. Pam’s tip for practices was not to try to attempt too many awards at once due to the judges assessing the practice on a single day. Instead, she advised: “Look at the areas where the practice really excels and where you meet the majority of the module requirements. “It is also important that the whole team is involved in the process as it is a big team exercise. This means that, when practices do achieve awards, there is a great team spirit, a sense that everyone has been involved in the achievement.

June/July 2017 z Practice Life

“My final tip is that it is really important to talk about and to celebrate your success because if you do gain an award, then you deserve it.” Following Pam’s presentation, delegates heard the experiences of two practices that were to receive their awards that evening. The first speaker was Louise Rayment-Dyble, MRCVS, clinical director at All Creatures Healthcare Ltd in Norfolk. Her presentation addressed why practices should apply for a PSS award and how it could raise a practice’s profile with the public. “One criticism of the PSS is that the general public is not that aware of it and, if you spoke to Joe Bloggs on the street, they would assume that all veterinary practices have to be accredited. We felt that, with the new awards, it speaks more to the general public as people can identify and relate to them because they cover areas that are easy to understand, such as customer care. “The process itself was also more simple than we were expecting. There was a lot to do to meet the award modules, but it is done logically so that, with a bit of time, you can work through it.”

COLLEGE CORNER

Louise felt that involving the team, and the positive effect achieving the award had on the team, were the most appealing aspects of the awards. She added: “My advice would be around the importance of involving the whole team. Every member has different skills and, when you start talking to everybody, you know what their skills might be and you can try to find champions within your practice for each of the awards. Everyone in the team needs to believe in the awards process –you just wouldn’t achieve it if they don’t.” The next speaker was Deborah Croyle MRCVS, support manager at Lincolnshire-based Animates Veterinary Clinic Ltd. She emphasised the awards assessors are not looking just at paperwork and equipment, but the culture and ethos of the practice as a whole. She said: “The reason we applied for the awards was to test ourselves and put into practice what we believed in and be recognised for it – there is so much that goes on within the practice and we wanted to be acknowledged for it. “A lot of what is being assessed is the culture that you work within and the awards scheme does improve on culture and behaviours in practice. Having a culture where you’re driven and where you want to achieve and be the best you can is fundamental.” Following the award presentations, RCVS president Chris Tufnell made his closing remarks, encouraging all those attending – including the practices that received awards – to spread theMedivet_PracticeLife-Jun/Jul17.pdf word about the benefits of the PSS and its awards.17:49 1 10/04/2017

Practices that achieved PSS Awards • All Creatures Healthcare Ltd (Norfolk) • Animates Veterinary Clinic Ltd (Lincolnshire) • Cirencester Vets4Pets Ltd • Clent Hills Veterinary Group (Kidderminster and Stourbridge) • Gatehouse Veterinary Hospital (West Yorkshire, Myrtle Place branch and Mill Hey branch) • Mill House Veterinary Surgery and Hospital (Norfolk) • North Downs Vets Ltd (Surrey) • Springfield Veterinary Group (Rotherham Veterinary Hospital and Crystal Peaks branch) • Vets Now (Aberdeen, Alfreton, Belfast, Birmingham, Bournemouth, Colwyn Bay, Coventry, Doncaster, Farnham, Gateshead, Guildford, Hemel Hampstead, Ipswich, Northampton, Nottingham, Portsmouth, Preston, Southampton, Telford, Warrington and Witham)

FROM BATTERSEA TO A NEW LIFE

30 YEARS

Medivet helps Mickey walk again

ting… a r b e ce l UC S R OU

Mickey arrived at Battersea Dogs & Cats Home with severely deformed legs, doomed to a life of pain and discomfort. Battersea staff needed our help to carry out the complicated operations required to treat him. That’s when our Medivet family stepped in to perform life-changing surgery, to ensure that Mickey could go on to lead a normal life.

C E SS

Proudly supporting

It took three operations to get things right and, after months of recovery, Mickey’s found a loving new home with our very own veterinary nurse, Naomi. Do you want to be part of our Medivet family? Do you consistently go above and beyond to deliver amazing patient care? Contact our Head of Recruitment, Daniel Preter, today. He’d be delighted to hear from you! Call Daniel on 01923 470 046. vetrecruitment@medivet.co.uk www.medivet.co.uk

Practice Life z June/July 2017

VDS News

EQUINE WARTS ‘N’ ALL J

on did not hesitate to throw his hat into the ring when he saw an advertisement for his dream job in rural equine practice. Despite serious competition he was successful, and the following January he was standing in a freezing Yorkshire livery yard, wishing he had applied for a position in the Southern Hemisphere instead, or at the very least invested in some top-quality thermals. He was examining a horse on behalf of a prospective buyer near London, although given the would-be purchaser’s description of the nag in question, he was surprised to be presented with something more along the lines of pit pony rather than a future Derby winner. Nevertheless, Jon performed his examination as meticulously as possible, despite the interference of clouds of dried mud raised every time his hands brushed the winter coat. Admittedly, his chilled bones together with the promise of a coffee by the livery yard’s wood-burner, reduced his usual enthusiasm for the job, but he certainly satisfied himself that the beast was fit for purpose. He rang his distant client with the good news and departed the yard in the warm glow of knowing he had a happy purchaser and an equally delighted vendor. Jon hadn’t given the examination another thought until, a month later, he received a call from the purchaser’s own vet, pompously explaining in a rather plummy accent, that several masses had been detected which had subsequently been confirmed as sarcoids. A batch of expensive ‘Liverpool cream’ was en route, and he warned Jon that the owner, a solicitor by profession, was very much on the warpath. Jon was not particularly concerned, considering sarcoids to be at worst ‘irritating warts’ and he could not recall their presence during his examination anyway. But then a formal letter arrived claiming the sarcoids must have been present on the day of the pre-purchase exam and, in view of the ‘potential seriousness of these tumours,’ the purchaser would certainly not have gone ahead with the purchase, had she been made aware of their existence. Jon’s face blanched when he read the final paragraph, a bulleted list of the losses claimed. Although he considered the sarcoids a minor finding, the new owner clearly did not, as she was seeking a grossly exaggerated purchase price of the animal, first class shipping fees (first class flights from Yorkshire, it seemed), a refund of the cost of the PPE, and free lifetime treatment for the offending lumps. In all, over £30,000! Taking advice from his boss, Jon rang the VDS and was quickly reassured to hear how calm the consultant sounded in the face of what had seemed to him to be very threatening correspondence. Better still, the Society offered to take up the good fight, leaving Jon stress-free and ready to enjoy his work once more. On request, he provided the Society with a detailed account of the methodical way in which he had carried out his PPE. Although he could not precisely remember having done so in June/July 2017 z Practice Life

this case, he assured the consultant that his normal approach involved feeling the skin over the areas in question. He added the caveat that this pony’s deep winter coat was thick with mud, so any minor blemish might have gone undetected. The PPE certificate was a joy to behold, filled out thoroughly in copperplate handwriting, suggesting a thorough warts-andall, rather than a reckless approach to the examination. The Society responded to the claim, emphasising that Jon had carried out a comprehensive examination of the pony in awkward conditions and a PPE is recognised to be simply a snapshot of the health of a prospective purchase on one particular day. As sarcoids can manifest themselves without warning, they could easily have developed after Jon’s involvement. On reviewing the letter, Jon expressed his considerable satisfaction that the Society was prepared to stand up and defend his professional reputation so firmly. The silence from London was deafening and, after six months, the consultant rang Jon to say that he was going to close the file. He surprised Jon by congratulating him for making the Society’s work so easy, explaining it was more than likely that it was his well-documented examination which had dissuaded the legally trained claimant from taking the matter any further. Both the consultant and Jon agreed that some purchasers take the presence of even relatively minor blemishes very seriously indeed. Using the appropriate VDS PPE form, documenting any findings meticulously and discussing the outcome of the examination carefully with absent and distant purchasers is therefore the simple way to avoid the stress of a claim or at least allowing the VDS to defend your professional reputation robustly!

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

in the Interview with Ryan Jones and Andy McCann Best known for his success on the rugby field – achieving 33 caps as Wales captain – Ryan Jones talks to Practice Life about leadership, teamwork and learning to manage the challenges of competitive sport as well as adjusting to life after the rugby field. Andy McCann, performance coach and mentor to high-performing individuals, has coached Ryan and reveals his techniques and beliefs in thriving under pressure and the importance of wellbeing. Ryan, did you ever think that after playing rugby you would be speaking at a corporate event? Ryan: No, I didn’t, it’s amazing. Sport has opened up a world I would never have known existed and I’ve met so many fantastic people, done wonderful things – some strange things too! It’s all on the back of being in the right place at the right time.

Ryan with SPVS president Stephanie Writer-Davies and VPMA president Renay Rickard.

You say its about being in the right place at right time, but did you have a plan or a goal? Ryan: I usually say this to school kids; it’s not always the biggest and best kid who’s the school actor, it’s the one who wants it the most! That applies to everything. You could be the most talented person, but if you haven’t got the appetite and resilience you won’t achieve it. One of the biggest things I’ve learnt is that you have a choice in everything, you can always say no – too many people are afraid to say no. Do you think resilience is innate or can it be learnt? Andy: It can definitely be learnt. The evidence is that we used to think it was innate and you were born that way, but you need to go through some challenging times in order to learn it. Ryan: Again, I think there is an element of resilience through experience. Many people don’t attribute the adverse and stressful things that we experience as a contributor to our resilience. I’ve learnt to show vulnerability. Too often, both as a society and especially as a sportsman (which can be quite macho), you don’t want to show weakness. Once you are comfortable with who you are and you are able to do that, the benefits far outweigh the perceived negatives. Andy: I think what challenges some athletes’ resilience is the transition from the professional – largely through their 20s – to still being a young person after they transition to life after this. Not through chance Ryan has done this seamlessly. Ryan: I had a bit of a plan which helped a lot. Also, sport is always evolving; the science, coaching staff, management and

even the game itself. You’re in a consistent period of change. As a result you are a product of it and you learn to embrace change and not fear it. In the veterinary world ‘perfectionism’ is a big issue, with many vets reluctant to reveal perceived weakness. How did you find the strength of character to show your vulnerability in a sport that appears to be so macho? Ryan: Experience has taught me it’s okay to be upset and to show emotion. I’ve found there’s more reward from others if you show your vulnerability than there is from pretending to be someone you’re not. A key thing that Andy instilled in me was about how you perceive emotion. Nerves and anxiety are only negative emotions if you perceive them that way. I learnt that feeling nervous was a good thing as it allowed me to be in the right mindset and physical state to play. Andy: Sometimes you have to endure a bit of discomfort to feel a sense of achievement. Practice Life z June/July 2017

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Referee Johnathan Kaplan asking Ryan Jones if he wouldn’t mind moving on during the 2008 game between Wales and the All Blacks.

Ryan: We can spend our lives in fear of failure and avoid putting ourselves in positions where we can fail. Sport has taught me to have a go; it’s too easy to avoid things. Vets are often faced with clients who have the expectation they are going to solve all their pet’s problems in a 10-minute consult. What advice can you give on how to deal with expectation? Ryan: Be realistic with your expectations. Be truthful and honest, once you start a spiral of over-promise it can be difficult. Andy: The expectation is you’ve been picked, you’ve got some talent, you’re here and we’ve got to create circumstances for you to do your best. Ryan: Mentoring programmes are important, but spending time with different people who have had different experiences is also helpful. As captain you had to galvanise your team, but how did you motivate individuals who weren’t of the same resilient mindset as you? Ryan: The team is a cross-section of society and there is no right or wrong way to motivate people. The challenge of good leadership is knowing the individuals on your team, knowing how they learn, their emotional state and some of their personal stuff too. Andy: Human connectivity; taking time to get to know people. In the changing room, for example, you want to avoid giving the person who’s nervous and wants to be left with their own thoughts the same message as the guy who’s all pumped up. Ryan: There are practical and real-life constraints away from June/July 2017 z Practice Life

“We can spend our lives in fear of failure and avoid putting ourselves in positions where we can fail. Sport has taught me to have a go; it’s too easy to avoid things. ” the rugby field that can affect a team member’s availability in the evenings or weekends. It takes confidence from a manager to handle this and managing each team member individually is a skill. Andy: One of my colleagues has a saying: ‘we are buying people’s talent not their time’. You talked about saying no earlier. How do you balance this when a team member thinks it should be a no and you think, for the betterment of the team, it should be a yes? Ryan: You have to trust the process, the values, and the team ethos. Sometimes we all do things we don’t want to. One of the best pieces of advice I was ever given was not to justify a no, you don’t have to follow it up with a reason. Andy: I hold a mini-workshop on how to say no, as it can tear people up. People don’t know what else you do in life, what charities you support, or what your personal commitments are. Ryan: When you go for a review it will be a learning experience and we will scrutinise the good, the bad and the indifferent. The worry is that people tend to just critique the bad.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Ryan Jones.

Andy: This is important, as it’s the good stuff you want to remember for next time. Andy: Dr Steve Bull, a chartered psychologist, has written a sports psychology book about developing mental tactics. He talks about how to turn things around when you have made a mistake and how to perform in the critical moment. Ryan: What I’ve found beneficial is critiquing my mistakes and putting success or failure down to something tangible – it helps me let go of it quicker. You can’t carry it to the next game or lose sleep over it. It’s okay to make a mistake – the sad thing is when we don’t learn and go on to make the same mistake again. Andy talked about mindfulness and giving yourself time and mental space every day. Is this something you practice? Andy: Mindfulness can be as simple as taking your dog for a walk. It’s something that gives you a sense of identity and reminds you that you’re more than the public rugby player or a veterinary nurse or surgeon. It doesn’t necessarily mean going to a yoga group! Ryan: For me (I live on the coast) it can be walking, playing Lego with my boy or singing karaoke with my daughter. It’s something that resets you to zero and puts everything in perspective. Andy: We are working with the medical profession and my colleague Dr Mark Stacy has put together a ‘baker’s dozen’ of good practice. Many of those taking part have said that doing an act of unconditional kindness makes a difference and helps them ‘reset’. For example, on your morning commute letting a car out in front of you or letting someone go through a door before you.

Andy McCann.

Ryan: The other one Andy talks about is the ‘goodwill’ account, so you make sure your goodwill account with everyone else is in credit and then be smart when you cash it in (laughs), it’s a great way to live your life. When you retired from world rugby, how did you mentally adjust? There are parallels with vets retiring from running practices – like rugby, the vet profession is all-encompassing. Ryan: I have days when I miss it dearly, but I don’t miss the playing, the physio or the 80 minutes (because it hurts!). I don’t miss staying awake until 4am dissecting the game, but I do miss the emotion of it and the highs and lows. It’s about being comfy with yourself and finding escapism in other things. Andy: The ideal thing for an international rugby player would be a send-off game, but there are so many things out of your control, like injuries, that mean you have to accept this may not happen. Ryan: I spent some time with the military guys in Headley court, who explained that basically there are two categories: those who were catastrophically injured who mourn the loss, and those who celebrate what they still have. There is a marked difference in the mindset of these individuals and, for me, it’s about celebrating my rugby career, rather than mourning what I have lost. Make a conscious choice to celebrate all the wonderful things you did in veterinary practice. So, what’s next for you Ryan, have you got a plan or goal? Ryan: I’d be lying if I said I’m not looking; there are a few things I’m thinking of doing, which are mostly physical. I’ve been looking at a few different challenges. Practice Life z June/July 2017

HEADING

WELL-BEING

THE ‘HOW TO’ GUIDE

TO MENTORING Mentoring can be a useful management tool in practice and here Nick Steele shares the gold-standard approach to using mentoring and outlines all phases of the process

entoring is often thought of as an informal, casual process to help introduce a new colleague to the practice or to a new skill. In fact, when approached with planning and process, it can be an incredibly powerful development tool to use within your team.

What is mentoring? Mentoring is a process in which an experienced person helps to guide a learner. True mentoring is an extended, trusting relationship between two people who have mutual personal growth and company success as a common goal. The objective of mentoring is to speed up integration into an organisation and work role. Mentoring, coaching and training There is no simple distinction between mentoring, coaching and training, however, the following is a guide. Mentoring: Goes further in offering support and advice to someone as a person. The mentor may offer coaching or training, as appropriate, but also encourages the mentee to seek help from specialists in these roles. Coaching: Tends to have specific and tightly focused goal; for example, helping someone develop an identified skill for their current or future role. Training: Tends to be wholly work-related and concentrates on professional skill, knowledge and development.

Benefits of mentoring Mentee • Develops confidence; • learns more effectively and quickly; • gains in-role effectiveness; and • has a better organisational understanding. Mentor • Develops people skills; • satisfies their desire to help others; • has a better understanding of organisational issues; • opportunity to see the business through different eyes; and • being challenged on perceived wisdom. Manager • Has a more motivated and effective team member. Organisation • Has more committed and motivated employees; and • employees acquire skills faster. June/July 2017 z Practice Life

Mentoring roles As a manager you are concerned with the objectives of both the team and organisation. As a mentor you help your mentee to learn within the context of a supportive relationship. Mentoring and managing are not distinct. Managers may use mentoring as part of their role. Managers also need to recognise the value of an employee having a separate mentor to enhance his or her overall performance. Mentee A mentee must be keen to learn and willing to accept support. A mentee should have respect for their mentor but should not be over-awed by them. A mentee must be: • Willing to be both helped and challenged by their mentor; • willing and able to learn and change their views, behaviours, assumptions and ways of working; • able to come to meetings with a willingness to discuss; • able to ask for and receive feedback; and • capable of challenging their mentor and giving feedback appropriately. Mentor A mentor should be an experienced, respected individual, able to reflect back constructively on a mentee’s thoughts, ideas, feelings, behaviours and situations. Ideally a mentor is: • Knowledgeable about the organisation, its strategy, objectives and culture; • e xperienced, successful and recognised in their current position; • willing and able to invest time and energy; • committed to the organisation’s success; • interpersonally skilled and culturally sensitive; • approachable and able to listen and question; • able to support, challenge and feedback appropriately; • be able to receive feedback and be challenged themselves; and • patient. Manager The mentoring relationship should not be a threat to the manager’s authority. There should be openness and honesty between the manager, mentor and mentee, while the confidentiality of the mentoring relationship is respected. The manager’s role covers: • Assigning mentors for their team; • supporting mentoring relationships; • agreeing objectives;

WELL-BEING

Address concerns: It is useful to check the mentee’s understanding and preconceptions of mentoring. Useful questions • How will we know if this is working? • How shall we signal if this is not working for either of us? Concerns during the start-up phase are often expressed indirectly through silence, compliance, attack, asking lots of questions or through facial expressions and body language – learn to read what’s not being said. Where you suspect low motivation to proceed, address the issue rather than avoiding it. Fig 1. Diagram showing the phases of mentoring

Agree goals: Agree the key areas the mentoring relationship will focus on. Each of these goals should be SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound): Useful questions • What is it you need to be able to do in your role? • When do you need to be able to do this by? • How will you know when you have achieved this goal?

• performance management; • career development and succession planning; • supporting their team with appropriate resources; and • communicating about the business.

Phases of mentoring Start-up phase Initial Meeting In the initial meeting you need to do enough to get the relationship on the road and don’t need to finalise everything. Establish some ground rules: • Establish the ground rules by setting up a mentoring agreement; • agree the level of confidentiality between yourselves and where the manager fits in; • agree the time commitment, how much and how often; and • agree how the mentoring will be recorded. Establish the relationship: Take time to get to know each other; the mentoring relationship is all about creating a learning and trustful climate before launching into the task. • Give this enough time, it’s the basis of knowing how to work together; and • share experiences form your past. Useful questions: • How do you see my role? • What can I do most usefully to support you? • What do you definitely not want from me? • What’s in it for both you and me?

The mentoring agreement: The mentoring agreement ensures expectations are set for the mentor, mentee and manager. The agreement does not need to be written down, but all or some of it can be. Key areas for the mentor and mentee to discuss in developing their mentoring agreement include: • What will you focus on? • Will you meet in person or over the phone? • How often will you meet? • How long will each meeting be? • Where will your meeting be held? • How will inter-meeting contact happen? • Will the relationship be formal or informal? • What structure will the meeting follow? • Will the relationship include feedback or coaching? • How will others be kept informed? • Anything else you need to include? • What could stop this being put into action? Summarise what has been agreed and check mentor and mentee are happy with the agreement – it’s better to say “no” rather than agree to something you can’t deliver. Working phase Regular meetings and contact: • Schedule the meetings in the diary to ensure they happen; • agree the date of the next meeting at the end of the current meeting;

MENTORING AGREEMENT Meeting Outcomes Date

Action Taken

Feedback

Learning

Fig 2. Example of a mentoring agreement. Practice Life z June/July 2017

WELL-BEING

• have an agenda for meetings; • meet in both mentor and mentee’s locations; and • maintain frequent contact in the early stages; little and often. Review and record learnings: The mentee needs to inform the mentor on how they are progressing towards their goals, what support they need and what’s working/not working. An effective way to embed the learning for both the mentee and mentor is to keep a log. This can be incorporated into the mentoring agreement document to keep everything in one place. Useful questions • If you had to do it again, how would you do it? • What is the impact of your action on the organisation? • How will you transfer this learning to others?

done a good job to increase their mentee’s experience and skills and also learnt something themselves. The mentee should leave the relationship feeling energised, forward looking and committed to their ongoing learning. Decide and agree when you’ve reached the end. Useful questions: • What were your original goals and were they met? • What additional goals were agreed, were they met? • What challenges did you have and how did you resolve them? • What were the learnings for both the mentor and mentee? Action planning for sustainability: The last meeting should focus on the next steps for the mentee and options for sustaining their learning and development. Useful questions: • What are my strengths and development areas? • How can these I further develop these? • Who can help me?

Review mentoring agreement It is important to regularly review the goals to be achieved by the mentee, and write new ones where appropriate.

Summary

Dissolving phase Ending the mentoring relationship: Often the mentoring relationship ceases to exist because it has reached a natural end. Ideally the mentoring relationship should leave the mentor feeling energised and that they have

This guide has, hopefully, illustrated how to use mentoring to effectively develop your team, both the mentees and mentors. You’ll also note the role of the manager in ensuring colleagues have a clear understanding of organisational goals and individual colleague objectives as, without these, the development of mentees will be more difficult.

Biography Nick is national consulting manager at Zoetis, managing the consulting business to deliver business improvement to veterinary practices across the UK. He has a proven track record in various business management roles and more than ten years’ experience in learning and development management roles helping to develop Zoetis leaders across the business and facilitate organisational change. Nick helps develop veterinary practice teams to deliver business results and is a regular speaker at veterinary events and CPD meetings.

Providing Perfect Solutions PPS GI provide a full portfolio of general insurance products and services exclusively to the veterinary profession.

Veterinary Insurance & Services David Hodgetts David tragically passed away on 17th March 2017. We are truly devastated by his loss, and for his family there are no words of comfort. He was a true character, always fun, full of spirit and highly regarded by his colleagues and clients alike. He has, over the years, completely changed the lives of so many people, always for the better. His presence in the veterinary world will be sorely missed. At PPS GI, we will continue with him in our memories and hearts and strive to make him proud every day. Laura Marsh PPS GI is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

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MANAGING PEOPLE

DISCOVERING PERSONALITIES

IN EQUINE PRACTICE

Communication is key to a smooth-running equine practice but it’s easier said than done… Carolyne Crowe offers tips on improving team and client understanding

orking in veterinary practice necessitates continual communication – with clinical colleagues, clients, lab staff and receptionists to name but a few. And it’s tough – different people, with different personalities, managing their own workloads and dealing with their individual levels of stress, about which we are often blissfully unaware. The potential for miscommunication is significant. In equine practice there is yet another complication: working remotely for much of the time, equine vets rely on their phones to make contact. Poor reception and missed calls mean messages are not picked up when required, and may not be clear when they are. And if you do get through, with no body language cues, lack of eye contact and an inability to appreciate the importance of the task the other person is currently in the middle of, it’s very easy to misconstrue meaning in even the simplest of phone calls. This matters because the consequences of miscommunication can be serious, both for the individuals and the wider team, resulting in: • Low motivation; • behavioural changes; • more clinical mistakes; • productivity falls – more queries, more complaints, potential bullying; • disengagement; • invitations to/attendance at fewer social occasions; • stress, depression; and • sickness absence increases.

Improving self-awareness: where is your blind spot? In any conversation we are aware of its context in relation to ourselves (“I need these blood results urgently as the owner has made complaints in the past and I need to prove that I am absolutely on top of things”), but not of others (“The machine breaking down, again, yesterday has really put me behind with testing, and everything is urgent!”). We might simply ask when the results will be available, but our colleague hears “why the hell aren’t the results in yet?” It’s easy to see how what we say, what we actually mean and what is understood are rarely the same. Yet there is a way we can understand what people mean in minutes rather than months, using DISC personality profiling to understand our colleagues’ preferred communication styles in various situations: • How you respond to challenges • How you influence others • What is your preferred pace? • How do you respond to rules and procedures?

The DISC model shows that everyone’s personality and behavioural style falls into quadrants – each of us is either outgoing or reserved, and is either people or task orientated. Some have a pure personality trait while many of us have blends of two or more traits. Understanding where you sit on the DISC wheel, along with an appreciation of where clients and colleagues are naturally positioned, will help you appreciate not only how miscommunication occurs, but, more importantly, it will give you tools to adapt your approach to suit both the context and the person. Dominance Influence Fast paced

Fast paced

Wants an overview, not detail

Embrace change

Task oriented

People oriented

Fears failure and being taken advantage of

Fears loss of popularity or rejection

Steadiness Compliance Slower paced

Slower paced

Wants detail, not an overview

Cautious about change

People oriented

Task oriented

Fears change or loss of security

Fears conflict or criticism without foundation

The fundamental principle of the DISC model is that everyone is different, but we are predictably different; anyone can do anything, they just approach things in a different way. Undertaking DISC profiling with your team is hugely valuable, providing accurate insights into how people behave at work, under pressure and at home. Without the insight that DISC gives, we might perceive a ‘D’ colleague to be overly demanding and insensitive, whereas they see that they are simply pushing for results and wants to improve on last month’s figures. How others perceive us is as much about their own style as ours – accepting this is key to identifying the blind spots that can so easily scupper clear communication and team harmony. Our natural personality style also influences how we respond to conflict and so understanding how colleagues or clients are likely to react in difficult situations helps us manage the conversation proactively, in order to minimise this innate response.

Improving communications with clients DISC profiling helps us better manage communications with clients, in order to minimise conflict and remove Practice Life z June/July 2017

MANAGING PEOPLE

I S C

Money / results focus

Talkative

Worried about horse

Details

“What’s going to be done?”

Friendly

“Is everything OK?”

Fairness

Cut to the chase

May not always really listen

Friendly, quiet

Follow rules and regulations

Impatient

Emotional, impulsive

Direct

Pause to consider

Direct

Enthusiastic

Secure, stable

Listen

Focus on solutions and results

Relaxed and positive

Personable

Follow through

Calm, direct, clear - no waffle

Sociable but focused

Considerate

Calm and clear

Don’t take advantage, don’t upsell

Put details in writing

Explain details

Stick to time

misunderstandings. Equine vets invariably work very closely with owners, and you can no doubt have a fairly accurate guess as to which personality style some of your key characters naturally favour! With this knowledge you can flex your approach to greatly reduce the chances of miscommunication, conflict and to make your life easier. Some practical examples are shown in the table above (grey cells summarise common client personality traits by DISC style, the green cells show the approach that will best ensure clear communication).

Better communication benefits everyone Equine veterinary practice is pressured enough, without adding in tension between colleagues and clients that can be avoided with just a little insight. Understanding the motivations and behaviours of others ultimately helps professional relationships run smoother, with clear benefits to individuals as well as the wider team.

Better for me, facilitating: • Personal growth; • easier communication; • effective goal setting; and • improved management and leadership skills. Better for the practice: • All use a common language; • minimise conflict; • reduce miscommunication (and all the associated stress and impact on productivity); • increased engagement; • improved customer service; and • improved profitability. It might be good to talk, but it’s more important to listen, and crucial that we try to understand. DISC helps us do exactly this.

Visit the website to find out more about DISC profiling www.carolynecrowe.co.uk Biography Carolyne is an experienced equine vet, award winning personal performance coach, mentor, international speaker, researcher and lecturer with extensive experience coaching individuals and teams within the veterinary profession. She is a workplace health and wellbeing expert and is undertaking a PhD in veterinary wellbeing. She specialises in equipping individuals, teams and practices with the tools to regain control, communicate effectively, build resilience, overcome the stressors of work, drive engagement and optimise performance. Outside work Carolyne is the wife of a vet, mother of two children and a keen runner. June/July 2017 z Practice Life

CLIENT CARE & MARKETING

Equine client evenings: the many benefits!

There are many benefits to educating and engaging equine clients and here Lucinda Ticehurst explains how it’s done at Town and Country Veterinary Centre in Market Harborough

e are a mixed practice with a substantial equine client base in the market town of Market Harborough, Leicestershire. We don’t have a dedicated marketing person as such so I have taken on the organisation of the equine client evenings. The timing is important for client events – you want your topics to be appropriate to the time of year and seasonal conditions that owners should be aware of. In our March event we covered three topics: soft tissue injuries, eye conditions, and laminitis/equine metabolic syndrome – which is timely. We try to provide a variety of subjects to cover diverse areas of veterinary medicine relevant to the client and anything that is considered a ‘hot’ topic at the time. On our rounds, we come across specific areas of interest within our clientèle and what is most relevant to their horses, which helps us decide on what topics to discuss. We wanted to cover laminitis before we start seeing cases to hopefully try to prevent this painful condition where possible and arm owners with the knowledge of what can trigger these conditions – before they happen, as well as going through the treatment options. There are lots of things you need to prepare before a client evening – the classic being IT! Make sure your presentations are all loaded up and your laptops work at the venue – we did our March client evening in a village hall off-site so we could invite a good number of clients along in a place convenient to those living within that area, and it’s worth testing everything works in advance.

Hospital site We often do client evenings at our hospital based at Moulton College, Pitsford. This is very well set up with a fantastic lecture theatre, which helps make our talks feel very professional! We can do demonstrations and small group interactive sessions – for example, at our last one we had an audio stethoscope so everyone could hear the heart and what we listen for, we then did a demonstration of how to use an ECG. We are lucky that we can use the Moulton College horses in these situations as they are used to groups of people and frequently used for teaching purposes at the college. Rather than just doing talks and then everyone going home, we try to offer our clients a better ‘experience’ – we put a lot of work into getting sponsors for the events, we included a raffle and food and drinks at the March evening, and invited an independent nutritionist and a couple of farriers we work closely with to be ‘on-hand’ for questions. This holistic approach to horse health shows our clients that it’s not just

a vet-client relationship and that working with all the professional caregivers can mean the best outcome for a clinical case.

Planning the events Quite a few of us from the practice go along to the client evenings – we had three vets doing the talks, and various other members of the team there to help out and greet clients. We invite clients along and put a leaflet in the practice on reception so that anyone in and out can pick it up and come along. We try to keep track of names/numbers where we can to help us plan better. It also helps plan things like the venue, chairs, food and drink. It is hard to get the word out to all our clients; we have thousands and some of them use social media, some prefer email or a phone call, and many come because they hear about it through word of mouth. This time I did send a mass email around but I am not sure that was as useful as just mentioning Practice Life z June/July 2017

CLIENT CARE & MARKETING

it on our rounds and showing the fliers in our van and at reception. We also pop a little note in with the invoices that go out in the preceding six weeks, although that only targets recently seen clients.

Content This time we used a couple of case studies to talk through, which I think makes it more ‘real’ for the clients – we invited the owners too so they were in the audience. Clients often want to ask questions so we make sure there’s time either after each presentation or we all come together at the end for a Q&A session. People can be shy about asking things in front of other people so do stick around at the end so clients can come and talk to you. As a smaller practice, with four equine vets and a highly qualified equine nurse and technician, we pride ourselves on being approachable. Clients can have our work mobile numbers and are very welcome to ask questions at any point. We value case continuity and building a rapport between client and vet. It is very important the vet can get to know the horse, as well as the owner, to help make a treatment plan when needed and

make it as optimal as possible for the specific individual horse. We tend to organise these events a two to three times a year but it’s when we feel it’s necessary really. There’s a lot of work involved so fitting it all in around a busy equine job can be hard at times. We get good feedback from clients about them and it helps bond clients to the practice and they can get to find out a bit more about us and the services we offer. One of our equine vets this time presented a slide about how she could offer acupuncture for horses after doing a qualification in this – it’s just a great opportunity to have clients in one place and we can tell them a bit about our equipment and services and the new things we can offer. For the future we are looking at other more interactive options – for example, a quiz night, which I think could be really fun as well as intersting. Ultimately, if it helps prevent a condition in any horse, and it gets diagnosed and treated early and effectively then we have done a good thing! Everyone gives up their time to work in the evening for these events so we do feel it’s worth it. It is about trying to give back to the equine community, building relationships and helping educate owners to benefit their horses.

Biography Lucinda Ticehurst, BSc, BVMed Sci(hons), BVM, BVS, MRCVS During her career, Lucinda has been involved in many diverse cases, ranging from charity work with animals affected by extreme poverty to top-class polo pony medical and surgical management and reproduction. Her specific interests include orthopaedics, opthalmology, dentistry, soft tissue injury, wound management and gastrointestinal disturbances.

MILBOURN EQUINE VETS: CLIENT EVENING CASE STUDY MILBOURN Equine Vets is an independent, RCVS-accredited equine practice covering areas in Kent and East Sussex. Directors Howard Newitt and David McDonald are assisted by a team of eight veterinary surgeons as well as a large nursing and office support team. Milbourn Equine offers a comprehensive range of equine ambulatory and clinic services.

Client evenings Our practice regularly holds client evenings, from spring through to autumn, totalling six or seven a year across our branches in Kent and East Sussex. They cover a wide variety of equine health issues, which are free to attend and everyone is invited: registered and non-registered alike. The aim of our client evenings is to enable us to interact with our clients and inform them in a relaxed setting as well as allowing us to promote our equine practice and the services we offer. These events also offer an opportunity for our clients to see ‘behind the scenes’ and the facilities we provide. Our team loves to have the opportunity to chat to clients in a relaxed environment and our clients benefit from having our vets and expert guest speakers on hand to answer any questions they may have. We find the most successful way of advertising our client evenings is via our social media channels as this allows us direct client interaction. We also advertise on our website, via our quarterly newsletters and send flyers to clients and local livery yards and businesses.

Choosing topics Our most recent topic was Equine gastric ulcers and nutrition. Milbourn Equine regularly holds discounted gastroscope clinics and we find it is always a topic that sparks client interest. June/July 2017 z Practice Life

Norbrook gave a presentation on gastric ulceration detailing the signs to look out for and treatment options available. Dengie Horse Feeds also came along to provide advice on how to nutritionally manage and maintain a horse suffering from gastric ulceration or flare ups. During their presentation, Dengie produced a mock-up of a horse’s digestive tract, to scale, which all our clients thoroughly enjoyed unravelling as it was passed around the room! The presentations were followed by a question and answer session from our speakers and vets. Following our client evenings we ask everyone to fill in a feedback form, which rates us on our content, presentation, refreshments and enjoyment of the evening. It also allows our clients to suggest topics they may be interested in finding out more about for our next client evening. Other topics we have covered recently include equine influenza and vaccination during Merial’s Equine Flu Awareness Month and a trailer safety talk kindly provided by East Sussex Large Animal Rescue Service. Our next client evening topic will be on equine first aid and dealing with emergencies so we are looking forward to a good turnout!

CLIENT CARE & MARKETING

When social media goes wrong: a case study Promoting your practice via facebook and other social media is the norm, but are you prepared for when things take a turn for the worse? Stuart Saunders, practice manager, shares the story of Coombefield Vets and the trolls they encountered...

here is a lot of information about the power of social media and what a benefit it can be to your veterinary practice. There are courses you can go on, or send a member of staff to, about how to promote your practice using social media. There is advice on how to deal with negative posts or a poor review. All of them stress the importance of engaging with the poster and being open and honest. I have read most of the advice and thought should it ever happen to my practice I would be prepared and have strategies in place... until it actually happened! When you find yourself in the middle of a storm it is hard to know what to do first – or even at all. I thought it might be useful to share my experience of a recent event, what I did and how we coped. I then asked an expert to pass judgment and advise on what we could have done differently. The names of the people and organisations have been changed to protect the innocent and to not hamper the ongoing police investigation into this matter.

Timeline of events Day one – my practice saw a dog that had recently come into the family of an existing client. The dog was a rescue that had been operated on before our client adopted it. Several vets saw the dog and after a full and honest discussion with the carer, the decision was made to euthanase the dog on welfare grounds. There was no suggestion that the operation performed by another practice was poorly done. Day two – the client informed the rescue centre of the outcome of the discussions we had. Day three – the client’s Facebook account started to get messages and posts from people they didn’t know demanding why the dog had been “murdered” or “killed”. Later that night the client started to get phone calls from people all over the world – the callers were abusive and aggressive. Day four – the practice started to get posts on its Facebook site and phone calls – over the coming days these messages increased in volume and aggression as did the Facebook posts. Practice Life z June/July 2017

CLIENT CARE & MARKETING

So what did we do? My plan was simple 1. Explain to receptionists and nurses that any phone calls were to go through me if related to the case. If the phone call was aggressive or abusive they were to politely terminate the call saying we had a zero tolerance of aggression or abuse towards our staff. 2. Speak to the vets – particularly those who had been involved in the case – remind them they had the full support of the partners and they had acted in the best interests of the patient. We then went through their personal Facebook settings to make sure they selected the best and most secure settings, including how visible they were to internet searches. 3. Reassure staff who were on nights that we had looked at the risks and were comfortable the risk was minimal. However, they should make sure that they knew the lone worker policy and adhered to it. 4. Make further contact with the client and ensure they were ok and reassure them the decision they made was for the best possible reasons. 5. S tart deleting and hiding comments that were ill-informed or abusive from the Facebook site. 6. Take screen shots of the worst of the comments before deleting them. After a day or so we had to start banning prolific posters from the site. After contact with the client (who by now had disabled their social media account) it was clear that the “armchair activists” had started to contact the client’s employer and were making accusations to them. They were now also writing to the RCVS, demanding that we as a practice and the vets who had been in the consultation be struck off, and contacting Petplan to protest against our nomination for the Practice of the Year award. After contacting the police and a discussion as to how to stop the abuse on social media, I made contact with the trustees of the adoption centre. They were aghast at what had happened. It is important to note that the trustees of the adoption centre were not among those who had been posting or calling. It would appear that a volunteer of the centre had accessed the adoption papers and, from the information recorded in them, searched for our client on the internet and then published a screenshot of her profile page with an inaccurate account of events. At the time of writing this had been shared 49,000 times around the world. It is clear that the breach of any data protection did not come from the practice either through client records or our social media pages. All the relevant authorities have been contacted, including RCVS, ICO and insurers. We decided to publish a statement on the Facebook site explaining what had happened, why we were not going to be

debating it on the site and that we were in contact with the adoption centre. And we politely asked if people would stop harassing our client. This was done so that any posts would be centred on one thread and easier to manage, but still give them an outlet to vent. A couple of our bonded clients tried to post and ask for reasonable behaviour but they were then also trolled. Within a couple of hours there were more than 100 comments and it became clear that our strategy was not working in the way we thought it would. I chose to effectively shut down the Facebook site at that point. We turned off the ability to review the practice, we turned off the ability for others to post on our page, we checked through all the old posts we had made and checked all the comments that had been posted. Finally we went through all our followers who had “liked” our practice since the event and reviewed whether we wanted them – so we could be sure they were someone whose intentions were honest.

The aftermath At this point everything stopped. We reactivated the ability to post on the Facebook page after two weeks (after approval by the administrators) and things remained calm. Then we started to post our own stuff again and things remained calm. I think that after three weeks we can say we are over the worst of it, but we still don’t know what the RCVS will do, or if it will start again at some point in the future, or whether the “armchair warriors” have moved on to their next target. It is difficult to ascertain the long-term damage to the business. It took two of us, monitoring and tidying up the Facebook site, about 60 hours in total, split between work hours and home. This time could have been better or more productively spent – especially as all that was done was done with the dog’s quality of life at the heart of the decisionmaking process. It was a truly horrible experience; phenomenally stressful for some, scary for others and totally outside our control.

Biography Stuart is a VPMA board member and has more than 10 years’ experience working in both small animal and large animal veterinary practice and he is currently Practice Manager at Coombefield Veterinary Hospital. His dog Nettle has 13 years’ experience of being a dog, has been registered at three different vets over her life and likes cats as friends!

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CLIENT CARE & MARKETING

Susie Samuel, veterinary marketing specialist, comments on Coombefield Vets’ strategy Firstly I’d like to sympathise with all at Coombefield Veterinary Practice, who underwent a difficult, upsetting and occasionally terrifying situation. I would like to congratulate Stuart for the remarkably effective, professional, calm and considered way he managed the situation. Becoming a victim of the negative, viral spread of inaccurate information and subsequent trolling is every business’s worst nightmare when they make the decision to use social media. Stuart managed this situation admirably. – Clear communication with the rest of the practice team meant that everybody understood what was happening and how to respond. – By taking immediate action to alter the settings of staff Facebook accounts Stuart may have protected them from personal attacks. All too often private Facebook accounts do not have optimum security settings, making it easy for trolls to obtain personal information, such as family members’ names, places of work or schools. – Making a clear statement on what had happened, challenging the trolls’ version of events, showed that the practice had nothing to hide. Reasonable negative comments are usually best dealt with by providing answers and transparency, while nasty or threatening comments are generally best deleted and hidden. – Making defamatory comments is against the law, by taking screenshots of these comments Stuart was leaving open all future legal options as well as providing evidence for the police.

–A t one point Stuart closed the Facebook page, which, in this situation, seems reasonable, especially when clients became the victims of the attack. For less serious situations we would recommend drowning out the negative with the positive, posting positive stories about work in the practice, hiding unreasonable comments and creating posts designed to encourage engagement from the normal majority. – The effectiveness of Stuart’s actions and the speed at which it was necessary to act illustrates the importance of having a social media policy and a plan for what to do in the event of a negative situation on the internet. Although very worrying, this story should not put vets off having a social media presence. In reality, a practice cannot “opt out” of social media or the internet; there are thousands of community pages, forums and review platforms where these types of conversations can go on unchecked. This situation was easier to handle on the practice Facebook page than it would have been on a third party page: Stuart knew it was happening immediately, had access to all the comments and he had a high degree of control in that he could delete comments and come back with a statement from Coombefield Vets. It is interesting and encouraging that Stuart has now reopened his Facebook page – the benefits social media brings to practices is enormous. Being able to communicate on a daily basis with local pet owners and having better-educated clients carries a very real value. Furthermore, avoiding the use of social media would not necessarily have prevented this situation from happening and could have made it more challenging to handle.

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BUSINESS HEALTH & FINANCE

MAKING BUSINESS PLANS

WORK FOR YOUR PRACTICE A practical approach to business planning can be carried out using your practice’s data obtained from the SPVS Profitability Survey – John Sheridan shows you how

he big question is how do you define ‘management’ in a veterinary practice environment? The simplest and most practical definition suggests that business management involves several key areas, as follows. Planning – defining business objectives and planning what needs to be done to achieve them; organising practice resources to achieve defined objectives; and controlling by measuring and monitoring performance and comparing it with your plan. The process is a continual and cyclical one, such that adverse performance variances require amendments to the dynamic business plan, which then has an impact on the use of practice people, finances, facilities and other resources.

The planning function Preparing a business plan for your practice For the purposes of this article, let’s assume you are disappointed with your practice report from the SPVS Profitability Survey – the real profit is significantly less than you had hoped – but you are confident the report reveals significant potential for improvement. You now wish to identify what may be going wrong and consider policy and operational options to get the business back on track and achieve your professional and business objectives for the next three to five years. The first task is to understand what is going on in your practice. That doesn’t mean a cursory look at the financial accounts and a general chat about significant headings,

June/July 2017 z Practice Life

turnover figures and staffing issues. It means really understanding the key performance indicators (KPIs) that drive profit and identifying which of the five key numbers included in your practice results from the SPVS Profitability Survey are most responsible for the disappointing financial performance. An accurate diagnosis is essential for effective treatment, so you will need to ask appropriate questions relating to each of these five key numbers. To follow are some important considerations to ask about your practice to get you started. • Have you defined a transaction volume strategy for the practice and identified an appropriate market niche? • Which of the three cost headings are having the greatest impact on practice profit? • How can you determine whether the problem in each case is primarily a cost issue or a revenue problem? • What do you know about your active client database and does every member of your practice team (clinicians and non-clinicians) understand their personal responsibility to win and retain active clients for the practice? • What do you know about measures such as consulting room occupancy, re-examination and forward booking data, telephone conversion rates and similar indices appropriate for your practice? • There are four fundamental reasons why clients seek a veterinary appointment. Can you identify them all in your practice and the steps you are taking to maximise the 60% or more of these that the practice can control?

BUSINESS HEALTH & FINANCE

• How can you ensure both of your practice businesses (sale of products and delivery of professional expertise) make a healthy contribution to overall practice profit? • You’re running a business not a democracy, but your staff are your number-one clients so it is essential they have some understanding of the commercial realities of delivering quality professional services in a demanding marketplace. • What do you know about the productivity of each member of your team and the business, clinical systems, SOPs and client compliance they each achieve? • When did you last review your fee and pricing schedule and systems? Have you checked it is being implemented correctly? • Your practice is unique. What do you think is the biggest barrier to its financial success?

Now start planning Think of this as a three-step process. STEP 1 Assemble your thoughts for the strategic, medium-term (three to five-year) development of the practice. The key issues should include: • Clear personal, professional and commercial objectives for the practice; • Themes, values and standards that will guide your plans for the ongoing development of the practice; • Specific financial objectives including a healthy return on investment and specific profit targets to ensure the value of your business grows in line with expectations; STEP 2 Create a budget for Year 1, the first and most important year of your medium-term strategy. Review a summary of your last P&L statement. Turn it upside down and pre-determine what profit the practice will generate the following year. Pre-plan the cost of drugs and supplies as a percentage of turnover and estimate the cost of vets, support staff, establishment and overheads. Finally, calculate the revenue you will need to generate to achieve the required profit. Play with the numbers until you have created a Year 1 budget that includes demanding income targets and effective cost control measures, but which will achieve the results you are looking for. The key to success is to involve the whole team and to understand, with them, that the budgeted margin is not a hope but an intention. STEP 3 Put in place just two or three policy initiatives designed specifically to achieve the turnover targets you have set for year 1.

By now you will have a real understanding of the top issues having a significant impact on profit and you will have put in place some of the appropriate systems to correct, monitor and control them. You will also need to identify two or three innovative operational or other policy initiatives to generate the revenue you will need to meet the Year 1 budget objectives. You might, for example, decide to increase the average consulting charge by a small sum. This is not done by increasing fees, but by rationalising the range of consulting charges in the practice – and making sure it happens. You might also seek to grow the number of appropriate dental treatments by just two or three per 100 small animal consultations or increase the number of canine CHF consultations by one more consultation per annum for appropriate patients, for example. These and other similar initiatives appropriate for your practice can make a major impact on practice revenue, but they won’t happen if you simply sit around a table and agree to ‘do more dentals’. Be bold when setting operational targets. When reviewing the steps necessary to achieve each one, think small and consider the who, when and how in detail. Involve every member of the team, set up the systems, plan the timetable and monitor the results. Veterinary practice is a people business. Your people are your practice strength, but they can be your greatest weakness too. Balance the right people with the right policy and operational systems. Setting up those systems will be key to your continued success. Practice data may be submitted to the SPVS Profitability Survey online: http://spvs.org.uk/spvs-profitability-survey/ The Veterinary Business App may be found here: http://vetbizapp.org/index.php/launch_video_4_4mzvuhl/

Biography John Sheridan, BVetMed, CVPM, DMS, MRCVS, has been involved in veterinary practice as owner, franchisor, corporate investor and consultant for many years. He was BSAVA president 1974-1975 and first VPMA president from 1993-1996. He holds several management qualifications and is joint author of The Business of Veterinary Practice. John offers management consultancy to the veterinary profession and publishes Veterinary Business, and presents and publishes Veterinary Business Video Show. John is a recipient of the Pioneer Professional Member Award from VetPartners.org for 2017.

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PRACTICE DEVELOPMENT

Recruitment: interview techniques ATTRACT talent, retain talent – they can be the differentiators between success and failure in today’s veterinary market. And good interviewing skills can ensure a practice gets a shot at the best, writes Tracey Morley Jewkes, Managing Director of Blacks Vets Val and Tracey, Blacks Vets – The Job Interview

Interview structure, content and intent The questions we ask cover the four ‘chambers’ that build into our overall strategy: care, client experience, team and finance. This ensures we ‘check in’ with ourselves that this person has the capabilities and behaviours that will accelerate us towards our overall strategy. Tailored, probing questions are then asked to better understand how the interviewee thinks and acts under pressure.

fter the job is advertised, the applicants have been identified and the shortlist is created, it is time to get up close and personal to find out if the candidate sitting across the table will be the right fit for the role, the team and the practice they are applying for.

Set the scene It may sounds obvious, but prepare the interview room and have refreshments ready – bring out the best biscuits! Make sure your desk is tidy and the room is orderly, as this room will give the candidate an impression of who you are and what you are like to work with. If the interviewee has travelled far, make sure lunch is arranged with a solid member of your team to take care of them. Assess the room layout – the position you and the candidate sit in affects energy – I always face the door at the further position away from the door – dip your toe into Feng Shui for a few office design and layout tips, it’s fun and effective! Ground yourself and clear your head before you start – two minutes of mindfulness does the trick – this interview is a task for you, but is potentially life changing for the interviewee, so respect it.

Ease them in Make the candidate feel relaxed and comfortable, greet them with a warm smile, find some common ground on their CV, such as asking about their pets or hobbies, and where they are from. Spend a good five to eight minutes on this. I also make it clear it is as much the candidate interviewing you as the other way around, to shift the power and energy slightly. I want them to be comfortable, open and take their guard down so I can find the truth, find out who they really are and their behavioural traits – not just what they want me to hear. I also want to make sure the practice is a good fit for what the interviewee wants and needs as a team member. June/July 2017 z Practice Life

What I am looking for in a candidate: Capability – for the role we are recruiting, both in terms of proven (competence) and likely scenarios for Blacks (situational). I ask open questions and drill down to test. Attitude – how the interviewee approaches work and life. Behaviour – under pressure, in a team, dealing with difficulties, openness to progressive positive change, who are they as a human being and not just a work colleague. Overall fit – with the strategy across our four key chambers. ‘VHarmony’ – whether we can meet their needs too; are we a good match for them for a long-term working relationship, not just a fling?! Now there is a business I need to start one day… I want to gauge the interviewee’s capability, their drivers, their emotional intelligence and understand their openness to personal growth in each of these areas, which will align and accelerate us towards our overall strategy. l

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Structure My interviews follow a consistent structure with standard questions so that each candidate is treated fairly and comparisons may be made. The structure I use is as follows: Human – CV: past three to five years, changes, what they have achieved, the why’s, what this person does when they are not being a vet/nurse/receptionist. Competencies – I want to hear real examples of what this person has experience of – formulate your questions to get there and probe. For example, if the ability to deal with difficult situations is key, ask them to give you an example of when they have done this, the situation, what was said, the response, the outcome, the reflection, ask why they did/ said it that way and how it made them feel. Ask why is that important to them? Watch body language very carefully. Look out for differences in what they say versus tonality, timing, expression and body movement. Here you will find insights to an interviewee’s character and psyche – if they have experience they will recall it, if they cannot recall it it is unlikely they have experience in it – you do have the option l

PRACTICE DEVELOPMENT

to place this in the situational questions next if every other key competence feels strong. Situational – Place the candidates verbally in key situations you know they will face so they can talk you through their approach. I use the same structure as in competences (above) and drill down to the why and the feelings again. Use props and make it real where you can; this was fun and effective when we did it on The Job Interview on Channel 4 last year. Where the role requires emotional intelligence at the extreme spectrums we face in the veterinary world, try to take the candidate to that point to check they have the ability to feel empathy. Handle this with extreme care and make sure you have the skills to quickly snap them back to a neutral place before you try this. Over to you – this is about asking the candidate what he or she is looking for. I will be direct on some elements – earnings now, expected earnings next position. I will probe on their evaluation of the practice and what they have liked about us

so far, what concerns they have, could you see yourself working here (not to be asked if they clearly do not fit!).

Stay on track It can be tricky to stick to timings if you have a co-interviewer with an enquiring and engaging mind the size of a small planet – I am blessed with a few here! So prepare beforehand, agree who is asking what, have a clock within view, help each other to stay on track with an agreed method between you that maintains mutual respect. Remember to reflect afterwards, think about how you could have made it better, then incorporate next time. There is nothing more important than the people in your practice – nothing. I strongly recommend giving the interview process a good work-up to maximise the opportunity of long -term health in your practice and minimise the risk of anything that could otherwise be undetected and may come to bite you later on!

Biography Tracey Morley Jewkes, MBA, DipM, MCMI Tracey joined Blacks Vets three years ago after spending 25 years in senior leadership roles within British Telecom and owning a manufacturing company and transforming it from a going concern into a UKTI award-winning exporter. She ran her own management and marketing consultancy before the veterinary world became a new addiction – her driving force is to make a positive difference to the health and wellbeing of people and their pets, while inspiring joy and creating an environment for success.

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PRACTICE DEVELOPMENT

CASE STUDY: WHEN YOU NEED HELP FINDING HELP... Recruitment is one of the greatest issues in veterinary practice and Mark Hedberg looks at some of the do’s and don’ts he’s experienced in practice

ou’re sorting through dozens of CVs, picking someone (or anyone!) to interview, and getting them started in your practice with the minimum delay possible. All with that lurking worry that you might pick the wrong candidate and have to start all over again. There is a very high turnover in the veterinary profession. For many individuals, freshly qualified with no work experience, they take the first job they are offered, often with little investigation into the working conditions. It might be a job perfectly suitable for a more experienced colleague, but a bit of a stretch for a new vet. Whatever the reasons behind an employee leaving, finding a replacement can cause the practice a few headaches. I believe very few veterinary practices (and even fewer new graduates!) genuinely know what they want from colleagues. Ask a practice principal about what kind of employee he or she is looking for, and you’ll get one of three answers: 1. Just like the one who left – she was perfect! 2. ANYONE except the last one who left – he was a disaster! 3. A nyone at all – I’ve got full consults next week and nobody to do them. The ideal candidate, of course, simply doesn’t exist. Holding out for a perfect employee sets everyone up for failure. So what is an owner or manager with a hole in his or her rota to do?

Define the role Do you have a job description for your new vet? What exactly is it you want them to do? Certainly you want them to do ‘everything’, but decide what skills and qualifications you actually need. Don’t write a wish list of wonderful things you want them to have; take a hard, calm look at your business needs. Consider where and how you want your business to grow or what issues you are trying to resolve. Then move on to the personality side of things. Think about your previous successful hires, and what made their tenure particularly memorable. Consider your “disaster” hires, and make a note of what went wrong. While seemingly simple, when written out on a piece of paper, you may find a surprisingly complete picture of the employee you’re looking to work with. Where to look In terms of getting the word out that you’re looking for help, most owners turn to the classic print ads – those promising

“the usual toys” with easy rotas and plenty of tea and cakes. Most of these adverts are a source of incredible frustration for both the advertiser and the job hunter – the applicants don’t apply, because the job doesn’t give them any details about the work, and the employees are faced with yet another invoice for an ad that didn’t work. So if you’re running a print ad, the key is to put in the things you want from your applicants. If you’re worried that a highly descriptive job ad will make your practice look unattractive – you may want to consider changing the practice environment, not the job ad. Online advertising has never been more important in today’s connected world – is your job advert on your own website? If it isn’t, put it there; one of the first things any job hunter will do when they want to work in a particular location is check the website of a practice that might suit them. Tell them you’re looking. The great thing about something on your own website is that there’s no word or picture limit, unlike a classified advert. You could even link to it in paid ads you publish. If someone approaches you to pay for online job advertising, it’s well worth your time to ask what kind of web traffic visits their site. If someone wants you to pay for an ad, see if it’s a site where vet surgeons or vet nurses visit on a daily basis – it’s going to be more effective than one on a site for flower arrangers, or local car enthusiasts. Other sources of talent are the locums you’re hiring to fill the gaps. If one is working particularly well, why not make them an offer? In many ways, having someone work with you day in and day out for a few days is much better than a sit-down interview; you’ll have far more time to get to know them and see if they’re a fit. A word of caution when hiring family or friends – socialising or living with someone is vastly different from working with them, and managing friends and family is one of the most notoriously difficult jobs in the profession. Don’t ignore your pre-hiring homework before hiring them just because you know them – it could cost you financially, and you may lose friends along the way. When interviewing, don’t be afraid to ask a candidate about their plans, their interests or goals. Avoid illegal questions – no cat or dog has ever cared about a vet or nurse’s beliefs or preferences. You’ll save a lot of time and anguish if you know ahead of time what you’re looking for – you’ll have a chance of finding it!

Biography Mark Hedberg, DVM, MRCVS Mark is an experienced vet who has worked in small and mixed practice in the UK and the Middle East. His interest is in mentoring and supporting new staff, promoting team development, and training teams. Mark has presented at congresses, and to other practice management audiences, and has written articles for both the US and UK veterinary press. He runs a small companion animal practice in Cambridgeshire. June/July 2017 z Practice Life

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BSAVA Congress 2017

review

Libby Sheridan reports on the People, team success and psychology lecture stream from BSAVA Congress, with a look at Alan Robinson’s Building a successful practice team: where do you start? lecture I was lucky to be asked to chair four of the lectures in the People, team success and psychology stream at BSAVA Congress, giving me the chance to sit comfortably and listen to the duo of Alan Robinson and Andy Green dovetail four talks around the subject of practice teams. Alan is MD at Vet Dynamics, a veterinary business consultancy that helps independent practice owners to improve performance and quality of life in their practices. Andy is a director at Pennard Vets in Kent and is also an NLP-certified practitioner and leadership coach, working with Vet Dynamics as a mentor and practice development consultant. Teams are core to the success of any practice. Andy highlighted this by asking the audience who they thought the most important people in a practice were. Many of the audience, like myself, opted for clients. Andy was quick to correct us and point out that without your team you cannot open your door to your clients. The quality of your team and the level of service they provide are key to your practice success. He then went on to point out that success in teams is 80% psychology and 20% mechanics/process. You can have the best system in the world, but if the mindset underpinning it or using it isn’t right, it will fail. Knowing where to start with getting the right mindset, as with many things in life, comes down to communication. The quality of communication in a practice is its lifeblood: being able to listen, understand and be empathetic at a deep level is key. Understanding the personalities of different team members, and what makes them tick, is part of this. Andy emphasised it was important to dig below the surface, as many people wear “masks” to get through their day. He emphasised the need to get to know and appreciate them as individuals – why they are here; what do they want to get out of their job role; what motivates them. Appreciation leads to understanding, rapport, and the ability to influence someone. As well as this understanding, some framework or mechanical process is also necessary. As well as your equipment, your building, your IT, your protocols, your people are your resources – you need the right people, in the right roles, with the right skills. To this point, Andy emphasised that continuous training was necessary – just because someone has an MRCVS or RVN after their name, you shouldn’t assume that they know what to do in every situation. You need to help and support them and ensure they are trained correctly in what you need to drive your practice. You need to give them an environment that helps them to ‘flow’: a noisy, bustling

environment will not be conducive to best working. They should be given nice smart uniforms that they can take pride in wearing. Your marketing should tell your clients how great your team is. You need to train them in communication skills and how to handle difficult situations and upset clients. Bringing all this together and providing them with a vision, a mission, a purpose will help with engagement and empowerment. Alan’s first talk on building successful teams focused on this aspect: building a clear vision – “the sky above”; outlining values – “the ground below” or “principles to live by”; and then translating these into actions that will help you to move towards your practice goal. All of these things need input from your team. If they are involved in the making of them, they will be invested in them. Without this investment, you may have 40 different value sets or 40 different cultures within a practice. Good leadership is essential, but it is the team that defines the culture of a business; the team determines what action is taken. If the team doesn’t write the plan, they will fight the plan. The values are used as a set of clear guidelines for behaviour or “the rules to live” by. Part of these will be trusting the team; the practice owner may have to let go of control to some degree, which can be scary. Alan highlighted the benefit of holding a vision workshop. Practice owners, especially vets, can struggle with defining the big picture for their practice. They might be afraid of asking for input into this picture. Some external facilitation can be helpful at this stage. When looking at the vision, it’s helpful to ask some questions: What’s your focus? What is your differentiation? What’s your statement of purpose? Alan described his model of a “vision orbit” as a useful planning tool. The vision orbit is built of concentric rings in which you identify the vital elements of your business that will help you to achieve your vision. The rings define stages in your business plan – corresponding to now; year 1, year 2, year 3 (or however many you choose). The spokes of the orbit may be “financial” “people” “clients” – whatever your key elements are. Within your spokes or rings, you can put your goals – the results (the “whats”) that you would like to see. Alan then recommends taking just three areas of your orbit – your top three that would be most meaningful and give you the most breakthroughs – and make these the three main objectives for the year to work on. This yearly target is then chunked into 90-day goals. The “whats” are broken down into the “hows” and then are then translated into team goals. Team members can then break these Practice Life z June/July 2017

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down into individual goals. The 90-day formula is still used. Done this way, these individual team member goals are aligned with the overall vision and are strategic. Having come out of a vision that the team has contributed to, they will be engaged with their goals. An example of a results-focused goal that comes out of the the vision orbit and from a “people spoke” might be: “Improve (note the use of strong, active verbs) Consult 1: Consult 2 ratio to 80% over next three months”. The goal is SMART, that is, specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-dependent. These goals become the KPIs or key performance indicators that you then measure your team and individual performances by.

Audio podcasts are available from the BSAVA for the People, team success and psychology stream to listen to. BSAVA members can access them free; non-members can purchase them from www.bsava.com/congress following the links to the podcasts. Also, have a look at http://sigbi.org/stourbridge/ files/2016/07/Slide-1.pdf for some templates/examples of how the orbit planning tool can be used.

Helen Tottey reports from the Managing time and personal effectiveness stream at BSAVA Congress THE IRONY of a talk on Sunday morning at BSAVA about managing time was not lost. Getting yourself organised in time for the first lecture of the last day is quite an achievement, but as predicted, Carolyne Crowe drew people in to the “Sunday me time” session as part of the management stream. Carolyne had also already run seven miles that morning in preparation for her charity event “Ten marathons in 10 days” so we were in good hands for the topic! There was no time for anyone to switch off in the hour-anda-half workshop-style format as there were lots of discussions. The first of which was about what stops you from being in control of your time? With Carolyne asking questions back to the answers given, this was certainly beneficial and we were only 15 minutes in! When she asked who in the room has both clinical and management responsibility it was of no surprise to see most of the audience raise their hands, but, when she asked how many had specific time for management in their diary, there were far fewer hands raised. Keeping a log in two-hour blocks of what you do in that time was discussed so that you can see where your time goes, as Carolyne explained that it is only when you see where you are spending the time can you organise your time better. And also, the need to understand when is your best time to be most effective. Knowing this will help you plan your time to be doing the jobs you need the most energy for and those times that you may not be so switched on can be used for the jobs that don’t need so much energy or attention but still need doing. It is impossible to cover everything that was discussed during the morning so the top tips shared by Carolyne throughout the morning were: •Y ou are three times more likely to complete a task if you put a date by it; • you can only keep 5-9 things in your mind at a time; •d on’t start a task you know you are not able to finish in the time you have; • schedule your high priority tasks; • a sk those who bring issues to your door, what they are going to do about it; • make small adjustments; and • eat the frog and don’t let the dementors affect you (you had to be there!). Emma Pillow a vet from Greensands Vets, said: “As someone notorious for being endlessly busy it was refreshing to hear it doesn’t have to be like that. With a little planning and prioritisation maybe June/July 2017 z Practice Life

I too will be running a marathon this time next year! Or at least enjoying a healthier balance in my life”.

How to embrace change? FOLLOWING on from Carolyne in the “Sunday me time” session, Brian Faulkner discussed the top issues faced by our profession and looked at them from a pessimist’s point of view – belief that we will be worse off, and the optimist’s view – belief that I’m not necessarily going to be worse off. Another workshop-style format allowed for much discussion about many topics, including: • Brexit; • skilled labour shortage; • medicines; • internet pharmacies; • pet insurance; • health care plans; • genderisation (instead of feminisation); • social media; and • Dr Google. After some lively discussions Brian moved on to talk about how change can affect people and how this can impact on productivity and morale. With lots of laughter and interaction this was another great Sunday morning session that finished with discussion around what feedback feeds the “fixed” mindset and the feedback that feeds the “growth” mindset.

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Feedback that feeds the fixed: • How you compare to others; • nouns and adjectives; • “clever girl”; and • a diet of noun and adjective praise is like junk food! Feedback that feeds the growth: • How you’re doing it; and • verbs and adverbs. So when it comes to giving feedback, bear in mind the following: • Resist the temptation to praise people using nouns and adjectives; • only use nouns and adjectives to describe the challenge or the task – not the person; and • account for progress, or lack of it, in terms of the person’s learning and mastering of specific strategies, skills and techniques.

For those who wish to learn more about mindsets, Brian shared two books written by Carol Dweck. His preferred one, although he admitted was not a holiday read, is Self-theories: Their role in motivation, personality and development (Essays in social psychology). Or the more holiday read, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success – how we can learn to fulfil our potential.

First and last impressions ...and, of course, the last impression is the one they remember, writes Jerry Crick I recently went on the SPVS-VPMA CPD day First and Last Impressions presented by Clare Hemmings (Royal Canin) and Emma Mapletoft (Bayer) and a brief guest Q&A from a Deputy Manager with Waitrose. The day was split into several sessions with some very useful and focused workshops helping to concentrate the 25 delegates’ grey matter. Starting with some basics: “What do clients really want to see and hear” we discussed areas such as what is actually on your website – probably the first impression that most clients experience, and key elements like sincerity, personal touch, relationships, the client journey and communication. Moving on, we covered examples of how poor waiting room layout can mean that clients may not see all your products, simply because they don’t go to one or more areas where you have spent time and money setting up stands and product displays. If they don’t see it they won’t buy it. The key message was around zoning – make sure you try to avoid “cold” zones where there is no traffic. We also covered some examples of good and not so good waiting room designs – dark, dreary and smelly are not appreciated by clients – they will inevitably choose to go to light, clean, airy and calming environments. After lunch we had a great opportunity to quiz an experienced manager from Waitrose. Delegates raised several questions and found that Waitrose suffers the same issues that we do in veterinary practice, although to different degrees. Then we covered merchandising. This is a huge subject, in my opinion, and you will be well aware of the effort supermarkets and similar stores put in to get you to spend your money where they want you to. Layout of the waiting room, zoning, making displays inviting and informative – clean, complete, every product priced and with appropriate signage. Getting this right will increase sales two to eight times – probably worth employing a person to do this and nothing else!

Finally, we were reminded that the last impression is just as important as the first. In a recent Bayer survey they found six key areas that affect the number of visits a client will make to your practice: three negative and four positive. Negative: • Inadequate understanding of the need for routine examinations other than for vaccines, especially cat owners; • many owners are shocked at the cost of pet health care; and • resistance to bringing cats in due to stress and the difficulty of getting them to the practice. Positive: • Improved predictability of annual health care costs; many clients welcome a monthly payment plan; • competitive pricing for products available via other channels; and • improved convenience, such as online appointments, drop-off facilities, earlier/later appointment times.

I leave you with a few thoughts of my own: 1. We are all in the same boat. It is no good complaining about other practices and what they do; it is up to us to compete as best we can. There is plenty of good advice available. 2. You or whoever is helping you with management, must take time to think about the issues you are presented with and the best way to deal with them. 3. It costs nothing – £0 – to sell another widget. Getting clients to come back and repeat spend is worth paying for and the ROI is easy to prove. 4. Do it now!

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Do n’t Mis s!

CPD DIARY

July 4 – Difficult Conversations Milton Keynes Grumpy bosses, disruptive colleagues and unreasonable clients are all part and parcel of managing a vet practice. But businesses thrive on a mix of different personalities and approaches and sometimes it is just a case of analysing the situations that make people appear difficult. By understanding different personalities and learning to manage expectations, you can learn techniques to handle those difficult conversations, possibly even turning them to your advantage. This event will introduce techniques to help identify and analyse common situations and understand personalities, including your own, so that you are better armed to deal with difficulties in your day to day work environment. We are pleased to welcome Major Cathie Gregg who graduated from Durham University in 1983 and joined the Army as an officer in the Royal Army Educational Corps. She served for 16 years in a variety of training and management roles, including military skills, management, languages, personal development and leadership, teaching and instructional techniques and other more academic subjects. In 2012 she began to work with the veterinary industry, teaching junior management skills and customer service, as well as company brand values and conflict management.

July 12 – Change Management Newbury Every veterinary practice will face change at some stage, from staff restructuring to moving premises, introducing a new PMS to a change of ownership. Whole books have been written on change management, but there are some very simple principles of what to do and, crucially, what not to do. This one-day course on managing change is aimed at those seeking to better understand how people react to change and how best to manage them through it. We are pleased to welcome two experienced speakers: Steve Millbank from Cake People Development and Richard Artingstall a director at Vale Referrals. Steve is an experienced learning and development professional, who has worked in a variety of management and facilitation roles in major retailing organisations. He is a qualified coach and a master practitioner in NLP. Richard Artingstall is Director of Referrals and a soft tissue and orthopaedic surgeon at Vale Referrals, a multidisciplinary referral centre in the south-west. He is also a director within the Pro Vets Group – a growing multi-site veterinary group spanning the midlands and the southwest. Richard is completing an MBA focusing on the evaluation of structural and organisational change and how it can be managed and implemented effectively across the veterinary profession. He is an experienced veterinary coach and mentor focusing on career coaching and organisational performance, both inside and outside the veterinary profession.

See all our upcoming events on Page 43. SPVS and VPMA members can benefit from discounted rates at just £195+VAT per day. Workbooks, CPD certificates, lunch and refreshments included. Book online at www.vpma-spvs-events.co.uk June/July 2017 z Practice Life

WHAT’S COMING UP

Focus on finance On June 21 at Leicester City Football Club, VPMA-SPVS Events will be hosting a day’s CPD on practice finance and profitability. The two streams will enable delegates to choose between different lectures, and exhibitors will be on hand to help with finance issues. A day you can’t *afford* to miss!

Stream one Are you a Practice Manager who wants a better understanding of what makes up turnover and how to both measure and influence productivity and efficiency? This stream is for you, with lectures given by experienced speakers in their field on the following topics.

St i l l t ime to bo ok!

• The figures you need: essential KPIs to monitor and improve productivity and efficiency. • How to read your monthly management accounts. • Practical tips to improve profitability. • How to ensure your vets charge without resorting to violence. • New client acquisition. There will also be a quick-fire session with a selection of exhibitors giving their top tips to improve practice profitability.

Stream two This stream is tailored for practice bosses, partners/directors/JVPs or managers who have substantial responsibility for their practice finances. It will start from the assumption that you have done all the obvious quick fixes to improve profitability; your prices are as high as they can be or you want them to be and you’ve tied down the best deal possible with your suppliers. So what else can you do to drive your profitability to the next level? Lectures will cover the following: • Benchmarking and why it matters. • Managing working capital and cash flow. • Growing medical value. • Investing for growth. There will be a session on building medical value either through the consult room or by investing in equipment and skills. And once you’ve decided where to invest, a panel of experts and experienced vets will discuss how to invest for growth.

Exhibition As well as learning from the lectures, there are many exhibitors representing companies that can help you and your practice’s profitability.

This day costs just £130 + VAT for SPVS/VPMA members. Starting at 9.30 and finishing at 16.30, the day includes workbooks, CPD certificates, lunch and refreshments. Special rate accommodation available at nearby Holiday Inn Express. Read more and book now! www.vpma-spvs-events.co.uk Practice Life z June/July 2017

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