Finally some normality in our practice news. At least some of the rhythm of normal life is returning for most of us. However, for those in the caring professions, it never stopped.  Strange how the daily work patterns changed at the clinics during lockdown. They became more intensive during the day but much quieter at night.  Fear of contracting Covid at a hospital may partly explain the drop in human patients who presented to the NHS. But it remains a mystery why this was mirrored in the veterinary sector, at least around here. 

Backlog

This coincidence continues. Both the medical and veterinary professions are seeing a rebound in out-of-hours work and emergency admissions. However, I suspect for different reasons.  My guess is the backlog of human cases put on hold is starting to feed through into hospital departments. A factor that also affected the veterinary profession as for many months we were not allowed to perform routine procedures.  We all saw the sense of reducing contact between owners and staff, and saving precious oxygen supplies for NHS ICU.  Unlike our human counterparts, we managed to catch up quite quickly.   We did not have three waves of new Covid cases to deal with though.  The recent increase in owners calling for advice out of hours is probably due to the rise in pets. This leads me onto our latest practice news!

Emergencies

It has been traditional in both human and veterinary medicine to work long hours. All day, be on-call all night and then work again through the following days.  Why this was ever even allowed, let alone adopted as the norm, I really don’t know.  Sleep deprivation, intensive work pressure and the exhaustion that follows do not create the best conditions for critical decision-making. Funny that!? My daughter is about to start as a junior doctor in York. I will be interested to know if the NHS has done anything to help their situation (I suspect very little). 

In the veterinary world, dedicated emergency care is available in many parts of the country. Vets and nurses work proper night shifts and have the day to sleep.  I am glad to say that we have at last made arrangements with an emergency care provider. This offers a higher standard of care to those animals that need attention at night and improves our own quality of work during the day.

Practice update

Now onto our second bit of practice news. Many of you may already know that the Yeovil surgery on Preston Road will now open on Sunday mornings and stay open until 8pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  Never an easy one, increasing opening hours, as staff cannot be in two places at once.  Consequently, Swan House in Sherborne will not open at weekends but of course any Sherborne clients wishing to be seen will be welcomed at Preston Road.

My last piece of practice news is the arrival of another veterinary surgeon, Emily, who like Oliver spent many weeks with us as a student before qualification a year ago.  Both have seen a lot of “action” over the last year and with our team of experienced vets around them, we look forward to seeing how the next generation will move the profession forward. I fully expect to be astounded at what young people can achieve when motivated and supported, in this profession or any other.  Let’s hope the post-pandemic world is ready for them, as I am sure they are ready for it.