Quality, professional veterinary care, tailored for you and your pet.

JULIE INNES VETS, HAMILTON

MARCH 2023

 

It’s been a while since the site was updated! Last time I updated we were in the midst of COVID - thankfully we have now gone back to normal so we can once again welcome you all in to see us!

 

During that time we’ve had a few changes in the surgery- we redecorated and replaced the old flooring and sofas in 2020, then in 2022 the restaurant below us went on fire and we suffered a fair bit of smoke damage, resulting in us having to redecorate again and replace yet more flooring! It does mean that the place feels a bit fresher and brighter, so all worth it in the end, although it was a lot of upheaval! We also had to replace some of our equipment, so we upgraded our laboratory analysers. We also had to change our computer system in septemver 2022, which was not fun, but we are starting to get to grips with it (some of us oldies less quick than the youngsters..!)

 

In staff changes, we welcome Hailey, who started with us in 2022 as our veterinary nurse, and Nicole, who started as our receptionist in 2021. Charlotte, our new vet, replaced Antonia in January this year. They have all fitted into the team very well indeed and it feels like they have all been there forever! Katrina returned from maternity leave to work part time and Christine took on some of the practice management duties to give me a break!

 

Although the COVID years were a challenge, and while it is a relief to get back to normal, we did learn a lot about flexible working. We now schedule telephone consults on our appointments screen (instead of a scribbled message in the book!), and do a lot more communicating with clients via e-mail. We all use private mobiles to make telephone calls, which keeps the main phone line free. Technology is great, but it’s still no substitute for actually examining the animal, so for anything other than advice it’s probably still better to make an appointment.

 

We also learned during COVID that only booking appointments a short time ahead meant that we could manage staff absences and emergencies better. It seems to mean fewer missed appointments (the farther ahead people book the easier it is to forget!) and that we keep enough appointments free “on the day” to prioritise urgent cases

 

Other than that, everything is pretty much the same! It’s great to have you all back in the clinic, and we thank you so much for your patience during the pandemic years!