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| PET GAZETTE | ADVICE
THE IMPORTANCE OF
KEEPING VETERINARY
PRACTICES UP TO DATE
Beth Mahoney speaks to Dr Amanda Nicholls, founder of
Cat’s Whiskers Veterinary Clinic, about how to keep
your practice up to date
H
as the time come to
update and overhaul your
veterinary practice? Like
many veterinary practice
owners, you may have
dreamed of updating your
practice for years but are only just getting
around to actually doing so. Now that the
time has come, you may be feeling a little
concerned in regards to what areas it’s
most benefi cial to focus on - after all, your
budget will only go so far, and you need to
be mindful of this. Dr Amanda Nicholls, who
launched Cat’s Whiskers Veterinary Clinic in
2010, believes that veterinary practice design
isn’t about lavish features. Instead, it should
be about creating spaces that are practical
and easy to keep clean. In addition to this,
she believes that attention to detail is the key
to success in relation to veterinary practice
design.
According to Dr Nicholls: “Infection control
is essential in any clinical environment and
the fi rst point to consider in any veterinary
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clinic design. The choice of all materials,
i.e. fl ooring and cupboards is dictated by
how easy and practical they are to clean.
When considering designing the space, it
is essential to avoid awkward nooks and
crannies which could harbour bacteria.”
Before launching Cat’s Whiskers Veterinary
Clinic, a feline-only veterinary practice which
was a relatively new concept in veterinary
care at the time, the building underwent a
major overhaul. The existing ground fl oor
shop was divided up and converted into a
client waiting room, an examination room, an
operating theatre and a cattery ward. While
the original practice design was practical,
to begin with, as Cat’s Whiskers Veterinary
Clinic has grown as a business the space
has become too small and is no longer as
effective as it once was.
Extending the practice isn’t about creating
a space that is overly lavish, it’s about
designing a veterinary practice that is
modern and incorporates all of the newest
and most innovative ‘bells and whistles’ that
allow customers to receive the highest quality
of care for their pets.
Dr Nicholls says: “I am taking this as an
opportunity to evaluate what has changed in
the veterinary industry in the past eight years
and ensure that Cat’s Whiskers remains a
forward-thinking business.”
May 2018