Small animal vet - Lareg hospital practice in Colne Lancashire
Posted 6 days 4 hours ago by Bright Leaf Recruitment
If you are an enthusiastic veterinary surgeon searching for the next step in your career and hoping to find working hours that genuinely suit your lifestyle, this practice could be the perfect fit. They are looking for experienced vets to join a friendly, supportive and long established team, where collaboration, wellbeing and professional growth are core values.
The practice's main hospital is located in Colne, with additional consulting branches in Barnoldswick and Burnley. Established over 100 years ago, they proudly provide high quality first opinion care in the beautiful surroundings of East Lancashire. The small animal team manages a varied caseload, offering excellent opportunities for an experienced vet to further develop and expand in house services, particularly for those with an interest in surgery or orthopaedics.
With such a broad caseload, there is enormous potential to progress in the areas that excite you most. The team is known for being warm, supportive and well established. Staff wellbeing is extremely important, with regular wellbeing meetings and active efforts to help colleagues feel valued and included. Social activities are also a key part of the culture, with many staff participating in charity events and local community initiatives.
The full time rota is based on a 40 hour week, including a 1 in 8 on call weekend and one weeknight on call every two weeks. Clients greatly appreciate the in house out of hours service, and the practice works hard to keep this responsibility manageable, offering generous time off after on call duties. Overnight support is strengthened by night RVNs who remain on site through the night, take calls and provide high quality inpatient care. This allows the on call vet to focus on clinical work without the added burden of managing the phone. Optionally, on site accommodation is available for those who choose to stay during their on call shift.
The rota follows an eight week cycle, making it easy to plan a personal life well in advance. Calls are handled by an out of hours answering service, and three dedicated night RVNs-two of whom hold ECC certificates-take responsibility for the phones overnight. While new qualified vets are currently not supported for night calls, the practice welcomes applications from those who have completed their VetGDP and have gained confidence with routine consultations and surgery. Full time vets on the out of hours rota enjoy a healthy mix of three-, four- and five day weeks, with only two five day weeks in every eight. Many vets also take additional days off, and the team is very open to discussing flexible working arrangements.
Working here means joining a practice where knowledge is shared freely, and where your professional development is genuinely encouraged. The team includes certificate holders in medicine, dentistry and emergency & critical care, and the nursing team boasts certificates in several specialties including ECC, anaesthesia, feline medicine, dentistry and physiotherapy. The main Colne hospital is equipped to an excellent standard, with digital radiography, ultrasound, flexible and rigid endoscopy, two surgical theatres with multiparameter monitoring, a dental suite with dental X ray, separate canine and feline wards, a designated bereavement room and an extensive in house laboratory. The practice also works closely with visiting specialists in ultrasonography and cardiology, enabling it to manage the majority of cases in house. It is a training facility for both veterinary nurses and UCLan students, and has mental health first aiders and wellbeing champions supporting staff across the practice.
They offer a competitive salary ranging from £40,000 to £65,000 depending on experience. The benefits package includes 6.6 weeks of annual leave (including bank holidays), with the option to buy additional holidays for those who love to travel; an Employee Assistance Programme; one paid volunteering day per year; a corporate gym membership scheme; the Cycle to Work initiative; enhanced maternity, paternity, adoption and shared parental leave; optional private medical insurance via payroll deduction; treatment for colleague pets at cost; generous CPD support with a budget, five paid CPD days each year and funding for certificates; RCVS membership, VDS cover and two additional professional subscriptions. Wellbeing champions organise regular events.
To learn more about this exciting opportunity or to apply, please don't hesitate to contact Louise at or give us a call at . We are dedicated to assisting talented Small Animal Veterinary Surgeons and nurses in finding the ideal job.
For more roles in Small Animal Veterinary Surgery, visit and sign up for email alerts.