Another nail in the coffin for cattle keepers in Anglia

[JP1]

Yet another nail in the coffin for cattle keepers in East Anglia. Having carved up the Ministry TB testing contract forcing many local veterinary surgeons to give up on private testing registration etc, you support the nearest compliant testing practice and they then decide it’s not viable , close the practice and lay off some super large animal vets ; especially RosaAna and Dan. You can’t ever retain them as your primary practitioner as they’re too far away and I can’t work with Chris, Peter and Henry on my TB testing as they are no longer registered. So my herd health planning, emergency response , SAC Premium Health Scheme blood testing is split through no fault of my own or their’s. Tomorrow during work time I shall have to call the non customer friendly contract holders XL and have to bite my tongue whilst I listen to their parroted call centre, disinterested response like last time . I am actually convinced now this whole thing is a deliberate strategy within DEFRA to finish off small scale cattle keeping and in the meantime damn good vets get chewed up in the process

 

[spin cycle]

got the same letter......but arn't there plenty farm vets nr you...3 rivers? or one mentioned in letter?

 

[yellowbelly]

That's the second mention of Westpoint closing in your neck of the woods that I've read on here tonight

Leaving the car crash that TB testing and XL Vets is aside for the moment, it just highlights what a problem we have with vet practices in general in the UK.

More and more private practices are dropping large animal work or are being swallowed up by the big conglomerates. Once the bean counters at these big outfits spot a drop off in turnover/profit they soon pull the plug on 'under performing' operations.

Oh for an upsurge in James Herriots.

 

[spin cycle]

...............james herriot?.....i'll have this lad

 

[JP1]

got the same letter......but arn't there plenty farm vets nr you...3 rivers? or one mentioned in letter?

3 Rivers is Norwich (at least 30 miles for nearest of 3 surgeries) . Oakwood Harleston (about 26 miles) . If I need a vet for a calving assistance that I (or my neighbour) can't sort, I need help not a vet that may be on the other side of their patch

 

[AlfM]

3 Rivers is Norwich (at least 30 miles for nearest of 3 surgeries) . Oakwood Harleston (about 26 miles) . If I need a vet for a calving assistance that I (or my neighbour) can't sort, I need help not a vet that may be on the other side of their patch

Breckland? Maybe former vet setting up next door and taking big clients didn’t help. Just guessing.

 

[redsloe]

Are the vets mentioned in that letter moving across or retiring? It might be possible to have a vet in your area still, based from further but working from home?

 

[JP1]

Are the vets mentioned in that letter moving across or retiring? It might be possible to have a vet in your area still, based from further but working from home?

Not sure I follow your question entirely but I had a message last night that Dan has gone to Three Rivers. RosAna (who is lovely and did most of the work here) is Spanish so not sure if she's staying in UK

 

[carbonfibre farmer]

Breckland? Maybe former vet setting up next door and taking big clients didn’t help. Just guessing.

They are based at snetterton IIRC?

 

[S J H]

Didn’t Westpoint go into areas and takeover over small practises?

Now we have to pay for things like health plans, where I can go to the practise and discuss what I need to do throughout the year. Even though they haven’t been on the farm for nearly 12 months, and haven’t even looked at a sheep on the farm for about 6 years.

 

[JP1]

Didn’t Westpoint go into areas and takeover other small practises?

Now we have to pay for things like health plans, where I can go to the practise and discuss what I need to do throughout the year, even though they haven’t been on the farm for nearly 12 months, and haven’t even looked at a sheep on the farm for about 6 years.

Yep dead hand "regulation" through Assurance schemes plus contracting out the TB testing. I'm told WP are also pulling out of proper livestock areas like Cornwall too? Is this a case of what my Grandad always told me "you'll never compete with someone who doesn't realise they're going out of business yet"

 

[Suffolk Serf]

Westpoint and Oakwood are both owned by Origin capital. Just sayin'.

 

[JP1]

Westpoint and Oakwood are both owned by Origin capital. Just sayin'.

Know any more about Origin Capital?

 

[AlfM]

Westpoint and Oakwood are both owned by Origin capital. Just sayin'.

Which has since been taken over

 

[Suffolk Serf]

Know any more about Origin Capital?

They own lots of vets, many of them large animal practices. They and CVS (based in Diss) seem to be the big players in buying up practices, dangling huge sums in front of practice partners.

 

[AlfM]

They are based at snetterton IIRC?

Yeah and only real independent cattle vet left round here I think.

 

[puppet]

I have seen the same thinking in GP surgeries. The doctors just want to come in and deal with the patients, not all the admin and management is the mantra. Before they know it they have Serco or Virgin running them, having to clock in like an Amazon centre and little say on how the practice is run. Meanwhile the accountants are watching the bottom line and ready to pull the plug and hand it all back to the Health Authority when profits dip because they bid an unrealistic price for the contract.
Sad when professional groups who like a profit but also value providing a service just as much lose control of their destiny.

 

[Suffolk Serf]

Which has since been taken over

Yes they sold to one lot, who since sold it on, I think Origin is the current owner, may be wrong of course.

 

[AlfM]

Yes they sold to one lot, who since sold it on, I think Origin is the current owner, may be wrong of course.

Vet partners

 

[roscoe erf]

Yet another nail in the coffin for cattle keepers in East Anglia. Having carved up the Ministry TB testing contract forcing many local veterinary surgeons to give up on private testing registration etc, you support the nearest compliant testing practice and they then decide it’s not viable , close the practice and lay off some super large animal vets ; especially RosaAna and Dan. You can’t ever retain them as your primary practitioner as they’re too far away and I can’t work with Chris, Peter and Henry on my TB testing as they are no longer registered. So my herd health planning, emergency response , SAC Premium Health Scheme blood testing is split through no fault of my own or their’s. Tomorrow during work time I shall have to call the non customer friendly contract holders XL and have to bite my tongue whilst I listen to their parroted call centre, disinterested response like last time . I am actually convinced now this whole thing is a deliberate strategy within DEFRA to finish off small scale cattle keeping and in the meantime damn good vets get chewed up in the process

i've been shouting about this for years on here east anglia is becoming a large vets waste ground and some smart arses on here say its not an economic decision or an animal welfare issue