We are extremely delighted – and proud of our team – to advise we have achieved Highly Commended in the recent RCVS QI (Quality Improvement) Awards

“The RCVS Knowledge Awards celebrate outstanding achievements across the veterinary profession — recognising teams who are using QI methods to advance the quality of care through innovation, leadership, and evidence-based practice.”

To achieve this award we conducted an environmental swabbing audit to assess the effectiveness of our cleaning protocols.

Initial swabs in May 2023 revealed there were 10 areas of the practice where improvements by the team could be made.

The practice implemented changes in cleaning methods and products, leading to significant improvements. By November 2024, key areas like kennel and cattery doors, and the theatre table mat showed sterile cultures. The ongoing audit, with swabbing every six months, ensures sustained cleanliness and highlights the importance of effective cleaning protocols in maintaining a safe clinical environment.

To read more about the RCVS Knowledge awards visit : https://knowledge.rcvs.org.uk/awards/rcvs-knowledge-awards/award-winners/#a25www.rcvs.org.uk/setting-standards/practice-standards-scheme/

We are extremely delighted – and proud of our team – to advise we have once again completed our RCVS accreditation through the Practice Standards Scheme. We are RCVS accredited in Small Animal Practice and Equine Practice.

The Practice Standards Scheme (PSS) is an initiative to accredit UK veterinary practices. The aim of the PSS is to promote and maintain the highest standards of veterinary care.  The accreditation lasts for 4 years and we will do it all over again!

Membership of the PSS is voluntary, and around 69% of eligible UK practices are part of it – we feel that gaining and maintaining the standards set by the PSS is crucial for our business, our staff and also our clients.

Why we think being an accredited practice is important :

• It offers our team a useful framework for running the practice
• It’s an opportunity for us to have a full clinical and regulatory compliance audit
• It’s a chance for our teams to work together on improvement strategies
• It helps to focus our plans for the next four years
• It’s an opportunity for our teams to be proud of their work and to showcase it
• It’s a stamp of professional quality, which can help with recruitment and retention of staff
• It gives clients confidence that we are professional and consistent in everything we do

To read more about the accreditation process visit the RCVS website : www.rcvs.org.uk/setting-standards/practice-standards-scheme/

You may have noticed  QR codes appearing on the labels on our dispensed products. As all of our veterinary medications must be supplied with the product information leaflet, the QR codes are an environmentally friendly way of providing the information without having to provide a paper copy.

For anyone not familiar with the QR codes (Quick-Reponse) codes are a two-dimensional matrix barcode which can be read by smartphone cameras and direct you to a web resource where you can read the relevant information. See the example above with the square box middle right of the label.

The AGRIA 5 weeks pet insurance has been improved – and there’s now even more reasons why you should consider the FREE cover!

How long is the policy for?
It’s a 5 week pet insurance FREE cover policy – giving you peace of mind your pet is covered from the day you sign up in the practice with us

Is there a minimum and maximum age?
Any dog or cat from 8 weeks old can sign up – and one of the improvements to the policy is that there is no upper age limit!

What is the monetary cover for this FREE policy?
Another improvement AGRIA have made to this 5 week free policy is the monetary cover – it is now £5,000!

Is there an excess to pay?
It is a fixed access of £125

What about other treatments – are they included?
Yes – complementary treatments are included up to £750, hydrotherapy up to £250 and behavioural treatment up to £250

Does the policy cover dental treatment?
Yes – cover is included for accident / injury per illness/injury

Is food included?
Yes 50% of the cost up to a total of £250 per illness/injury is included

What about death from illness or injury?
This is an addition to the previous plan as Agria now offer up to £2500

Advertising and reward for lost pets
This remains covered up to £1000 and includes up to £250 for reward

Agria also offer the AGRIA app making it easy for you to manage your 5 week FREE pet insurance.

If you’d like more information contact our team or ask about it in the practice. You must have seen a vet or a nurse on the day you sign up to the policy. Call 01653 618303 or email us at reception@stationhousevets.co.uk

Why you should consider the Station House Vets Wellness Plan

The Station House Vets Wellness Plan is a great convenient way to ensure your pets are covered for all their ongoing preventative healthcare.

Annual health checks, vaccinations and boosters, treatment against flea and wormers are all important to keep your pet in good health.

The Wellness Plan enables you to spread the cost of treatment in regular fixed instalments throughout the year, allowing you to budget for your pet’s essential preventative healthcare.

Tailored flea and worming programmes are important for your pets and also help reduce environmental contamination.

So, it’s good for your pet, good for your pocket and it’s good for the environment!

Our Plans have changed a little for 2025.  Our Dog Wellness Plans have been restructured so we now offer a NEW! Puppy plan which your puppy can go on for the first 12 months from sign up. Adult dogs now go on to a weight related plan (Small, Medium, Large and Xtra Large) making it even more tailored to your pet.

Neutering your pet has many benefits to their health, and so the Wellness Plans also offer you 10% off neutering.

And of course, diet is of great importance. Like us, our pets really are what they eat. For cats and dogs on the Wellness Plan you get 10% off the full biology-based nutritious range of Hill’s food. For rabbits it’s the Veterinary Recommended Burgess Excel range of products we offer 10% off.

Other updates to the 2025 plans include:

Dogs – in addition to surgical neutering we now also offer 10% off chemical neutering (Suprelorin) giving you options to suit you and your pet.

Cats – As cats age monitoring their blood pressure is of great importance. Therefore, we have added free blood pressure monitoring on to the Wellness Plan for cats over the age of 9.

To view the full details of the Station House Vets Wellness Plans for your dogs, cats and rabbits visit https://stationhousevets.com/wellness-plan/ and click on Wellness Plans. You can also sign up online via this link.

Note : we recommend you take out pet insurance alongside our Wellness Plans

Importance of microchips in helping reunite pets with their owners

We often hear stories in the media of missing pets who are reunited weeks, months and years later.  Helena, our nurse, has her own story to tell too.

Nora the black cat from York who was missing for 4 years: https://yorkmix.com/missing-for-4-years-but-now-nora-has-returned-home/;

Shadow from York, reunited after 10 years missing: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-64311790

and Toby from Nuneaton missing for 11 years: https://www.cats.org.uk/mediacentre/pressreleases/cat-presumed-dead-found-five-miles-from-home-11-years-later

And countless others, including from our own experience of cats being brought in as strays, sometimes injured where it is even more important to be able to contact owners. Sadly sometimes it is to contact an owner to inform them that their cat has sadly passed away and been brought in by a kind member of the public. Councils too scan for microchips of deceased cats they find.

Nurse Helena’s own cat Meg went missing for over a year and she had assumed the worst. Then a combination of social media and her microchip meant she was reunited. She had been living less than a mile away at Burnby Hall Gardens where she was watched over by various people, most of whom assumed she had a house she went back to daily! Someone eventually posted her on the local facebook page which led to Meg being taken to her to the local vets who scanned her and called Helena with the good news. …

Helena has since (with tears!) rehomed Meg to a home where she will be the only cat as it became apparent she didn’t like living with other cats. Helena gets regular updates with photos and Meg is living a much better life than a stray. Her microchip definitely helped her find that second ‘forever’ home.

There is now less than two months before it becomes law to have your cat microchipped!

From 10th June all adult cats over 20 weeks old need to be microchipped and the details entered onto a database. All kittens must be microchipped by the time they are 20 weeks old. You risk a fine if this is not done from this date. If your cat is already microchipped now is a good time to check the details are up to date with the database holding the details.

A microchip is the size of a grain of rice, and is implanted under the skin between the shoulder blades. The microchip will not change your cat’s behaviour, nor will your cat be aware of it. It is only used for confirming or contacting an owner.

Details of you (owner) and your cat are held on a secure database that is only accessible to rescue agencies and veterinary practices – so there is no risk of your contact details being made public. In the case of a lost cat, a special scanner which is held by vets, councils and rescue agencies can be used to scan for a microchip (much like a handheld scanner at the supermarket for your groceries), and provides the unique 15 digit number which can be searched on the database to match owner and pet details.

We can microchip a kitten when they are with us for neutering but it can be done in a vet or nurse consultation. The benefit of doing it at neutering is that the cat is under anaesthetic and not aware (it is a slightly bigger needle than that used for vaccination).

Here at Station House Vets we are offering a special price of £10 until 10th June to microchip your cat. We will also register the chip for you with Identibase. You will receive confirmation by email and an invitation to create an account so you can check and update details in the future, should you or your cat move home!

It is heart-breaking to have a poorly, injured or deceased cat rushed in to us by a concerned passer-by and have no way of contacting the owner.

So, law aside, please get your cats micro chipped for peace of mind and to be contactable if an emergency occurs or they go missing. Many cats each year are reunited with their owners thanks to their microchip – some many miles away from home!

(The law does not apply to feral cats or any others considered ‘free living with little or no human interaction’ (gov.uk) so please don’t worry if you feed or otherwise care for ferals.)

Call us now on 01653 618303 to book in for your cat or kitten microchipping before 10th June and take advantage of our £10 special offer price promotion.

Veterinary practices structures and pricing