Derbyshire veterinary centre makes history with UK’s first BVA Gold Accreditation

To achieve the accreditation, the practice underwent a rigorous evaluation against an accreditation framework covering four key areas: health and wellbeing, leadership and management, culture, and learning and development.

In the evaluation report, the accreditor highlighted the practice’s outstanding leadership and management, its strong commitment to flexible working arrangements, a deeply rooted teamworking culture, and a continuous drive for improvement.

Elizabeth Mullineaux, President of the BVA, said: "We’re delighted to see Swadlincote Veterinary Centre become the first veterinary workplace to achieve Gold accreditation through the Great Workplaces by BVAscheme. Congratulations to the whole practice team for this incredible recognition.

“Creating positive working environments and targeting areas for improvement are the key to tackling ongoing workforce challenges around recruitment and retention. We hope this first Gold accreditation inspires others to strive towards gaining recognition as workplaces where vet teams thrive.”

The BVA's Great Workplaces scheme aims to help veterinary workplaces across the UK foster positive, supportive environments for their teams.

Ingrid Stevenson, Clinical Director at Swadlincote Veterinary Centre, which is part of the Pet Health Club network, said: “While we knew the practice was doing well, we didn’t go into this process expecting Gold at all. My practice manager and I were just both really keen to get some feedback and to find out what more we could do to help the team.

“We have several clinical accreditations in the practice, but it is the team that are responsible for achieving these and maintaining the high standards. I believe the team should be looked after, recognised and rewarded for their hard work and going above and beyond when necessary. The team were really pleased when I shared the news; it has certainly been good for team morale and a positive outcome to share with potential new recruits.

“The accreditation process was a thorough assessment of the practice, and our accreditor made us feel all at ease during the interviews. While we achieved Gold, which was unexpected, we have also learnt of areas to develop further over the coming months, so it’s been a hugely positive experience for our practice.”

For more information on Swadlincote Veterinary Centre, visit www.swadlincotevets.co.uk

For further information on the Great Workplaces by BVA scheme, got to www.bva.co.uk/take-action/good-veterinary-workplaces.