b'EMPOWERED TO INSPIRE, ACHIEVE AND LEAD TOGETHEREMPOWERED TO INSPIRE, ACHIEVE AND LEAD TOGETHEREMPOWERED TO INSPIRE, ACHIEVE AND LEAD TOGETHEREMPOWERED TO INSPIRE,VETERINARY WOMAN CHAMPIONS FOR CHANGEACHIEVE & LEAD TOGETHERS U M M A R Y I qualified from the RVC in 2002 and spent a brief time inwelfare, with clients reaching out earlier with concerns, and mixed practice before joining Pennard Vets, where Ive nowpatient management by the teams having regular meaningful Background: I qualified from the RVC inbeen working for just over 20 years. I had visited Pennard Vetscommunication.2002 and joined Pennard Vets shortlyas a student and was delighted to make this a long-term role. after, where Ive now been for over 20A big part of what excited me was the fact that I could see thatWhat motivated you to want to change things?years. Over time, my role evolved fromAs with most vets, my motivation to create change is to director to chief operating officer, guidingthe team were given a voice to suggest change. Within my role,improve outcomes, and often this is based on evidence. our transition to an employee ownershipI was given the chance to experiment and see how we couldHowever, some of the bigger changes we have made have been trust and shaping how we deliverimprove continuously within practice. This has led to my rolebased on a feeling that it would be the right thing to do.veterinary care. evolving over the years, from becoming a director, navigating Mission: My focus is on evolving veterinaryour journey with my fellow directors Matthew Flann and AndyHow have you encouraged other people to get on board practice in a way that supports ourGreen, to becoming an employee ownership trust and lastly,with your ideas?team, clients, and the planet. Becomingbeing promoted to my current position as chief operatingWithin our team, we explain changes and how they meet with employee-owned, earning B Corpofficer, all while steering how we deliver veterinary medicine. our practice values to help everyone understand the reason accreditation, and adopting newfor change. We always find that at least some of the team can technology are all steps weve taken toPlease summarise how you are working towards change create a more sustainable and progressivein the veterinary professions and why do you feel this issee the benefits from the start and are excited by the concept, practice. important? making them ideal candidates to lead the project. This allows Challenges: Resistance to change isA big part of what excited me when joining Pennard Vets wasus to get change off the ground and to gather evidence to always a challenge, especially the mindsetthe fact that we were given autonomy as a team, which can of If it aint broke, dont fix it. Effective communication is key - explaining thebe difficult to find and identify when looking at jobs. When I benefits in a way that resonates withthink about the change that weve made, its about evolving different team members helps bringto continue to uphold the values of our professionbut everyone on board. improving the way in which we do that, sustainably for theImpact: Change isnt always easy toteam, for our clients and for the planet. Its from this basis that measure, but weve seen real benefits.we have made the decision to become employee-owned, to For example, implementing PetsAppreceive B Corp accreditation and to embrace new technology. for virtual client communication has improved patient welfare by makingOur most recent acknowledgment by SPVS winning the it easier for clients to reach out early,SPVS Excellence Award for Team and Self Development was leading to better outcomes. fantastic for the team, reinforcing how change is positive as it Advice: Its evolution, not revolution.leads to improvement.Change doesnt have to be drastic - small,How do you feel this is making a difference?well-planned improvements can have a big impact. Finding early supportersChange is not always easy to quantify as you dont have the within the team helps drive changecontrol group of no change to measure against. What we can forward. judge are the benefits of our improvements. A great example Next Steps: Ill continue seeking ways toof this was embracing virtual client communication back in improve. Many of the best solutions come2020. When we beta tested PetsApp as a client communication from adapting successful ideas from othertool we gave both the team and our clients access to the fields to benefit our team, clients, andplatform and allowed them to use it in the way that felt best patients. for them. By doing so its significantly improved both patient www.veterinarywoman.co.uk 42'