Response to the BBC1 Panorama programme
The BBC Panorama programme exposing episodes of bad practice at some Medivet branches in and around London was at times both shocking and saddening.
At Anderson Moores all of our staff take the care of your pet very seriously. We will always treat your pet with the utmost respect and care he or she deserves. All the nurses at Anderson Moores are fully qualified and RCVS-registered Veterinary Nurses (RVNs). We do not employ trainee or student nurses. Furthermore, many of our nurses either have, or are studying towards, advanced nursing qualifications (Diplomas). In addition to the nursing team we have a dedicated team of kennel assistants who keep the kennels clean, walk out the dogs on a regular basis and generally provide a lot of fuss and attention to our patients.
Anderson Moores Veterinary Specialists is an independent business. Unlike some referral centres, we have no ties to large corporate veterinary practices. If your vet has recommended that your pet be referred to us it is because they are confident that we can provide the very best care for your pet in a kind and professional manner. It is not because they are obliged to refer to us or receive any kind of financial reward for doing so.
Our specialist vets are all highly trained and extremely dedicated. They are salaried and do not receive any commission from cases. You can be assured that financial gain is not a motivating factor in our recommendations and decisions regarding the clinical care of your pet.
We are lucky in the UK in that we have the NHS for our own healthcare needs. This does however mean that most members of the public do not realize the true cost of healthcare. Specialist-level veterinary care can be costly. Running a specialist veterinary hospital with cutting-edge facilities and the very best staff is expensive. Consequently our treatments can seem expensive although often this reflects the complexity of the cases we are referred. Our fees for specific tests/treatments are often no more than the average first-opinion practice, it’s just that complex referral cases may need lots of different tests or treatments to be performed. We believe our fees offer very good value for money and they are less expensive than many other equivalent multidisciplinary specialist veterinary hospitals. We will always provide and discuss an estimate of costs in advance of treatment.
It is often assumed that veterinary fees contribute to a disproportionately high income for vets themselves. This isn’t true. On average, studies show that vets earn significantly less than other professionals, such as lawyers, GPs and dentists.
Davina or Andy would welcome any comments raised by this information or the Panorama programme itself. If you have any concerns about the treatment of your pet or other feedback (good or bad) about our practice or staff please let us know. All feedback will be used positively to improve the service we provide.
Davina Anderson & Andy Moores
2011