Evidence-based guidelines and checklists

Our Chief Medical Officer (CMO) and the Quality team, working closely with our clinical directors and our vets and nurses, develop protocols and create standard operating procedures (SOPs). These protocols and guidelines help us ensure our commitment to excellence is consistent across the whole group.

Careful development of evidence-based guidelines and checklists supports our clinicians in following best practice - we continuously review our processes to ensure we achieve the very best in client care. Current examples include CPR guidance, general anaesthetic checklists, policies for the safe storage and use of controlled drugs and cytotoxic (anti-cancer) agents, and guidance for the treatment of diarrhoea in dogs.

Excellence in dentistry

In conjunction with our specialist dentistry team at Eastcott Veterinary Referrals, we are focussing on excellence in dentistry in our primary care sites.

Dental champions have been identified for intensive training and support, and equipment such as advanced digital dental imaging installed to support this important area of veterinary care.

 

Development of our vets and nurses throughout their careers

We are committed to the development of every member of our clinical teams throughout their careers with us.

Our Clinical Education and Development team supports our Associates in providing excellent veterinary care through access to current, evidence-based and innovative continuing education, delivered by internal and external specialists and leaders in their fields.

The Linnaeus Graduate Development Programme (GDP), a robust and immersive two year programme that combines clinical and professional skills, educational days, practical experience with mentoring and practice-based support.

 
 

safety cultureSafety culture

We put our patients' safety at the forefront of everything we do by fostering an open and just safety culture. All colleagues use the Veterinary Defence Society's VetSafe portal to log any event, however minor, which didn't go as well as expected. Our teams then review these, looking for patterns and common mistakes; we then collaborate to understand how we might prevent these in future, sharing our ideas with everyone in Linnaeus as well as the wider veterinary community.

We actively encourage the sharing of best practice and great ideas that stem from a thorough understanding of the contributory factors when things go wrong. It makes us smarter, stronger and better equipped to provide the excellence in care we strive for. It's not just that we have some of the most skilled and most experienced clinical experts in the veterinary industry, we also have some of the very best practice managers, the very best nurses, the very best receptionists and the very best leaders.

 

Practice Standards Scheme accreditation

All our Linnaeus practices are accredited by the Practice Standards Scheme (PSS) run by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) and any new practices not already registered are supported through the process.