Veterinary Surgeon

Location: Hampstead, London
Hours: 42 hours per week | 1 in 4 full weekends with TOIL | Flexible/condensed hours considered
Practice: Village Vet Hampstead
Salary: £66,000–£70,000 per annum DOE

We’re looking for an experienced GP Veterinary Surgeon to join our 17-vet team at Village Vet Hampstead.

You’ll need to be comfortable managing your own caseload, making clinical decisions independently and working confidently across consultations, medical work-ups, hospital cases, procedures and urgent care. This is a busy first-opinion hospital, so the days are varied and there is plenty of scope to see cases through from initial presentation and diagnostics to treatment and inpatient care.

Around 25% of the role is GP consulting, with the remainder made up of hospital and procedure work, alongside some urgent care and triage. Hampstead is integrated with Vet24, with a dedicated night team providing overnight care. You’ll therefore work within a genuine 24/7 service and have access to a hospital caseload, without being part of a night rota.

Why join us?

• 17 vets, 11 certificate holders: The team includes certificate holders in ECC, diagnostic imaging, small animal medicine, surgery, dentistry and exotics, giving you plenty of clinical expertise around you when you want another opinion or want to discuss a case.
• A broad hospital caseload: You’ll see more than routine GP consultations, with medical work-ups, inpatients, procedures and urgent cases forming a significant part of the working week.
• Facilities you can use: Two ultrasound machines, full echocardiography, endoscopy, laparoscopy, digital cytology, EPOC, dental radiography and surgical equipment up to referral-level orthopaedics, alongside our standard diagnostic and laboratory equipment.
• 24/7 care without night shifts: Vet24 operates from the same site and is supported by a dedicated night team, providing continuity of care for patients outside the daytime rota.
• A well-utilised nursing team: Our RVNs run their own consultations and procedures, with clinical coaches supporting our student nurse programme. This allows vets to focus on clinical decision-making, case management, surgery and client communication.
• Clinical governance is part of the job: Regular M&Ms, audits, team meetings and case discussions underpin how we work and give the team a structured way to review and improve clinical practice.
• A wider clinical network: You’ll be part of the Village Vet and Linnaeus network, with access to referral expertise, facilities and clinicians across the group.

The team and practice

Village Vet Hampstead is a busy first-opinion hospital serving clients across North London, alongside the urgent care caseload that comes through Vet24.

Our clients are generally well informed and highly engaged in their pets’ care. They want to understand what is happening and are often willing to pursue appropriate diagnostics and treatment, giving our vets the opportunity to properly investigate and manage interesting cases. The practice currently has three consulting rooms and one theatre, with further investment planned to expand the clinical facilities. The wider team includes nine RVNs and a total of around 52 people. The culture is collaborative but independent. We expect our vets to take ownership of their own cases, while making use of the experience around them when they need another perspective. Positive intent is important to the team, as is being willing to discuss cases, ask questions and share knowledge.

Hampstead itself has excellent transport links and a strong community feel, with parks nearby and a village-style setting. Well-behaved dogs are also welcome at work.

What we’re looking for

We’re looking for an experienced GP vet who:

• Has at least 3, ideally 5 years’ UK small animal experience and is confident working independently.
• Is comfortable managing their own medical and surgical caseload without close day-to-day supervision.
• Has experience with medical work-ups, inpatient care and routine surgery.
• Can make sound clinical decisions and knows when to seek a second opinion or involve another member of the team.
• Takes a client-first approach and enjoys building long-term relationships with clients with a focus on building rapport with our engaged client base.
• Is interested in medical excellence, clinical governance and continuing to learn throughout their career.
• Works positively with colleagues and contributes to an environment where cases are openly discussed and knowledge is shared.

We’re looking for a strong GP vet who is already comfortable working independently and wants to practise in an environment with a broad caseload, good facilities and experienced clinicians around them.

The five things that matter the most to us

We want our vets to come to work with positive intent, put the whole patient at the centre of their decision-making, and build relationships that last beyond a single consultation.

We believe in providing care whenever and wherever our patients need it, supported by the wider Village Vet and Linnaeus network. We take clinical governance seriously and expect everyone to keep learning, reviewing and improving.

Most importantly, you’ll be joining a team rather than working in isolation. There is a lot of clinical experience across Hampstead, and we make use of it.

Benefits:

• 5 weeks holiday + bank holidays and birthday off (pro-rata for part-time)
• No out-of-hours (OOH)
• RCVS and VDS fees paid
• External CPD funded
• Extensive free online Linnaeus CPD program
• Career progression opportunities
• Staff discount schemes
• Enhanced sickness pay
• Enhanced equal family leave
• Wellness program including:
• Employee assistance program
• Eyecare voucher scheme
• Free annual flu jab
• Cycle to work scheme
• Recruitment referral reward scheme.

Village Vet is part of Linnaeus and Mars Veterinary Health, the largest family-owned veterinary company in the world. Being privately owned, we can truly be driven by our purpose, to create a better world, and think long-term as opposed to being focused solely on short-term profits.   

At Linnaeus, A BETTER WORLD FOR PETS starts with a better world for our people. Our Associates are over 6000 strong and empowered to speak up, step up and deliver quality services. You’ll have access to a huge network of specialists, worldwide development opportunities and an easily accessible, comprehensive wellbeing package that prioritises your physical and mental health, allowing you to focus on what you do best – care for pets.  

We are committed to fostering a culture that is inclusive and diverse, we care about you and want you to be authentic, with everything you need to perform at your best. We are all individual but two important things bring us together: a commitment to excellence and our passion to achieve our purpose. 

If you would like to apply for the role or for an informal chat to discuss it further, please get in touch with Joanne in the recruitment team joanne.gray@linnaeusgroup.co.uk