Bishopton Veterinary Group strengthens with new partners

Bishopton Veterinary Group, one of North Yorkshire’s longest-established practices, has welcomed two new partners and recruited three vets as part of its continued growth.

Laura Pearce, small animal sector partner, joined Bishopton in 2021 and brings expertise in orthopaedics and sustainable parasite treatments. 

She said: “After moving back from Nottingham, I knew I wanted to join Bishopton which has a long-established and very reputable name across North Yorkshire, and I’m extremely proud to become a partner in the small animal sector four years later.

“It’s also an opportunity to implement my strongly held beliefs, such as risk-based parasiticide treatments. 

“This has been very well-received by both colleagues and clients alike. 

“As part of this, we’ve now audited relevant environmental data from the animal health companies and now only stock and supply those that demonstrate the very lowest environmental impact.

“Another major development has seen us become an accredited ‘Zero Pain Practice’. 

“We’ve adopted new techniques and invested heavily in training for our team to maximise our knowledge around painkillers, as well as the options for managing chronic pain conditions and arthritis. 

“This also means during surgeries we often use ultrasound-guided nerve blocks to manage pain, with continuous infusions to provide fast pain relief, as well as having up to date pain management protocols for all routine surgeries.”

Meanwhile, Alex Oliver, now farm sector partner, has worked at Bishopton for seven years with a focus on dairy farming.

He added: “It’s been a long-held ambition to become a partner at Bishopton, and it follows several years of planning, combined with guidance and mentoring from several existing partners. 

“I also attended XLVets’ ‘Aspiring Owners’ programme, which gave me the inspiration and knowledge I needed to take the next steps.

“Becoming a partner is also part of our long-term plan to maintain our independence. 

“This enables us to control our pricing structure, maintain our high service levels and ultimately puts us in charge of our own destiny, which all benefits both our clients and our team.”

Both Laura and Alex are based at the Ripon surgery and join nine existing partners, overseeing teams across vet, nursing, technical and admin roles, as well as business functions including procurement, marketing, finance and sustainability.

Founded in 1943, Bishopton operates six practices in North Yorkshire, with specialist teams in pets, farms and pigs. 

It also includes Bishopton Equine and RAFT Solutions for equine services and sustainable livestock research. 

The group recently opened a new practice in Thirsk and runs an RCVS-accredited hospital in Ripon. 

Bishopton is also a founding member of XLVets, a network sharing best practice among independent vets.

Andrew Curwen, chief executive at XLVets, added: “The appointment of Laura and Alex to partners at Bishopton is a superb example of effective succession planning in a well-known and successful independent practice.

“For a longstanding practice like Bishopton to be able to welcome the next generation of partners into its ranks is key to it being able to safeguard its independence. 

“This means ensuring there are people who are willing and able to step up, and this is just one area where XLVets always works closely with our members to help them plan for the future. 

“This involves sharing knowledge and experiences as well as creating strong alliances and developing a collaborative culture to ensure that the decades ahead are successful.”

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