2020 will certainly go down as one to remember for most of us, but for me, it won't be remembered for just Covid-19. I will also remember it for the year that I was part of a team that embarked on a new adventure and opened a new business.

Having worked in the veterinary industry for 20 years, setting up a new small animal independent practice after a lot of thought and support seemed like the obvious next step. After working in a very large and busy corporate practice, I knew that I wanted to go back to working in a small independent local clinic. A massive part of my love for my vocation is based upon building relationships with my clients and their pets. Yes, I also love the fact that I can treat ill animals. Yes, I love the fact that my job is practical, but also exercises my mind; but most of all I love the rapport that I have with the people that come to see me and trust me with their fur animals.

I have always found people and the way that they express themselves and communicate interesting, and over the years, I have (luckily) managed to build this interest into a skill that helps me in so many ways. Being able to 'read' a client’s emotions and their needs comes in very handy and it is absolutely essential in the work that I do. People are right when they say that being a vet is challenging as the animal can't tell you what is wrong. However, in 99% of cases an owner can tell you in great detail why they know their pet isn't well. Having the opportunity to get to know my clients and have continuity of care really helps to build the trust that we need to treat the animals presented to us.

Our small team of two nurses and two vets (plus an additional vet on some Saturdays) spent two months preparing and setting up Coquet Vets. We were due to open in January 2020, but due to the usual hold ups on buildings, we opened our doors on March 3rd, 2020.  I must admit that I had the odd sleepless night wondering if we would have any clients at all - or, would it be like the scenes in Notting Hill where most of the day was made up of trips to the local takeaway coffee house (not great seeing as I am not a coffee drinker). However, we all came in on the Monday morning ready for action. Rosie had even done her hair and was wearing a little makeup (we were honoured). There was still plenty of organising to do and we were incredibly pleased (and relieved) when the phone started to ring. 

Due to having a small but experienced team we were immediately able to implement protocols that we knew worked well. The team work soon clicked into place and everything seemed to be going well until.......wait for it....  a global pandemic hit.

To say this was a blow to our team is an understatement. As I am sure everyone did, we all went through a series of emotions. Disbelief, denial, fear, and eventually acceptance.

After a long discussion with my business partner and following guidance from the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, we decided to keep the practice open. We furloughed both nurses and my other vet and I went it alone. Unfortunately, due to the nature of the business we are not eligible for any grants or help, something that I find pretty disappointing. Our plan was to see emergency appointments, give advice over the phone, register any new clients, and generally keep things ticking over until the lockdown ended.

I have two children under the age of 9 and my husband is a farmer, so homeschooling was down to me too. I have, thankfully, over the last few years become marginally more tech savvy, which helped with my homeschooling, but give me a complex abdominal surgery any day of the week over teaching fronted adverbials and long multiplication to two children who are angels at school but turn into the devils themselves when Mummy is the acting teacher.  "Would you speak to your teacher like that?” I heard myself saying at least five times a day; and I dread to think how many times we all made unnecessary trips to the fridge.

Thankfully, over the next three months I did manage to juggle work and homeschooling, calling on one of my lovely vet colleagues to come into work to act as my nurse when it was needed. A particularly low point was when I managed to lock myself out of the building wearing full PPE with no phone or keys. Thankfully 1) It was sunny, 2) the gardener was there and phoned my business partner for me, and 3) my business partner has a sense of humour and came to let me back in.

Over those months the workload slowly but surely increased and, thankfully, we managed to unfurlough our team and start getting back to the new normal. 

Friends often ask me the same three questions: "How is it going?", "Is it going as planned?", and "Do you have any regrets?". In all honesty, it is going well. We have many new clients, and we are all able to provide the level of care that we aspire to give. Is it going as planned? In a word, “no” – as we hadn't planned to open a new business during a global pandemic. However, do I have any regrets? I would have to say, "no".  Our clients have been fantastic. They are all so understanding of the protocols we have put in place and they generally all come in with smiles on their faces (hidden under their masks - obvs).

We have found the Amble and neighbouring community warm and welcoming. Our clients have all commented on the family and friendly feel and love the fact that they can get to know the team. Through more luck than judgement our reception area is so big it allows us to be able to let clients sit and wait for their appointment safely rather than sitting in the car.

There has been much debate within the veterinary community during the lock downs as to what we can do and should and shouldn't see when it comes to the sick and injured animals. As a vet I have taken an oath to ensure that no animals suffer and that is something that's so ingrained within all vets, it's very hard to fight. What I have realised over the past ten months is that all guidelines (including Covid-19 and RCVS) are very much open to interpretation. This leaves everyone a little confused. With this in mind, if you are unsure as to whether to bring your animal to see us, we would encourage all owners to pick up the phone and call us. All our staff are trained to ask the right questions and we can then decide who should be seen and when.  What we do not want to have happen is that an animal's treatment is delayed when early intervention could prevent an issue from escalating.

So, in summary, the year 2020 will always be imprinted on my mind. It was a year for new starts, new challenges, and a year for realising you should never take for granted the life that you live.  The pressures on the veterinary community over the past ten months have been vast and this shouldn't be underestimated.

For me, Covid-19 has highlighted many things. It has made me realise with stark clarity what is important to me - my family, our health, my friends and their health, my vocation, and a belief that if we can get through this we can get through most things.

2021 has got a lot to live up to but I'm optimistic that this year's summary will be a positive one.

Keep safe everyone......we've got this.

Article written by Emily Renton BVM&S MRCVS - Veterinary Surgeon at Coquet Vets