The Veterinary Practice Management Challenges and Evolution Report

The UK's most comprehensive survey of practice managers and leaders. In partnership with the Veterinary Management Group.

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What practice leaders are telling us

68%
say practice management is harder than it was two years ago

Almost a third say much harder.

 

50%
Name HR admin as a top time drain

Half of practice managers put HR administration among their three biggest time drains, more than any other task, including client communications and team wellbeing conversations.

5%
That is how many reported no significant staffing pressure in the last 12 months

Nurse recruitment was the most widely reported challenge.

What running a veterinary practice actually looks like right now

Sixty-eight per cent of practice managers say their job is harder than it was two years ago. Forty-nine per cent report burnout or emotional exhaustion in their team. Only 23% say recognition of the role has grown to match it. These aren't impressions, they're the findings of the largest survey of UK veterinary practice management ever conducted.

The Veterinary Practice Management Challenges and Evolution Report was commissioned by Agilio Veterinary, in partnership with the Veterinary Management Group (VMG). It surveyed practice managers, owners and leaders across independent and corporate practices on staffing, wellbeing, technology, CMA compliance and AI adoption, and asked what would actually help.

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What you'll learn

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Why the job has got harder

See the pressures behind the 68% who say practice management is more difficult than two years ago, from CMA compliance to rising costs and admin overload.

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What's driving burnout in your team

49% of practices report burnout or emotional exhaustion. See what's improved and what's declined in team culture and wellbeing over the past three years.

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Where technology is falling short

Only 17% run a single integrated system, and just 15% say they have adequate software across the board. See the gaps costing practices time every day.

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What would make the biggest difference

From integrated systems to genuine recognition, see what leaders say would help most, and what the profession's bodies should prioritise next.

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"The people running practices are managing more, and more complicated, work than ever before. This report is an important step towards recognising that properly.

None of this will surprise anyone in a management or leadership role, but at long last we have the numbers to show it"

Emma Barnes, Chief of Staff, Agilio, and Co-Founder, Vetpreneur

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The Veterinary Management Challenges and Evolution report 26/27

What practice managers already knew, now with numbers

For years, the pressure on practice managers has been anecdotal. This report puts numbers behind what's actually going on.

  • Icon w Grow with confidence

    The scale of it

    Most practice managers say the job's got harder. Most also say nobody's noticed.

  • Icon 4 Full visibility across sites

    What gets missed

    The cultural issues that don't show up on a dashboard, until someone's already handed in their notice.

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    Where it goes next

    This report is step one of ongoing work from the Veterinary Evolution Council.

Read the full report

Backed by the Veterinary Evolution Council

The Veterinary Practice Management Challenges and Evolution report was developed alongside the Veterinary Evolution Council (VEC).

The VEC is an advisory board brought together to promote the long-term sustainability of veterinary practice and the wellbeing of practice teams as the profession navigates regulatory, technological and societal change.

Council members

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Emma Barnes

Managing Director, Agilio Software (Veterinary), Executive Coach and Business Growth Expert

Emma Barnes joined Agilio Software in 2024, bringing over two decades of experience across various sectors, including dentistry and veterinary care. As former CEO of Riverdale Healthcare, Emma oversaw 59 dental practices across the UK. Prior to this, Emma spent four years as Chief Operating Officer at Linnaeus, expanding the veterinary group to 165 practices and 3000 staff. In her role as Managing Director, Emma will lead the Veterinary and Other Healthcare divisions, focusing on innovation and growth to drive Agilio Software’s continued success and expansion.

About Emma
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Tracey Morley Jewkes

Co-founder of Vetpreneur and international veterinary business management consultant

Tracey Morley Jewkes, MBA, DipMgt, FCMI, is a respected veterinary business management consultant dedicated to unlocking the potential of veterinary practices. With over two decades of international management consultancy experience, Tracey specialises in fostering competitive advantage through high-performing teams and exceptional service delivery.

A Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute, Tracey’s career spans independent and corporate sectors, including business ownership and consultancy. With a Master’s degree in Business and accreditation as a Business and Wellbeing Coach, she has made significant impacts in the veterinary industry both in General Practice and Referrals, including holding roles as Managing Director in both independent practices and within Mars Veterinary Health.

Tracey’s leadership has earned multiple accolades, including Best UK Vets awards, Veterinary Wellbeing Awards, Chamber of Commerce Client Experience and Team Awards and UKTI Exporter of the Year. She spearheaded the development of the UK’s most successful health plan and is a recognised public speaker, columnist, and Channel 4 contributor, advocating for exemplary client experience in the veterinary sector.

With a proven track record and a commitment to excellence, Tracey is passionate about guiding businesses towards growth and resilience in an ever-evolving market.

About Tracey
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Gerry Polton

Hospital Director, North Downs Specialist Referrals & Specialist Oncology Vet

Gerry is a veterinary surgeon and an RCVS Recognised Specialist in Veterinary Oncology. He is Hospital Director at North Downs Specialist Referrals in Surrey. He derives pleasure from complex challenges and collaborative working.

About Gerry
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Andrea Jeffery

RVN DipAVN, Lecturer and former Chief Nursing Officer, The Linnaeus Group

Andrea Jeffery is a experienced veterinary nursing leader and educator, with a career spanning clinical practice, academia, and professional regulation. Andrea currently works as Commissioning Editor for VetSkill Publications Limited..

Andrea has held senior executive roles, including Chief Nursing Officer at Linnaeus Veterinary Services, where she led strategic development of career pathways for over 2,000 veterinary nurses, and has provided consultancy to private equity–backed veterinary groups to improve clinical workforce utilisation. Her academic career includes over two decades at the University of Bristol, where she was a Senior Teaching Fellow and Programme Director, shaping undergraduate and postgraduate veterinary nursing education.

A respected figure in the profession, Andrea has contributed extensively to regulatory and professional bodies, including long-standing roles with the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, and continues to serve on its Veterinary Nursing Disciplinary Committee. She is widely published, a co-author of leading veterinary nursing textbooks, and a frequent international speaker.

Andrea holds a Doctorate in Education from the University of Bristol and has received multiple honours, including the RCVS Golden Jubilee Award for her sustained and influential contribution to veterinary nursing.

About Andrea
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Rebecca Robinson

Business Development Consultant, Vet Dynamics & President of VMG

Rebecca is President of the Veterinary Management Group, the professional body supporting veterinary leaders and managers, and serves as a Business Development Consultant with Vet Dynamics.

A practising vet since 1999, she spent 24 years in clinical practice developing her expertise in leadership, people management, and organisational culture. She is driven by the belief that exceptional leadership elevates the care delivered to pets and clients while creating healthy, fulfilling workplaces for veterinary teams. To strengthen this focus, she has completed extensive coaching training and is a qualified Neuro‑Linguistic Programming practitioner.

In her role at Vet Dynamics, Rebecca works closely with leaders of independent practices, providing guidance across all aspects of leadership and management. She delivers team workshops, facilitates leadership development programmes, and offers one‑to‑one coaching to help practices thrive.

About Rebecca
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Jack Peploe

CEO, Veterinary IT Services

Jack Peploe is the CEO of Veterinary IT Services, a specialist UK MSP helping veterinary practices modernise, secure, and streamline their technology. A Certified Ethical Hacker, international speaker, and veterinary technology expert, Jack works at the intersection of cyber security, cloud transformation, and operational efficiency.

About Jack
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Kerrie Hedley

CEO of XLVets, a community of independent practices

Kerrie Hedley is CEO of XLVets, a community of independent practices, where she works with forward thinking independent veterinary practices across the UK to strengthen business performance, leadership capability and long-term sustainability.

A veterinary surgeon by background, Kerrie has combined clinical experience with senior leadership roles. Kerrie completed her MBA in 2019, with her dissertation focusing on a qualitative research project exploring the barriers and enablers to women becoming business owners in independent veterinary practices in the UK. Kerrie subsequently co-founded the Veterinary Women in Leadership initiative and is passionate about supporting the evolution of the veterinary profession to ensure it remains progressive, values-led and capable of delivering high standards of care in a changing landscape. She brings a practical, systems-focused perspective and a commitment to working collaboratively across the profession to drive meaningful change.

Outside of work my time is spent keeping up with the busy demands of a toddler, a chocolate Labrador, two aging cats and three chickens!

About Kerrie

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