Practice growth is often associated with larger premises, more consult rooms and a longer list of employees. But practices can also grow by increasing what their existing team, facilities and equipment are able to deliver.
That might mean developing the skills to manage more cases in-house, using the wider veterinary team more effectively, or accessing expertise without employing another permanent member of staff.
Before investing in a new service, look at the cases your practice currently refers or turns away.
Are they leaving because the team lacks the necessary knowledge or confidence? Is specialist equipment required? Is the real problem a shortage of veterinary time, rather than clinical capability? Or do these patients genuinely need the facilities and expertise of a referral centre?
Auditing referrals can help practices identify where there is enough demand to justify further investment — and where referral will remain the best option.
So, how can you see more cases and get more revenue from the same building?
For services with consistent demand, developing the existing team may offer the greatest long-term value. While practical CPD can teach new techniques, certificates can give vets the knowledge and clinical judgement to manage a wider range of cases in a specific discipline. The aim is not simply to gain a qualification - although this, along with Advanced Practitioner status, is worth its weight in gold when it comes to attracting local referrals! - but to develop the reasoning, thinking, and skills that allow vets to keep more cases in house.
Unfortunately, it's not always as simple as 'get the certificate, start seeing more complex cases' - practices also need to consider whether the vet will have the time, equipment, caseload, and team support needed to build a sustainable service around their new expertise.
If consult rooms are underutilised, you could hire another vet. But a more sustainable option is to consider your usage of your nursing team.
RVN-led behaviour, nutrition and chronic-condition clinics can improve continuity for clients while freeing veterinary time for work that requires a veterinary surgeon. Depending on the team’s skills and the needs of the practice, nurses may also take a greater role in areas such as schedule 3 nursing, physiotherapy and laser therapy, and repeat injections of medicines prescribed by vets.
These services still require clinical space, but they can increase the amount and range of work delivered by the practice without adding more rooms.
Not every new service needs to happen inside the building. Home euthanasia, palliative-care visits and community nursing can allow practices to support clients in a different way while creating additional capacity on site. A suitably experienced RVN, particularly one with additional qualifications, may be able to deliver some of this support under appropriate veterinary direction. A mobile service still requires investment in a vehicle, equipment, scheduling and lone-working procedures, but it can expand the practice’s reach without adding another consult room.
Some services require physical expertise but do not generate enough work to justify recruiting another permanent vet.
Peripatetic clinicians can allow practices to offer services such as diagnostic imaging, dermatology, cardiology, ophthalmology or more advanced surgery on selected days. In some cases, the vet may also bring specialist or mobile equipment with them, reducing the need for the practice to purchase and store it.
Before launching a visiting service, practices should agree who will manage the initial work-up, hospitalisation, client communication and follow-up — and what will happen if the patient ultimately needs referral-level care.
You can read more about peripatetic services here.
Not every case requires another clinician to be physically present.
Virtual specialist support can help primary-care vets plan investigations, interpret findings and make treatment decisions while retaining responsibility for the patient’s day-to-day care. Services such as Virtual Veterinary Specialists may be useful when a vet has the practical ability to examine and treat the patient but would benefit from additional input on clinical reasoning or case management.
This is unlikely to replace referral where advanced procedures, intensive care or specialist facilities are required. It can, however, offer another layer of support between managing a case entirely alone and referring it immediately. It's especially useful for oncology and imaging, where the treatment is in the skillset of the vet, but the diagnostic steps to get there are a bit trickier.
Practices may also be able to increase capacity by reviewing how their rooms, equipment and diaries are used.
Dedicated clinic or procedure days can make better use of visiting clinicians and specialist equipment. Some practices may also find that different appointment lengths, staggered working patterns, or clearer allocation of rooms allow more work to happen within the same footprint. For example, having one vet start consulting earlier could allow 1-2 hours of consultations before the 'normal' diary starts. Similarly, an evening vet or even a weekend vet could make better use of the space.
The goal is not to squeeze more appointments into an already overstretched day. It is to match the available space and people more carefully to the work being carried out. And it doesn't necessarily mean overworking your current team - many vets are on the hunt for unusual working patterns such as weekend work or evening work to fit around other responsibilities.
There is no single best route to expanding a veterinary practice. Sometimes, it's a physical move, or the purchase of a branch building. But there are other ways, too.
Regular and predictable demand may justify investing in a postgraduate certificate and developing an in-house service. Lower-volume work may be better suited to a visiting clinician, while virtual support can help with cases where additional expertise is needed but physical attendance is not.
In practice, the most effective approach may combine all three: train the team, bring in expertise where necessary, and access remote support when appropriate. And don't forget to think outside the box (building!) when it comes to your facilities - could you use them for new services in different hours, or add a mobile service as an inexpensive way to expand?