Organisational background

Cedar Veterinary Group was established in 1945 as a traditional rural mixed practice with just three employees. We developed our client base and opened our New Farm Road surgery in Alresford in 1939 just before the outbreak of the Second World War.

In 2014 we decided to stop doing our large animal work and focus on companion animals, with a small equine department.

We have two partners:

• Martin Andrews qualified as a Veterinary Surgeon in 1986 from Liverpool. He joined Cedar Veterinary Group in 1988 working in mixed practice and became a partner of the practice in 1993
• Charlie qualified as a Veterinary Surgeon from Liverpool University in 2004. He joined Cedar Veterinary Group in 2004 and became a partner of the practice in 2010. Charlie leads our Equine work and manages the practice.

Our development strategy remains to maintain our fundamental traditional values but apply them to a modern progressive improvement-based ethos.

In 2019 we moved our Alresford surgery to a new location in the town: we built a new RCVS-accredited state-of-the-art hospital. As part of this development, we also rebranded to “Cedar Vets” and gave ourselves a new modern look logo.

In November 2019 we partnered with Vets Now to provide our out of hours care on the small animal side. With the partnership came a relocation for Vets Now from their old Winchester surgery into our new Alresford surgery, adding excellent benefits to our patients by keeping their treatment in-house.

Today we now employ over 50 staff including vets, nurses, receptionists and support staff and we have exciting plans to develop our Alton surgery in the near future.

We remain committed to holding our valued place in the local community and providing gold-standard veterinary care to our clients and their pets.

Organisation aims & mission

Our aim is quite simple; to be the best independent, general practice we can be.

We set ourselves the highest standards for clinical care, employee engagement, and client service and are proud to be known amongst our peers and clients as achieving these standards.

We aim to continually improve and evolve the practice; whether it be providing an aspirational career pathway, investing in equipment, or embracing new developments in the evolution of veterinary science.

Clinical excellence

We undertake to offer the best veterinary care expected from a general practice. Wherever possible we will take a proactive, preventative approach and our policy is to offer gold-standard care but recognise that flexibility may be required to meet the expectation of the clients and allow them to make a fully informed decision about the best approach for their pet. We will also offer continuity of care recognising how important this is to client engagement and clinical care. We will aim to continually improve and develop our services through investment in facilities and equipment.

Colleague engagement

We will strive to create a positive and engaging environment within which staff can flourish. Our attitude is to be positive and solution-focused with colleagues being encouraged to have ideas/find solutions to optimise the way the practice works. The Directors undertake to support, value and invest in staff. They are committed to providing a framework for development such that people know what is expected of them and what they need to do to develop their careers within the practice.

Staff undertake to work together in a positive manner to achieve the aims of the practice. They will support each other, be considerate and empathetic to colleagues always assuming best intentions. Through good communication, colleagues will thrive within teams and across the practice.

Client care

We aim to develop a relationship with our clients that is individual and forms a bond of trust with the practice. We will do this by engaging with and educating our clients: offering the best products and professional service, as well as empowering them to make the best healthcare choices for their pets. We will achieve this through effective communication both on a personal level and on a practice level.

Financial recognition

All of our aims require investment: whether that be in staff or equipment. This investment can not happen unless the practice is profitable. This profitability can easily be achieved by charging a fair price (that reflects the expertise and investment that goes into providing a service) for an excellent service.

Colleagues will engage with and have an awareness of the financial aspects of the practice and this will allow them to communicate with our clients in an open and honest conversation about charges.

Charlotte (Vet) says:

“Cedar vets is a great place to work with an amazingly supportive team. Caseload is varied and allows workup of your own cases to a high standard, with other team members around for support and guidance when needed.”

Katie (Receptionist) says:

“Cedar Vets is a very inclusive company to work for, the employers suggest several training sessions regularly to help staff keep knowledge and skills current. The work at Cedar Vets is challenging but is very rewarding. 

The management team are always very generous with their time and show their appreciation of the staff’s hard work regularly.”

Fiona (Nurse) says:

“I first started volunteering at Cedar Vets when I was looking for a career change aged 40! Cedars initially took me on as a kennel assistant and soon after, the directors agreed to put me through my nursing diploma qualification in 2017. I have been qualified for nine months now and love working as part of a very busy and dynamic team of veterinary professionals. Cedars is very supportive of individuals’ career aspirations and allows us to develop our own specific interests within the nursing field.”