RANT CORNER

[sionascaig]

yup, private equity interests seems to be taking over independent vets...

old school
- yearly check & worming £60
- Q. is that lump on dogs back something I should worry about? A. no, its just a blood blister want me to burst it?

new school
- yearly check up & worming £120
- Q. is that lump on dogs back something I should worry about? A. we should take a biopsy £60, send for test £150 & arrange another appointment to discuss next steps £120, oh, and its probably best is we anesthetise dog for biopsy £150

[Derek27]

yup, private equity interests seems to be taking over independent vets...

old school
- yearly check & worming £60
- Q. is that lump on dogs back something I should worry about? A. no, its just a blood blister want me to burst it?

new school
- yearly check up & worming £120
- Q. is that lump on dogs back something I should worry about? A. we should take a biopsy £60, send for test £150 & arrange another appointment to discuss next steps £120, oh, and its probably best is we anesthetise dog for biopsy £150

I remember 7-8 years ago when I told the vet I'd need to pay the bill in two instalments, he kindly waived the overnight stay fee. Around the same time my sister took her cat to the vet with a minor problem, probably parked her Jaguar in the car park, the vet knew she was well off and milked her for all she's worth.

[ShaunWhite]

Doctors don't charge £145 to see you at short notice, £136 for a blood test or £30 for seven tablets!

You pay your doctor via taxation. Vets aren't govt funded.

[Derek27]

Doctors don't charge £145 to see you at short notice, £136 for a blood test or £30 for seven tablets!

You pay your doctor via taxation. Vets aren't govt funded.

You mean other people pay my doctor through taxation.

[ShaunWhite]

yup, private equity interests seems to be taking over independent vets...

old school
- yearly check & worming £60
- Q. is that lump on dogs back something I should worry about? A. no, its just a blood blister want me to burst it?

new school
- yearly check up & worming £120
- Q. is that lump on dogs back something I should worry about? A. we should take a biopsy £60, send for test £150 & arrange another appointment to discuss next steps £120, oh, and its probably best is we anesthetise dog for biopsy £150

How much would you want per hour as a vet after the cost of running a business?

Overheads are shocking, i've just been doing a business plan for setting up a garage and to make min wage you need to charge £55/hr..insurance, utilities, pension contribs,wages, promo, employer ni, rent, equipment depreciation, it's amazing anyone does anything for less than £75/hr

I think you forget your income has no overheads and no tax.

[ShaunWhite]

You mean other people pay my doctor through taxation.

Dear Mr Chancellor,
How about charging for doctors and refunding people via taxation to stop the scroungers.
.

[sionascaig]

Overheads are shocking, i've just been doing a business plan for setting up a garage and to make min wage you need to charge £55/hr..insurance, utilities, pension contribs,wages, promo, employer ni, rent, equipment depreciation, it's amazing anyone does anything for less than £75/hr

I wouldn't disagree with you on that. I had to produce a business plan for a start up brewery not that long ago - scary mary & respect to those small business owners who take on the risk. Have you thought about working capital requirements on top of all that expense as well - was enough to sink the brewery plans...

The point I was trying to make that as a private practice it was doing well on its fee structure (the example above was from a 15min appointment), however when private equity took over it became more about extracting money from customers than providing a "good" service. Most of that money will be going to the investors not the highly qualified vets.

[greenmark]

Doctors don't charge £145 to see you at short notice, £136 for a blood test or £30 for seven tablets!

But they would if the NHS was privatised. And forget "insurance" you can't get insured if you have an existing, expensive condition.

[Derek27]

Tobacconists that keep a firm grip of your cigarettes until the card transaction is accepted!!

It's not as if I was gonna open the pack and light one up on the spot!

[greenmark]

But it's interesting to me that vets are usually private, but the market hasn't balanced demand with supply, or made vets more efficient.

Like you say it's harder to be a vet than a doctor, more physiological differences between clients and they can't explain what's wrong. Not great wages either given the 6yrs of paying for uni.

I guess it's got expensive to set up a practice, x-ray machines, property big enough for cages and kennels, staff etc. My dentist reckons you need 200k to start a dental practice and they don't even have kennels

And I think a lot of the new vets go for the easy option of doing commercial work, cattle, sheep, horses etc because they don't need a surgery, it's all visiting, all profit.

Does anyone set up a "practice" from scratch? On their own. Are they not all partnerships?
But, yes look at the kit a dentist or vet needs and it requires a huge level of confidence in your own ability.
I'm not diminishing that whatsoever. We need more of these people.
But the lack of dentists on the NHS is something that makes me incandescent with rage.

[ShaunWhite]

The point I was trying to make that as a private practice it was doing well on its fee structure (the example above was from a 15min appointment), however when private equity took over it became more about extracting money from customers than providing a "good" service. Most of that money will be going to the investors not the highly qualified vets.

V true, franchises take their cut too.

I wonder if there's a correlation between a shortage of dentists, vets and apparently solicitors too and the ending of free uni places? Imo courses that lead to professions we rely on ought to be subsidised, but that would be a subjective nightmare.

Probably just my age but when I was 18 only the top 10% went to uni and the courses were all pretty heavy (aka useful) . Free uni was tax payer money well spent then.

[Derek27]

Whenever the market gets suspended, the thought flashes though my mind, have I got time to do the washing up!

[sionascaig]

Probably just my age but when I was 18 only the top 10% went to uni and the courses were all pretty heavy (aka useful) . Free uni was tax payer money well spent then.

I must be older than you. When I went its was 5% went to uni & 5% of that got 1st's. Now its more like 60% go & 40% get 1st's.... a 1st is virtually meaningless now compared to the old days.

[firlandsfarm]

I wonder if there's a correlation between a shortage of dentists, vets and apparently solicitors too and the ending of free uni places? Imo courses that lead to professions we rely on ought to be subsidised, but that would be a subjective nightmare.

Probably just my age but when I was 18 only the top 10% went to uni and the courses were all pretty heavy (aka useful) . Free uni was tax payer money well spent then.

+1 to that Shaun. It used to be considered a success if you made it to university now it's considered a failure if you don't. As for the shortages the trouble is you can't force subjects on people but I like your idea of subsidising or totally funding degrees in the subjects where we have shortages.

[Glidril]

Doctors don't charge £145 to see you at short notice, £136 for a blood test or £30 for seven tablets!

Ive paid more than that in phone calls just trying to get through to the receptionist
My personal gripe :-
20 mins to get through to book an appointment THEY have requested me to make
hallo can I book a blah test appt please?
erm we have nothing available for the next 2 weeks
OK no problem I can wait- what do you have after that?
oh sorry we cant take bookings longer than 2 weeks
what you have to do is phone up every morning and see if you get an appt
and they wonder why they get abuse