Has the time come to move your veterinary practice?
Moving isn’t an easy task – whether it’s your home or your business. But for many veterinary practice owners, the time will come to move premises.
Perhaps your lease is expiring, or your practice is becoming too small for your growing patient volumes. While relocating can be quite a long and involved process, taking the time to thoroughly plan all aspects of your relocation will ensure your new vet practice is worth all the effort.
1. Think Carefully About Your Design
No doubt you will have a long list of “must-haves” and “wants” that you’d like to have when you move into your new practice. Perhaps you want to improve patient flow or need extra consult rooms. Or maybe you would like separate waiting rooms for cats and dogs. Thinking carefully about what does and doesn’t work within your existing premises is a great place to start when planning your new practice.
By moving to new premises, you may also be able to grow your practice without the space constraints of your previous building. So, it’s worth taking the time to consider your plans for your new location – such as space for additional services or treatment rooms. This can also help to maximise the longevity of your new premises.
2. Plan Ahead To Minimise Downtime
A key element when planning for your vet practice move is your construction and relocation timeline. By working collaboratively with your fit-out specialist, you can plan for the closure of your current premises to correspond with the completion date of your new location. Minimising your periods of closure will ensure you can continue to treat your patients without inconveniencing your clients. It will also reduce the impact on your revenue.
3. Don’t Overlook Industry Regulatory Requirements
In addition to building approvals for your new premises, there are also industry regulations you must adhere to. These regulations vary considerably depending on your state. The regulations are typically administered by your state’s Veterinary Surgeons Board. For Queenslanders, board approval is required when you relocate your vet practice. In NSW, only veterinary hospitals (where general or spinal anesthetic is used) are required to be licensed. In Victoria, there is no license application required. However, all vet premises must adhere to the standards outlined by the Veterinary Practitioners Registration Board of Victoria.
Torenbeek Vet Clinic Relocation
Torenbeek Vet Clinic operated out of a converted house for over 30 years. As the business evolved over the years, it outgrew its premises.
A block of land became available for sale a few hundred metres from the original practice and the vision for the new clinic started to take shape. A purpose-built vet practice was constructed, solving many of the issues at the previous location, such as space constraints, staff facilities, cage space and parking.
The new clinic is much larger and features 3 consult rooms, 1 consult/grieving room and separate cat and dog wards, as well as dog runs. There are 2 surgeries, steri, imaging, lab, pharmacy, treatment and recovery/ISO areas.
