News / Lerwick vet stays closed after Westside takeover
ANIMAL owners needing a vet in Shetland are being asked to phone ahead to avoid delays, after the Lerwick practice was taken over by the islands’ other vet service based in Bixter last week.
Westside Vets confirmed on Wednesday that they had purchased the Lerwick practice, which called in the receivers two weeks ago.
They have appointed a new locum vet to work at their Bixter surgery and have taken on the former owner of the Lerwick practice Jim Tait on a part time basis to help at their Scalloway surgery, bringing the number of trained vets up to six.
The new owners have not bought the old company’s building at 39 Commercial Road, Lerwick, which is owned by former vet Edwin Moar.
To cope with the extra demand Westside Vets have extended their opening hours at Scalloway by half a day a week and employed one receptionist from the Lerwick practice to help.
The new locum vet Alice Bacon has worked in the western isles for the past 18 months, so has experience in the kind of work needed in Shetland.
Westside Vets director Juliet Nicolson said they had taken on all of the Lerwick surgery’s clients, practically doubling their clientele, which is bringing a lot of extra work during the busiest time of year with lambing and calving going on.
“It couldn’t have happened at a worse time of year and at the moment we have just got our heads down and are getting on with the work. A strategy will have to come later,” Mrs Nicolson said.
“I would imagine we will look at recruiting new staff, but we have not got time to train completely new reception staff so the fact that someone from Lerwick was available was useful.”
The Scalloway surgery will now be open on four full days a week and two half days, an increase of half a day. “As we increase staff we can increase the hours,” Mrs Nicolson said.
In the meantime she asked clients to be patient and to phone in advance, especially if they want medication, as a vet has to be available to dispense drugs. “We are finding that people are turning up at the desk and they might have a long wait,” she said.
The Lerwick practice was opened in 1961 by Edwin Moar, who took over from David Clouston as the islands’ only vet.
Jim Tait took over the business in 2003 after working as Mr Moar’s assistant for two years.
Westside Vets opened their Bixter surgery in 1985 and the Scalloway surgery was opened in 2000.
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