Albrighton vets reopening on part-time basis after 'extremely difficult' vet shortages

St George's Vets made the decision to temporarily close the branch on September 1 due to an ongoing clinician shortage, meaning it was unable to maintain an appointment diary.

While the surgery is still not at full capacity, it will reopen on March 6, with vet appointments available for two days a week, while nurse appointments will be available one day a week.

St George's Vets said: "We are reopening the Albrighton branch! We are extremely happy to say that as of week commencing March 6, our Albrighton branch will be opening their doors and offering vet and nurses appointments once again.

"It has been an extremely difficult period dealing with vet shortages, and we are not quite back to full capacity, but we are now able to offer you vet appointments on Mondays and Thursdays and nurse appointments on Wednesdays.

"Thank you for your understanding whilst we worked hard on getting the Albrighton branch back up and running. Our neighbouring branches in Perton, Bushbury and Wolverhampton will also continue to be available to you if need be."

Long-standing senior vet Claire Hindmarsh is also returning to the surgery after a brief break, alongside long-term resident veterinary nurse Ruth Goucher.

British Veterinary Association President Malcolm Morley said: “I’m pleased to hear that St George’s Vets in Albrighton has been able to reopen its doors to the community.

"The practice isn’t alone in dealing with the impact of workforce shortages which are affecting vet teams up and down the country.

"The Covid-19 pandemic, soaring pet ownership and the fallout from Brexit have all had a significant part to play and have exacerbated existing recruitment and retention issues.

"However, through the British Veterinary Association’s Good Veterinary Workplaces initiative, we’re working hard to support vet practices to build happy, healthy, and sustainable teams."