Twilight Veterinary Surgeon - Referral Environment

Vetted Recruitment Limited; Chester; On-site; GBP 66,000 - 80,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Health cash plan

Employee Assistance Programme

Wellbeing champions

Enhanced family leave

Staff pet-care discounts

Free on-site parking

Visa Sponsorship available

RCVS/VDS fees paid

CPD allowance

Job summary

Vetted Recruitment Limited is seeking an experienced small animal Veterinary Surgeon for a dedicated 24/7 emergency and out-of-hours service near Chester. The role combines a varied emergency caseload with clinical support, advanced facilities and flexible shift patterns.

Part-time, annualised hours at about 22.83 per week, twilight shifts 2pm–midnight (Mon–Fri) and 2pm–1am (Sat–Sun). Salary up to £72,800 FTE; fees covered; extensive CPD and benefits provided.

Qualifications

• Two years or more postgraduate experience in small animal emergency care.
• Strong medical and surgical skills with ECC focus.
• Clear communication with clients, referrers and colleagues.

Responsibilities

• Assess and stabilise emergency patients.
• Plan investigations and treatment.
• Manage inpatient care and handovers for continuity.
• Explain options and decisions to owners.

Skills

Small animal ECC experience

Medical and surgical skills

Client communication

Education

BVMS/BVMS or equivalent

Job description

Build your emergency and critical care expertise while keeping substantial time away from the rota.

This twilight Veterinary Surgeon role combines a varied small animal emergency caseload with experienced clinical support, advanced facilities and a choice of shift patterns. We are seeking an experienced small animal vet for a dedicated 24/7 emergency and out-of-hours service near Chester. You’ll provide care when pets need it most, with the opportunity to take ownership of cases and develop your clinical judgement.

The role

Working in a modern, fully equipped referral hospital environment, you’ll have access to advanced diagnostic and surgical facilities. The service supports local first-opinion practices and provides ongoing care for hospitalised veterinary patients, bringing variety across emergency presentations, medical workups, critical care and emergency surgery. You’ll assess and stabilise patients, plan investigations and treatment, manage inpatient care and provide clear handovers to support continuity. Just as importantly, you’ll help owners understand their options and make informed decisions at difficult moments. Independent decision-making is part of the role, but support is available from experienced multidisciplinary colleagues and on-call referral clinicians. The organisation is also recruiting an ECC specialist for Mondays and Tuesdays, with the intention of creating further opportunities for clinical development and mentoring.

About you

You’ll bring at least two years’ postgraduate experience as a small animal Veterinary Surgeon, strong medical and surgical skills, and a genuine interest in emergency and critical care. You should be comfortable managing emergency presentations, inpatient care, medical investigations and emergency surgical cases. Confidence taking responsibility for clinical decisions matters, alongside the judgement to seek advice and collaborate when needed. Clear communication with clients, referring practices and colleagues will be central to your work. This role would suit someone who values excellent patient care, calm client support and continued development of their ECC knowledge.

Hours and rota

This is a part-time position on annualised hours, averaging 22.83 hours per week. Rota options are three shifts on, seven off followed by four on, seven off, or seven on, fourteen off. Twilight shifts run from 2pm to midnight Monday to Friday, and 2pm to 1am on Saturdays and Sundays.

Salary, development and benefits

The salary is up to £72,800 full-time equivalent, depending on experience. RCVS and VDS fees are paid in full. Development support includes a generous CPD allowance, access to a veterinary reference library and more than 450 courses, plus fully funded postgraduate qualifications such as CertAVP and PgCert, with tuition, examinations and study leave covered. Specialist telemedicine advice, wider clinical support networks and regional clinical mentoring provide additional case support. Based near Chester, the role offers access to Liverpool, North Wales, the Wirral, the Lake District and two nearby airports.

• RCVS and VDS fees are paid in full.
• a health cash plan
• an Employee Assistance Programme
• wellbeing champions
• enhanced family leave policies
• staff pet-care discounts including 50% off services and discounts on food and medications
• free on-site parking
• Visa Sponsorship available.

You must be a qualified Veterinary Surgeon and eligible to register with the RCVS to be considered for this role.