Veterinary Care Assistant - HDU/Wards

Your Future in Veterinary

Join our dedicated and passionate team as a Veterinary Care Assistant (HDU/Wards), where you'll play a vital role in delivering the highest level of care to our patients. In this vital role, you’ll assist with a variety of tasks in our High Dependancy Unit and Ward settings, ensuring that our hospital delivers the best possible care to patients and the highest service to clients.

Key Responsibilities

As a VCA, your daily duties will include:

• Walking patients, feeding, kennel cleaning and laundry.
• Ordering supplies, cleaning and preparing surgical theatres and sterilising instruments
• Completing patient treatment sheets, admitting patients onto the system, recording weights, and updating the ward board.
• Maintain a high-level of infection prevention control throughout our hospital.
• Supporting our nurses and clinicians each day.

A hospital designed for excellence

Located just outside High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, Hamilton Specialist Referrals (HSR) is a purpose-built, 24-hour veterinary hospital equipped with state-of-the-art facilities to deliver advanced treatments for cats and dogs, along with exceptional rehabilitation and physiotherapy services.

Even as a large team, we are dedicated to fostering a friendly and supportive culture that emphasizes growth, clinical excellence, and gold-standard patient care.

What Skills You'll Need

We are looking for a candidate with experience in animal care or handling, ideally complemented by relevant Animal Care qualifications. This role requires strong interpersonal skills, the ability to work independently and collaboratively, as well as excellent time management and attention to detail. Effective written and verbal communication, adaptability in a fast-paced environment, initiative, professionalism, and resilience are key to success in this position. Flexibility to work additional hours when needed to support the hospital’s demands and patient care is also essential.

Working Pattern

This role is full-time, 40 hours per week which consists of five 8-hour shifts each week, with a 30-minute unpaid break each day. Shifts are scheduled on a rota between 07:00 and 20:30, typically following a consistent weekly pattern. You’ll work one in every six weekends, with time off in lieu provided, and cover two bank holidays per year, shared equitably within the team.

Our people are at the heart of what we do

We recognise that our people are fundamental to the success of our business. Investing in our people, premises and processes is at the heart of what we do. In addition to a competitive salary you will benefit from:

• 6.6Weeks annual leave
• Additional annual leave for your birthday which will be added to your holiday allowance
• Enhanced family-friendly policies, including maternity/ paternity/ adoption/ shared parental and surrogacy pay
• Cycle to work scheme
• Initiatives focused on employee wellbeing
• Non-accidental injury support
• Learning and development opportunities via the IVC Evidensia Academy
• Pawsome Benefits - reward gateway giving discounts and cashback with 100's of retailers
• Pension scheme
• Discounted staff pet care