Our practice behind the scenes

Ever wondered what goes on behind the consultation room?

Each month, we will be having a look at our Charter practices behind the scenes; taking a sneaky peek at all of the hard work our teams put in to deliver the very best care we can for your pets. First up, it’s our twice daily hospital ward rounds. 

Both of our veterinary hospitals at Roundswell and Ilfracombe are staffed 24 hours a day by our dedicated nursing teams. So the first job of the working day for our team is the ward round; a chance for the duty nurse who has been in charge all night to hand over patient care to the incoming team. 

What happens during a ward round? 

Morning ward rounds are attended not only by our clinical team but also by our veterinary client support team (VCST). The VCST are your first point of contact at Charter Vets so it’s  important that they have an understanding of the patients in our care in addition to our clinical team.

Each morning, the duty nurse will provide the vets and nursing team with an update from the previous night. Each patient will be discussed thoroughly which vets will review, and a treatment plan made for the day ahead. All patients will then be monitored closely throughout the day by our nursing team and comprehensive notes made regarding their eating, drinking, toileting and general demeanour.

In addition to our Registered Veterinary Nurses, we have a team of Animal Nursing Assistants (ANAs) whose role is to stay within the ward, monitoring and providing essential inpatient care throughout the day. ANAs have a busy and varied day, completing many tasks to ensure the best care for your pets throughout their stay in our hospital. An ANA’s day will include regularly monitoring temperature, pulse and respiratory readings and observing behaviour in addition to exercising, grooming and feeding inpatients.  They will also spend time with the animals, providing reassurance and comfort. 

A second ward round takes place late afternoon. This time, each patient’s progress is discussed and a plan made for the evening’s inpatients. Each case is individual and will require differing levels of care throughout the night but nurse checks and observation recordings will be made at frequent intervals until the morning. Where possible, those who are able will be given peace and quiet to get as much rest as they can before the day begins with the first check again at 6am.