Scotland’s largest independent veterinary group, Thrums Vets, has been officially recognised as one of the UK’s top employers by the British Veterinary Association (BVA).

In a landmark achievement, Thrums Vets has become one of the first veterinary groups in the country to receive accreditation through the BVA’s prestigious Great Workplaces scheme. This initiative celebrates veterinary practices that demonstrate exceptional workplace culture, leadership, and support for their teams.

With four practices across Angus and Perthshire, in Kirriemuir, Blairgowrie, Forfar and Scone, Thrums serves pets, farm animals, and equine clients. The BVA’s rigorous assessment involved a detailed survey completed by 54 of Thrums’ 60 team members, alongside in-person interviews with 29 staff. The practice was evaluated across four key areas: culture, health and wellbeing, leadership and management, and learning and development.

The accreditor praised Thrums for its inclusive and positive culture, highlighting the team’s psychological wellbeing, autonomy in daily work, and access to proactive support mechanisms such as private health cover, wellbeing apps, and mental health first aiders. Staff reported having adequate time for breaks and learning, with feelings of being overwhelmed described as rare exceptions.

Thrums’ commitment to continuous learning was also commended, with team members encouraged to develop new skills and supported with both time and funding to do so.

Ashley Wilkie, Managing Director at Thrums, said: 

“We’ve worked hard to create a great culture at Thrums where everyone knows they are valued and benefits from first-rate training, development and team building opportunities in a healthy and supportive environment. This means everyone is happy and confident in their work which translates directly into the high level of care and service that our clients and their animals enjoy.

Ultimately, being accredited as a Great Workplace by the BVA is a major coup and highlights our commitment to fostering an excellent workplace culture to both new and existing team members, as well as our clients, so it’s a big achievement for us.”

Elizabeth Mullineaux, President of the BVA, added:

“Congratulations to the whole team at Thrums for this incredible recognition. Creating positive working environments and targeting areas for improvement are key to tackling ongoing workforce challenges around recruitment and retention, so Thrums should be very proud of this success.”

Thrums is a long-standing and valued member of XLVets, actively contributing to our shared commitment to excellence in veterinary care.