Veterinary Care Assistant

About the Role

This is a weekend-focused position supporting the fast-paced inpatient wards team at a leading referral hospital. You’ll work every other Saturday and Sunday (8am–5pm), plus 1–2 bank holidays per year, making this ideal for those seeking genuine work-life balance without weeknight commitments.

Your day-to-day will involve hands-on animal care: assisting with patient handling during blood sampling and IV placements, providing exercise and toileting, grooming, feeding, and supporting physiotherapy sessions. You’ll also help the team with ward administration and maintain the hospital’s high cleanliness standards. It’s a brilliant opportunity to develop your animal handling expertise and deepen your veterinary knowledge in a supportive, specialist environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Support inpatient care on the wards, assisting with handling patients for clinical procedures and examinations
• Deliver daily animal care including exercise, toileting, grooming, feeding, and physiotherapy support
• Maintain hospital cleanliness and organisation standards across ward areas
• Assist the nursing and veterinary team with ward-based administrative tasks
• Contribute to the wards’ commitment to outstanding patient care and welfare

Requirements

• Animal care or handling experience (essential)
• Level 3 animal care qualification or above
• Experience working in a veterinary practice or kennel environment
• Strong communication and organisational skills
• Proactive approach with excellent time management
• Genuine passion for high-quality patient care
• Hard-working attitude and eagerness to learn

Benefits

• Competitive salary: £5,075 per annum (pro rata for part-time hours)
• 6.6 weeks annual leave (full-time equivalent)
• Additional birthday leave added to your holiday allowance
• Enhanced family-friendly policies including maternity, paternity, adoption, shared parental, and surrogacy pay
• Cycle to work scheme
• Employee wellbeing initiatives
• Non-accidental injury support
• Learning and development via the IVC Evidensia Academy
• Pawsome Benefits – reward gateway with discounts and cashback from 100+ retailers
• Pension scheme
• Discounted staff pet care

About the Practice

Pride Veterinary Referral Centre is a specialist referral hospital serving the East Midlands with state-of-the-art facilities and equipment. The centre operates as part of IVC Evidensia, a leading veterinary group, and specialises in providing world-class patient care through advanced diagnostics and treatments.

The facility is comprehensively equipped with 13 consultation rooms, 7 inpatient wards, 5 operating theatres, a full advanced imaging suite, 3 ultrasound rooms, an endoscopy suite, hydrotherapy pool, treadmills, and a dedicated chemotherapy suite. The team comprises highly trained and experienced veterinarians and nurses dedicated to delivering exceptional care for dogs, cats, and small pets.