Animal Care Assistant

About the Role

This part-time Animal Care Assistant position is based at Vets Now's emergency clinic in Witham, a busy 24/7 facility serving the East of England. You'll be part of a highly skilled emergency team, working rotating shifts that include evenings and weekends (Monday nights 19:00-00:00, and rotating Saturday/Sunday shifts). The role offers genuine flexibility; the practice actively works around candidate availability.

You'll support the clinical team in delivering emergency and critical care to animals in crisis, helping to create a comfortable and stress-free environment for in-patients during what can be stressful situations for owners and their pets.

Key Responsibilities

• Work under the guidance of Vet Nurses and Vet Surgeons
• Handle patients for basic procedures and assist with running diagnostic tests
• Set up and clear down theatres for surgical procedures
• Ensure all in-patients have their basic husbandry needs met
• Support the clinical team during busy emergency shifts

Requirements

• No prior veterinary experience required
• Willingness to work a rotating shift pattern including evenings and weekends
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, dynamic emergency environment
• Excellent attention to detail and care for animal welfare
• Team player with strong communication skills

Benefits

• £14.00 per hour
• 7 weeks pro rata annual leave
• Birthday paid day off
• Cash Health Plan provided by Simply Health
• Vets Now For You reward gateway with discounts and cashback
• £780 pro rata CPD allowance
• 10 hours paid CPD annually pro rata
• Family-friendly policies including sick, maternity, paternity and adoption pay
• UK Standard Pension contributions (5% Employee/3% Employer)
• Up to 50% discounted staff pet care
• Paid volunteering days
• Death in service benefit of two times annual salary

About the Practice

Vets Now is the UK's leading provider of emergency pet care, operating over 60 dedicated out-of-hours clinics and two 24/7 pet emergency hospitals nationwide. The Witham clinic is part of this network, staffed by highly skilled emergency teams available at the times pet owners need them most. Vets Now is a Disability Confident Employer and actively welcomes applications from candidates of all backgrounds, including those with disabilities and health conditions.