The new clinical director for a group of veterinary practices across London and Hertfordshire looks sure to take the promotion in her stride.
Dr Ceri Davies, who regularly competes in marathons, was always the front runner for the key role at Chess Veterinary Clinics and Blythwood Vets, which are both owned by Linnaeus.
Naturally, she’s now determined that the six surgeries involved will set the pace in delivering the best veterinary care across the region.
Dr Davies said: “This is a new and exciting challenge for me and my main ambition is to ensure both Chess and Blythwood continue to provide a full, high quality service to our clients and patients.
“I have worked at Chess for nine years, most recently with the responsibility of being lead vet for the Rickmansworth and Chorleywood practices in Hertfordshire.
“Now, I’ve moved up to become clinical director for Chess and also for Blythwood Vets, which has its own surgeries in Hatch End, Bushey, Northwood and Stanmore.
“I am excited to have the chance to also work with the excellent team at Blythwood, where everyone has been very friendly, lovely and welcoming.
“I’m particularly keen to see what skills and processes the Chess and Blythwood practices can share to support each other and continue to improve our services across the board.
“My experiences as lead vet will certainly be very useful in this new, expanded role.
“An important element is also to support the clinical team by reviewing and promoting high standards and quality improvement to ensure a high level of patient care.
“It also involves opening up and improving communication within the team and clients, ensuring smooth working relationships within the practice team with high levels of engagement, productivity as well as maintaining staff wellbeing.
“I’ve also supported continued education and training for staff members, while still maintaining an active clinical role myself.
“All of these will remain important areas for me as I embark on this new role.
“I will also focus foremost on maintaining the high-quality services we provide to our clients and then I will see what improved or additional primary care services we can go on to offer.
“I am fortunate that I have a lot of both young and experienced team members looking to expand their skill range and I will definitely look to support this.
“For while I enjoy being hands on and interacting with clients and their pets, I also enjoy watching other members of the team flourish and their careers progress.”
Dr Davies, who grew up in Hertfordshire, graduated from the Royal Veterinary College in 2011 and joined Chess Vets in 2014.
She became lead vet in 2020 when Chess joined the Linnaeus family. She has two pet degus called Flick and Twiglet and has taken part in multiple marathons in the UK and abroad, along with completing ultraruns.
