The Hampshire Vet began with a question familiar to many independent founders: if we could design the service from the ground up, what would we refuse to compromise? For Emily Scott and Jamie Cole, one answer was continuity of care—especially after the normal working day ends.
A practice designed around continuity
Scott had worked locally for close to a decade, while Cole grew up in the area. Together they created a Basingstoke practice that could keep hospitalised animals on site overnight rather than automatically transferring them elsewhere. The clinic describes that model as unique in the town.
Independence made visible
Independent ownership is most meaningful when a customer can see what it changes. At The Hampshire Vet, it appears in transparent pricing, named team members, and the ability to shape clinical routines locally. The practice is also accredited through the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons' standards scheme.
Its early growth has been accompanied by strong public feedback and local business recognition, including New Business of the Year and a later wellbeing award. Those signals suggest the practice has paid attention to both sides of veterinary care: the experience of pet owners and the working environment of the people treating their animals.
A local alternative with room to grow
The Hampshire Vet operates in a sector increasingly shaped by consolidation. Its story offers a local counterpoint: clinicians and operators building around a specific community, then earning scale through trust rather than acquiring it. For Basingstoke pet owners searching for who will actually care for an animal overnight, that is practical information, not merely branding.
