Independent veterinary group, Harrison Family Vets, will open a new practice in Darlington in October, creating six new jobs in a £400,000 investment. The family-owned group’s eleventh practice will be located in a brand-new 2500 square foot development at Faverdale Retail Park, bringing its unique approach to accessible and affordable veterinary care to pet owners in Darlington and the surrounding areas.
The practice has been designed around Harrison Family Vets’ “Fear Free” approach, which aims to reduce fear, anxiety and stress for pets and their owners during veterinary visits. Features across the group’s practices include calming ambient lighting, dedicated pet waiting pods, separate dog and cat wards and consultation spaces designed to provide a relaxed experience.
The site forms part of the group’s continued expansion in the North East, following the successful opening of its tenth practice in Callerton, Newcastle earlier this year.
The new Darlington practice will offer a range of veterinary services, from routine consultations and preventative healthcare through to surgery, dental procedures and diagnostics. Harrison Family Vets’ Total Wellness Plan will also be available, providing preventative care and making veterinary bills more affordable with free unlimited vet consultations, all routine vaccinations, flea and worm treatments, annual health checks, unlimited nail trims, access to an out of hours vet via VidiVet, plus 25% off lifetime medication.
Harrison Family Vets’ launched in Reading in 2021, and has since expanded into Kingswinford, Manchester, Middlesbrough, Doncaster, Wigan, Leeds, Stoke, Sheffield and Newcastle.
Tim Harrison, managing director of Harrison Family Vets, said: “We’re excited to expand into Darlington, which we see as a key location, and we plan to open in more areas next year, which will create further opportunities for talented and ambitious clinic directors, vets, nurses and care coordinators to join our team. “We launched Harrison Family Vets knowing there was room in the market for an independent group, with modern, state of the art practices that provide outstanding, affordable veterinary care focused on the wellbeing of pets and their owners.”
Harrison Family Vets’ Reading clinic became the first veterinary practice outside North America to achieve Fear Free Veterinary Practice Certification in 2023. All Harrison Family Vets team members are completing individual Fear Free Professional Accreditations.
