Women In Business

Rebekka’s pet project thrives in challenging times

Apassion for animal care has taken Rebekka Fiorani from after school helper to practice director for Clent Hills Vets, which has premises in Bromsgrove town centre, Rubery and Hagley.

Completely Bromsgrove caught up with Rebekka to find out how her career has developed over the past two-and-a-half decades and discuss her future plans.

Rebekka’s long-lasting relationship with the group began in 1996 when she started cleaning kennels at the Hagley Surgery after school to earn some pocket money. After sitting A levels, she joined MSF (later to be known as Countrywide) in Bromsgrove but continued to work on evening reception at the surgery.

“My heart was always in agriculture and I’d always anticipated managing a branch of Countrywide,” she said. “However, that wasn’t forthcoming and in 2002 the practice asked if I’d like to work for them full time.

“I was told I could train as a nurse, pharmacist or practice manager, with a view to taking over from the existing practice manager in four years’ time. In 2004 the practice manager decided to take early retirement and I took over as group practice manager, overseeing the building of the new equine department.”

Five years later Rebekka was thrilled to be invited to join the partnership and since then the practice has gone from strength to strength, moving to larger premises and developing a hydrotherapy centre in Bromsgrove, and opening a surgery in Rubery.

Rebekka has overseen impressive growth at the practice over the past 16 years. In 2004 it had 20 employees and that figure has leapt to 75. She admitted that she and her colleagues “haven’t looked back” following the switch from Stourbridge Road to a more central location.

“It’s been brilliant on so many fronts. We have so much more room and this gives us the opportunity for further growth.”

The practice prides itself on offering a multimodal approach to treatment, as Rebekka explained.

“As well as traditional veterinary medicine, the addition of our pet fitness & rehabilitation centre has enabled us to provide a much more complete healthcare service. Complementary therapies like physiotherapy and hydrotherapy are used alongside a pet’s veterinary treatment plan, to aid and even speed up recovery, and reduce reliance on medication in some cases.” Educating

Rebekka Fiorani of Clent Hills Vets

owners to ensure their pets stay healthy is also important and it seems that animal lovers are keen to learn more. A recent webinar on first aid attracted 125 people and similar events in the future are a possibility.

“When the lockdown was announced in March, we had to turn the business inside out within 48 hours. As an essential service we could stay open, and we did everything we could to make our practices COVID-secure, and ensure that we could provide vital pet healthcare where needed. Some staff were furloughed and routine appointments such as vaccinations and neutering were put back, however, the phone rang incessantly and we’ve been very busy.”

To conclude the interview, we asked Rebekka – who shares an acre of land in Upton Warren with a cat, chickens, alpacas and a tortoise – about her future plans.

“There are no new practices on the horizon as we have three very good ones plus the fitness & rehab centre. Consolidation is the priority – to continue doing what we’re doing and doing it well.” www.clenthillsvets.co.uk