Proudly Independent – Why Your Choice Matters
October 14, 2026
Proudly Independent – Why Your Choice Matters
At Nurture, we’re incredibly proud to be an independently owned veterinary practice, and we’d like to thank you for choosing to support us.
You may have seen recent headlines about the Competition and Markets Authority’s (CMA) investigation into the veterinary industry. Its findings were revealing average prices for consultations, treatments and medicines at five large corporate veterinary groups were 16.6% higher than at independent practices.
Do you know who owns your vet?
Many pet owners are unaware that their local veterinary practice is actually owned by a large corporate group.
Interestingly, one of the UK’s largest veterinary companies, formerly called Independent Vetcare Limited (IVC), were forced to change its name to Inspiring Vet Care in March 2026. Despite its former name, the company owns hundreds of practices across the country.
This highlights why transparency about veterinary ownership is so important.
Why independence matters to us
Being independent means we make our own decisions, guided by what we believe is best for our patients, clients and local community.
It also means providing continuity of care. Our Wells hospital operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, so if your pet becomes seriously unwell overnight, you know exactly where to go.
Sadly, we’ve met pet owners who only discovered during an emergency that their practice’s out-of-hours service was an hour or more away.
Accessible emergency care in familiar surroundings reduces stress for pets and their owners. Knowing staff who can easily clinical records quickly can make a real difference when pets are unwell.
Thank you for supporting independent veterinary care. Your trust allows us to continue investing in our people, facilities and the compassionate, personal service we believe every pet deserves.
With best wishes,
The Nurture Team
