Marking the 40th anniversary of NationWide Laboratories, David Charvill, director of laboratory services, discusses how the sector has changed and how client feedback has driven the development of services to meet the evolving needs of vets in practice. He also shares his vision of how technology will affect the future of veterinary diagnostic laboratory services.
“Over the last 40 years, NationWide Laboratories has gone from a small lab in the northwest of England supporting local practices with the testing of samples, to one of the UK’s leading veterinary diagnostic laboratories with sites across the UK,” explains David.
Originally North Western Laboratories, the company was purchased by Dechra and then went on to be part of the wholesaling group National Veterinary Services Limited. Cambridge Specialist Laboratories, offering specialist endocrinology testing and contract research, and Abbey Veterinary Services, experts in histology, were acquired to expand the service offering.
David readily agrees that the company has picked up a vast amount of experience and expertise along the way: “I’m proud to say that today the scope of our work extends well beyond general diagnostics. We don’t only offer a comprehensive laboratory diagnostics package for all types of practices, but also have resources and expertise to carry out project work for multiple clients. We provide a complete histopathology service and any type of esoteric assay procedure, and offer support for customised projects.”
‘We don’t only offer a comprehensive laboratory diagnostics package for all types of practices, but also have resources and expertise to carry out project work for multiple clients’
He adds: “We’ve been around a long time, so even though we’ve changed directions and expanded services, the business has seen quite a lot of continuity. We’ve got a high number of team members who’ve been with us for 20-plus years and have seen those changes through. What has never changed, though, is our passion for animal welfare and a people-first attitude. We know our customers well and have a familiar relationship with them, working together as an extended team to provide the best possible service for the animals in their care.”
Responding to change
Asked about how the sector has changed in the last 40 years, David is animated. “The veterinary sector has changed dramatically. The corporatisation of the veterinary industry has meant that the way people work and the way they interact has changed. From our point of view, we’ve had to adapt to that and change with it to be able to offer services to clients of all different sizes and types. So, from mobile vets all the way through to corporate practices, we’ve had to diversify what we’re doing.
“The landscape has changed. It used to be that practices didn’t necessarily have the technology in-house to do things themselves. Over time we’re seeing more in-clinic testing, but practices always need the support of a lab and experts who can help them interpret those results. And that’s where we come in.
‘The landscape has changed. It used to be that practices didn’t necessarily have the technology in-house to do things themselves. Over time we’re seeing more in-clinic testing, but practices always need the support of a lab and experts who can help them interpret those results’
“We work with clients from a whole range of backgrounds – from companion animal practices to farm animals to zoos – so one of the things we do as a laboratory is to tailor our services to the client’s specific needs. For example, if a zoo needs specific profiles for their animals which don’t match anything in our standard list, we’re happy to work with them on developing different test profiles that are more relevant for them and meet their particular needs. We work with them to build what they need to look after their animals and run their business.
“That’s one of the things we pride ourselves on: that close relationship with vet practices and our other types of clients. Our experts are always available to talk to our clients and help them fulfil their diagnostic, therapeutic and business objectives.”
David is thoughtful on the subject of staying abreast of technological and research developments. “We’re constantly looking at how to support our clients better and focus on keeping up to date with all the most recent advancements. Our clinical and anatomical pathologists are experts in their fields and constantly working to stay up to date with the latest information. Everyone in our pathology team has their area of specialisation, so when a complex case comes in our clients can be absolutely certain that the best people are looking at it.
“At the moment everything’s moving towards digitalisation, so we’ve recently invested in our digital pathology system which allows us to digitise the slides, improve turnaround times and utilise resources not just locally, but across the world as well.
“We also work closely with our sister company, VetIT, to develop more integration into veterinary practices and generate a more joined-up approach to working. It’s becoming more and more important to bring all the different aspects of the business closer together. Being part of NVS Group allows us to utilise that flow of information to continually improve our service for our customers. That’s one of our big things.
“Our investment programme ensures that we have capacity and technical capabilities to guarantee successful partnerships with veterinary practices, universities, research institutions, etc,”explains David. “We’re constantly looking for the new innovative tests that give us an edge in the marketplace. For example, we’re now offering the Nu.Q Vet Cancer Test as part of our package. This is a test for early detection of cancer in dogs.
“We are looking to offer it as a part of our general health check and wellness package, so that we can add to the information that we are giving to our clients about the animals that come into their practice. I think the owners would like to have this information before things become apparent, before it is too late to do something about it, because the dog is part of the family, isn’t it? Our first tests have gone through the system since London Vet Show.”
‘These new technologies and new ways of doing things let us work closer with the practices to give them more information to be able to make the decisions that they need to make’
He is clearly excited by the possibilities: “These new technologies and new ways of doing things let us work closer with the practices to give them more information to be able to make the decisions that they need to make.”
It’s personal
A key theme of London Vet Show this year has been communication and its importance in vet practice. NationWide Laboratories practises a customer-centred approach and David emphasises how keen the company is to gather and respond to feedback from clients.
“We want to know how we could do it better. We have the Customer Voice feedback programme, where we’re constantly communicating with our clients to find out what it is they want and need from us. Whether feedback is good or bad, we try and act straight away to get resolution for those clients. We want people to feel like we’re taking them seriously – that they’re actively engaging with the business and that we’re actively engaging with them.
‘Whether feedback is good or bad, we try and act straight away to get resolution for those clients. We want people to feel like we’re taking them seriously’
“That feedback has helped us drive decision-making processes, so we use that to make the customer journey easier. We’ve brought in an online portal, a courier booking app and various bespoke profiles for our clients. Those developments are based on the feedback and interactions that we’ve had with them. We also have a range of CPD packages available on different platforms, which all helps us to remain relevant to veterinary professionals.”
It’s clear that the company takes pride in a personal approach and strives to act as part of a client’s practice team. “We want our clients to be able to feel like they can contact us any time with any issues that they have,” says David. “Our pathologists and lab experts are accessible, so clients can phone up, talk to them and ask any questions or discuss their results. Even in our digital age when companies introduce online chat bots and such like, we encourage human interaction because we know that there is an animal’s health and well-being at stake.
“We see that vets in practice are extremely busy people and we want to just help make their life a bit easier. It’s really important to us that our clients feel they can rely on us and say, ‘Right, I don’t need to worry about my lab results because I know that NationWide Laboratories is going to deliver what they say they’re going to deliver.’ Then if they do have a difficult case, they know that we’re available to deal with any questions they have, or any extra support that they need. We will go above and beyond. That’s what we do.”
The future is about supporting decision making
Over the next decade, David sees NationWide Laboratories developing firmly alongside emerging technologies like AI to better serve the veterinary community.
“I think in the next 10 years we’re going to end up with a more integrated approach into practices. Digitalisation will bring us closer to the patient and provide high-quality information to make decisions on treatments and how to improve the health and welfare of animals. It will give people more and more choice. As part of this, technologies like AI will start to play more of a role, but we’re still going to need that support from experts within the field.
“I see that’s where NationWide Laboratories will stand out: by having the skills to be able to support practices through integration and using our expertise to help them make the best decisions.”
‘Digitalisation will bring us closer to the patient and provide high-quality information to make decisions on treatments and how to improve the health and welfare of animals’
About NationWide Laboratories
NationWide Laboratories is committed to making a positive impact on animal health by offering innovative products, technology and laboratory services. They offer friendly advice and rapid, reliable results to help fulfil your diagnostic and therapeutic objectives, and their expert teams can assist you in making decisions on relevant testing for companion, exotic and farm animals. They offer full interpretation across a range of testing areas, including biochemistry, haematology, cytology, histopathology, endocrinology, microbiology and more.
NationWide Laboratories is focused on keeping their service modern and relevant to the veterinary field. They have added a new, extra-fast and super-efficient slide digitalisation system into the workflow, which means improved turnaround times and better first-time results for you. They are also able to receive images from practices and offer a slide scanning service.
NationWide Laboratories is customer focused, passionate about animal welfare and always advancing! Their teams have the depth of knowledge and experience to help you help your clients.
To learn more please visit their website and follow them on LinkedIn and Twitter.
