Resources
Vet practice rotas, plainly.
Methods, templates and the rules of the trade: on-call, working time, fairness, vet nurses. Written for people who run a practice, no jargon.
News · Employment law · 5 min · updated 5 October 2026
Employment Rights Act 2025: what changes for vet practice rotas, and when.
First measures in force in 2026, zero-hours rules due in 2027: what the Employment Rights Act 2025 changes for vet rotas, including notice of shifts.
Read →Method · Annual leave · 7 min
Annual leave and absence: keeping a vet practice rota fair.
A request deadline, how many people off at once per skill, rotation for the weeks everyone wants, and an arbitration rule announced in advance.
Read →Working time · On-call · 5 min
On-call vets in Ireland: when does on-call count as working time?
On-call at home or on-site duty: what counts as working time for Irish vet practices, the Matzak case and what to put in the contract.
Read →Working time · On-call · 5 min
On-call vets in the UK: when does on-call count as working time?
On-call at home or on-site duty: what counts as working time for UK vet practices under the Working Time Regulations, and what to put in writing.
Read →Working time · Nights · 5 min
Night workers in Irish vet practices: the 8-hour average.
Night time from midnight to 7am, night workers, an 8-hour average over two months: the rules for spreading nights in an Irish vet practice.
Read →Working time · Nights · 5 min
Night workers in UK vet practices: the 8-hour average.
Night workers, an 8-hour average, 11 hours’ rest: the Working Time Regulations rules for spreading nights in a UK vet practice.
Read →Working time · Organisation · 5 min
Three long days a week for vets and vet nurses in Ireland: rest and the 48-hour average.
Three 12-hour days instead of five: what Irish law allows, with 11 hours’ rest, breaks, weekly rest and the 48-hour average over 4 months.
Read →Working time · Organisation · 5 min
Three long days a week for vets and vet nurses in the UK: rest and the 48-hour average.
Three 12-hour days instead of five: what the Working Time Regulations allow, with 11 hours’ rest, breaks, weekly rest and the opt-out.
Read →Guide · Template · 5 min
Vet practice rota template: the structure that holds, and where it breaks.
The four columns that matter, one row per person, counters at the end of each row and cover per slot, with the 48-hour average always in view.
Read →Method · 6 min
Out-of-hours rota for Irish vet practices: the method in 4 steps.
24-hour emergency cover under the VCI Code, 11 hours’ rest, weekly rest and fairness over time: how to build on-call with the month.
Read →Method · 6 min
Out-of-hours rota for UK vet practices: the method in 4 steps.
24-hour emergency first aid under the RCVS guidance, 11 hours’ rest, weekly rest and fairness over time: how to build on-call with the month.
Read →Method · 5 min
Vet nurses and vets on one rota.
The vet nurse rota: its own needs, hours and shifts, but built in the same month as the vets’ rota.
Read →Reference · 6 min
Working time rules for Irish vet practices: the OWT Act 1997 in one table.
No sector agreement, one act: 48-hour average, 11 hours’ rest, breaks, weekly rest, Sunday work and night workers under the OWT Act 1997.
Read →Reference · 6 min
Working Time Regulations for UK vet practices, in one table.
No sector agreement: the 48-hour average and opt-out, 11 hours’ rest, breaks, weekly rest, night workers and records under the WTR 1998.
Read →Method · Worked example · 6 min
Fair night on-call: how to share it out properly.
Each person’s share with its margin, a twelve-month memory and published counters: the method for sharing night on-call fairly.
Read →Reference · Rest · 5 min
Rest after on-call in Irish vet practices: the 11 hours, case by case.
11 hours in every 24, 24 hours a week, on site or on call: the rest Irish law requires after an on-call night in a vet practice.
Read →Reference · Rest · 5 min
Rest after on-call in UK vet practices: the 11 hours, case by case.
11 hours in every 24, weekly rest, on site or on call: the rest the Working Time Regulations require after an on-call night.
Read →Method · 5 min
On-call swaps between colleagues: the four rules of a clean swap.
Offer, accept, approve, record: how to organise on-call swaps without breaking rest or skewing fairness.
Read →Buyer’s guide · 7 min
Choosing rota software for an Irish vet practice, criterion by criterion.
Who builds the month, fairness, rules, the OWT Act, vet nurses, working time records and price: the questions to ask in a rota software demo.
Read →Buyer’s guide · 7 min
Choosing rota software for a UK vet practice, criterion by criterion.
Who builds the month, fairness, rules, the Working Time Regulations, vet nurses, records and price: the questions to ask in a rota software demo.
Read →Legal duty · Ireland · 5 min
Working time records: what an Irish vet practice must keep for three years.
Hours each week, leave, the OWT1 form or a clocking system, three years at the workplace: the working time records Irish law requires.
Read →Legal duty · UK · 5 min
Do UK vet practices still have to record daily hours? Regulation 9 since 2024.
Since January 2024, daily hours need not be recorded if compliance can be shown: what regulation 9 still requires of a UK vet practice.
Read →Featured
Djed or the spreadsheet: the honest comparison
The before and after of the same month, in the same practice: what the Sunday evening spreadsheet costs and what a rota engine changes.
See the comparison →Build your first month in 10 minutes.
A 14-day trial on your real rota, on-call and out-of-hours included.