Independent and locally owned for over 100 years
Our focus isn't about being the cheapest veterinary practice but about offering the best value service with skilled experienced vets, a wide-range of internal referral services, Saturday & Sunday consultations and a range of locations across Cumbria.Our practice has deep roots in Cumbria with a history stretching back to the 1920s. Over that time we have protected our independence, championed our values and provided care for our patients focused on achieving the best possible outcomes for the patient and for the pet owner.
Over the years, our facilities and our team have grown. While there are now many familiar faces at Millcroft, we remain "big enough to cope, yet small enough to care".
We value the history and heritage of our practice and the local area, and we recognise that the “old-fashioned” local vet–client relationship is what shaped who we are today. These long-standing relationships, and the continuity that comes with them, are extremely important to us.
Continuity not only means better care for your pet, it also means you don’t have to take a deep breath and explain your pet’s history all over again. Please feel free to ask to see a specific vet when making an appointment. Our Meet The Team page can help you put a name to a familiar face.
With our central hub in Cockermouth providing a 24-hour emergency service including Saturday and Sunday consultations, and branches in Workington, Keswick, Aspatria, Maryport and Egremont all providing friendly, dedicated teams to their communities, we provide the best care we can to pets and their owners throughout the area.
And there’s something about the Lake District that gets under your skin, because we are passionate about our community too. We sponsor local cricket, rugby and football teams; work closely with our local Young Farmer Clubs; visit schools to inspire the next generation; work with Dogs Trust, Blue Cross, PDSA, Cats Protection and local animal charities to make sure we can provide affordable care to the people and pets who need it most; Protect our local environment by working with our farmers to best use and minimise medicines as well as the National Trust and Bee Veterinary Society.
We are proud to hire over 90 staff members from the local community and pay them fairly. As a locally owned small business we pay tax directly back into our local community unlike internet pharmacies and many of the larger veterinary practice chains that own them.
In 1999, a change to the Veterinary Surgeons Act was made to allow ownership of a veterinary practices by a non veterinary surgeon. This was the start of the "corporatisation" of veterinary practice, something that has been featured a lot recently in the news and media, and a driving factor behind a decrease in value in veterinary services nationwide.
Our directors currently are, and always have been going back 100 years, veterinary surgeons who live and work in the community. Many of them will be familiar faces. This means you are often working with, or can readily speak directly with, one of the business owners if you have any concerns.
Our focus isn't about being the cheapest veterinary practice but about offering the best value service with skilled experienced vets, a wide-range of internal referral services, Saturday & Sunday consultations and a range of locations across Cumbria.
Our current generation of vets, nurses and support team professionals share the vision and legacy of those who preceded them – to put the care of your animals first and foremost in the services they provide and make sure that Millcroft Vets will be here in another 100 years.
The best care for pets, farms and equines
With our central hub in Cockermouth providing a 24-hour emergency service, and branches in Workington, Keswick, Aspatria, Maryport and Egremont all providing friendly, dedicated teams to their communities, we provide the best service we can to pets and their owners throughout the area.
Our extensive farm team knows and cares deeply about our local farming communities. From the sheep on the Lake District fells to the dairies of the Solway plain we are pasture-based, our farming families know their husbandry well and run good quality stock. We respect that and work closely with our clients to provide catered care for individual business needs.
Our equine team is growing and provides a first opinion service, both in-house at our Cockermouth facility and ambulatory at your yard or stables. We cater our service to local needs, with a strong network of referral contacts for more complex procedures.
Looking forwards, with roots in our past
We’re constantly looking to invest and improve, from introducing new directors to the practice in 2021 and 2023, to launching our innovative, revamped Lifetime Care Club with unlimited consultations for our small animal members, also in 2023.
Every decision we make is in the best interests of our patients and clients, something that is made possible by our independent status – which is the reason Millcroft exists.
In 1999 Croft and Millfields Vets merged to form Millcroft. We centred our service in Cockermouth with sites in Workington and Maryport. We’ve grown organically from there as like-minded practices in the area have joined our mission to provide the best veterinary care in Cumbria.
From JRW Sedgwick in Cockermouth who joined Millcroft in 2010, to R&J Gilbert in Greta Bank who followed in 2011, as our practice has grown the Millcroft ideal that we run our practices with the care of our patients at the forefront of our mind has developed.
And we won’t stop there. We’re committed to continuing our evolution, with a focus on becoming increasingly sustainable while investing in facilities and staff to stay on the cutting edge of providing the best service possible for pets, farm animals and equines.
