Petplan has announced the winners of its 2011 Veterinary Awards. 

The awards are to recognise and celebrate staff and practices throughout the country that have delivered an exceptional level of care to the nation's pets and their owners.   

Alison Andrew, Petplan's Marketing Manager said: "Britain is known to be an animal-loving nation and with millions of households owning cats and dogs, pets play a central part in family life. The Petplan Veterinary Awards give us the opportunity, on behalf of all pet owners across the UK, to thank the veterinary profession for the outstanding service they provide to our pets.

"This is the 12th year of the awards and this year we received over 2,800 nominations, a record number for the vet awards, which really highlights the high regard that the profession and pet owners have for these awards."

The winners for each category are:

VET OF THE YEAR
Alison Laurie, Crown Vets - Highlands
What really stood out about Alison for the independent panel of judges was her clinical excellence, exceptional ability and compassion towards customers and their pets, all of which were highly praised in her nominations.

VET NURSE OF THE YEAR
Maria Corcoran, Orwell Veterinary Group - Ipswich
Maria's ability to naturally lead by example was a prominent factor for the judges, as well as her ability to always make pet care and comfort her top priority. She also provides great customer service and high clinical standards.

VET SUPPORT STAFF OF THE YEAR
Patty Fraser, Loch Leven Equine Practice - Kinross
The independent panel of judges was really impressed by Patty; she is considered to be the 'hub' of the practice and constantly makes a strong contribution to the team in many ways. Her ability to organise and multitask whilst offering excellent customer service is outstanding.

VET PRACTICE OF THE YEAR
Emersons Green Veterinary Surgery Ltd - Avon
Emersons Green Veterinary Surgery's work to continually educate their customers really stood out for the independent panel of judges. The practice works incredibly hard to provide regular newsletters and updates on their Facebook page, which is run by nurses, whilst maintaining a great level of service for their pets and clients. The practice has also been very successful in helping to re-home dogs.

PS: Whilst you're here, take a moment to see our latest job opportunities for vet nurses.