Creature Comforts: start-up vet practice opens first clinic

Veterinary start-up practice Creature Comforts has opened its first clinic in London’s Notting Hill, with more set to open from May onwards.

Described as a veterinary tech start-up, it was founded in 2023 by vet Russell Welsh and online estate agent entrepreneur Daniel Attia. The venture raised £10 million in seed capital and said its mission was to dramatically improve the working lives of vet teams.

The first clinic is now welcoming pets and their owners, having operated a waiting list and signing up clients to 12-month memberships ahead of the first opening.

Expansion

Creature Comforts is opening a second site next month in St John’s Wood at the end of May, a third – also in London – towards the end of this year and a further five more in the capital in 2025.

It says that through innovations such as seamless technology that reduces administration, it is aiming to transform working conditions, while members of the team benefit from a share in clinic profits, compensated overtime, a well-balanced staffing ratio, manageable working hours and scheduled breaks.

The Notting Hill team is led by Sam Joseph, who co-founded StreetVet and is a cardiology certificate holder, while Simon Hayes is the company’s CVO and will oversee teams across all sites.

‘Ripe for transformation’

Dr Welsh, who is chief operating officer as well as co-founder, said: “It’s an incredible feeling to see a plan come together in a sector that’s so ripe for transformation. We want to bring the passion, joy and fun back to our profession, and this is an opportunity to do things differently and vastly better, with a fresh and carefully-considered business model founded on the principles of health and happiness. This is vet care as it should be.

“Our first clinic is everything we hoped it would be – modern, welcoming and beautiful, with lilac tones on the walls chosen to keep pets calm and filled with natural light. The new team is eager to get to know the local community and its animals on first-name terms. We want them dropping in as often as possible to sample our pet pick and mix bar, grab a toy from our treat wall or enjoy a superb coffee.”