South East Vet Referrals is an independent, multi-disciplinary referral centre in Sevenoaks, Kent. We opened in December 2024 to give referring vets, pet owners and specialist clinicians a genuine independent option in the South East, and we have grown carefully around the right people ever since.
We offer referrals across neurology, ophthalmology, internal medicine and oncology, with more services to follow as we find the right clinicians to lead them. We accept referrals from across Kent, Surrey, East Sussex, West Sussex, Essex and South East London.
Why we exist
Most referral work in the region sits inside large corporate groups. We believe there is a better way to do it.
SEVR was set up to increase independent referral options, for three reasons:
- For specialist clinicians who want clinical freedom and the autonomy to do their best work.
- For referring vets who want a local, accessible service and a direct line to the people treating their patient.
- For owners who need fairly priced, available expertise close to home.
That is the whole reason we exist. Everything we do comes back to those three things.
What independence means in practice
Independence is not a marketing word for us. It changes how the centre runs day to day.
- Decisions are made in the building. The people doing the work make the calls. There is no distant head office setting the rules.
- Direct access. When you refer a case, you speak to the same small team every time, and you can reach the clinician treating your patient.
- Fair, transparent pricing. We are open about cost, because owners deserve to make informed decisions without surprises.
- Availability. We have built the centre to be reachable and responsive, which matters most when a case is urgent.
How we grow
We grow around people, not targets. Our ophthalmology service is the clearest example. We met a specialist we wanted to build around, and we built around them.
We plan to add three or four more services at most over the coming years, always by finding the right clinician first. For clinicians who join us, that means real ownership of your service, the freedom to shape it, competitive market-rate pay, and a direct profit share of the revenue you generate. We want the people who build a service here to share directly in its success.
If that is the kind of centre you want to be part of, the careers page has more, or you can email Fran directly.
Who is behind it
SEVR was founded by Dr Rodolfo Cappello and Dr Francesca (Fran) Taylor, and is led by Fran, our Referrals Director.
Fran qualified from the Royal Veterinary College in 2004 and has more than twenty years of experience across first opinion and referral practice. Over the last 15 years her focus moved into leadership. She was Clinical Director of a practice in Goudhurst for seven years, then Clinical Director of Bell Equine, a large referral hospital, where she led a team of 23 vets and more than 60 staff and completed a Leadership and Management Diploma.
Fran joined the Pennard Vets group in 2023, initially as a clinician, and soon moved into the project role that became South East Vet Referrals. She built SEVR around a clear belief: that an independent centre can give clinicians more freedom, give referring vets a better experience, and give owners the same service she would want if it were her own pet, experienced, specialist clinicians and an understanding, empathetic service.
You can meet the full clinical, nursing and administrative team on our Our Team page.
Where we are heading
We are growing, but carefully. The aim is not to be the biggest referral centre in the region. It is to be the one clinicians want to be part of, referring vets trust, and owners feel looked after by. That is the centre we are building, one good person at a time.