KERNOW VETS MESSAGING, your dedicated veterinary answering service.

Taking veterinary calls 24 hours a day 365 days a year.

Established in 1992 and working with over 400 vets nationwide, a true family-run business that cares for your practice, your staff, and customers as if they were our own.

We have tight protocols meaning your veterinarians receive every message and our dedicated team handles all of your calls as if they were in your practice, so no animal owners are left waiting.

We’re here to answer your phone when you can’t and take the late-night calls that you don’t want to. Giving you more time at your practice to help your patients and supporting your staff when they need us. While providing a better work-life balance for your veterinarians.

Kernow Vets Messaging is available 24 hours a day 365 days a year, so you don’t have to be.

KERNOW VETS MESSAGING, providing a better work-life balance for your veterinarians.

How it works

What we do

Our Story

The Beginning

1992

LaVerne Caddy left the ambulance service after 35 years, and reluctant to retire, starts Wenvern Paging with his Wife Wendy and two telephones in their kitchen. Providing call handling for 90% of the Doctors surgeries in Cornwall and many others across the South West. The second Generation Kevyn Caddy joins the business.

1993

Our first Vets practice taken on, Head & Head Vets, who are still with us today.

1993

The doctors Co-op and Kernow Doc were formed, overnight Wenvern lost almost all of their business and income. £1000 was scrapped together from family members and a handwritten mailshot was sent out to 1000 veterinary surgeries across the UK.

1993

LaVarne and Kevyn left to work for Kernow Doc, whilst Wendy and Andrew kept Wenvern paging going.

1993

Anthony, third generation Caddy, has his first job typing the labels out for the envelopes to be sent to vets at £2 per hour whilst still at school. This Mailshot marketing campaign saw the addition of many more vets to the business for the out of hours paging service.

1994

By 1994 the business was growing, with the addition of many vets practices, and the first non-family member of Staff was taken on, Shelley, she is still with us today.

1995

The business moved from LaVerne's house into the first office space at Scorrier business park.

1996

We had our first big Employment drive, and some of those staff taken on are still with us today.

1996

We rebranded from Wenvern to Kernow Message Handling Service.

1997

Anthony takes a part time weekend and evening job whilst at College.

1997

The full solar eclipse takes place, in Cornwall doctors are unable to take calls from patients and Kernow took all calls for the NHS Cornwall.

New Directors

2003

LaVerne retired as a director of the business and Andrew, Kevyn and Anthony formed a new board, taking the lead in the business.

2014

Bought and moved to our brand new office at Carn brea Business Park.

2016

Andrew resigns as a director of the business and Anthony takes over the lead as the Managing Director.

2017

Re-branded to Kernow Vets Messaging.

2018

The business continues to grow and we bought a second property adjoined to our office to accommodate more staff.

2020

The Covid-19 pandemic hits, but we continued to provide 24 hour service throughout the pandemic, making many changes to keep our staff safe. We now handle calls for over 400 practices nationwide.

Whats Next?

The Future

Over the past 28 years Kernow Vets Messaging has seen many changes, but also many constants, there has always been a Caddy in control and we are always available 24 hours a day and 7 days a week for the practices who need us.

We take calls for all types of surgeries

Small Animals

Farm

Equine

Meet the team

ANTHONY

CADDY

MANAGING DIRECTOR

KARIS

MATIK

MARKETING MANAGER

TOBY

WHITEFORD

OPERATIONS MANAGER

RUDI

GRENFELL

BUSINESS MANAGER

STEVE

CADDY

OPERATIONS MANAGER

01209 823 100

Having used you for more than 15 years we have recommended you to vets who still currently use you. You do a very good job of coping with owners in a distressed state, and in our geographically isolated area. You're always persistent in trying different ways to ensure the message is received. You really impressed me really early on when we started using you. My daughter was in the practice late one night, as she was leaving the practice a drunk man fell into the doorway and she couldn't get him moved! She phoned the police, and the police phoned back the surgery to find out was going on and it came through to you. Immediately you phoned my daughter, Catriona, , to ask if she was okay, is every alright, can you speak etc and I was really taken by that. You went above and beyond the call of duty which was really reassuring to know.

Duncan Macintyre

Bute & Cowal

I would highly recommend phoneta for your overflow calls service. They have been an enormous help taking calls on my behalf. Working in veterinary practice you want to make sure that every client calling in is able to speak to someone, and in these past trying months with fewer staff able to help me answer our incoming calls, our clients can be confident that though our doors are locked, we are still here to provide a service. I'm sure if the phone went unanswered, the client would possibly take business elsewhere. 5 *****

Caroline Pallister

Simply Cats

Kernow are very efficient, they always remind us to submit our rotas if we have forgotten.

Charlie Huwlett

Equus Vets

We've been with Kernow for such a long time and the service has always been excellent, easy, and they are ever so helpful.

Debbie Wilson

Forest lodge Vets

Kernow answer the calls promptly, and they will chase the vets with a call if they haven't received confirmation the message has been received.

Leigh Ainsley (Practice Manager Assistant)

Struthers & Scott

We have used Kernow for many years, and always been great and efficient. We've never had any problems.

Emma Thomas (Practice Manager)

Westmorland Vets

Service is really good, mainly because of flexibility, any slight changes to protocol, literally anything we ask you to do, you will it. Quite simply. It works.

Sascha Morrish

Priors Farm

Their service just works so well you don't notice it. It works in the background exactly as should.

Paul Buckingham

Arrowfield Vets

StreetVet have used Kernow Vets Messaging for over 18 months. We can be a complicated customer at times but the team at Kernow take our requests in their stride and quickly put them in to action. If any process issues arise they are quickly resolved and suggestions made to make our out of hours procedure more efficient. The Kernow team are always friendly, professional and helpful.

Zoe Abbotts

Street Vets

Kernow are on the ball with passing over messages, very prompt at sending them. Great service.

Kayla Strayhorn

Abbey Veterinary Clinics

I wouldn't recommend anyone else. During covid there was no perceptible change with the level of service. A much better service than any other provider we are working with.

Andrew Hillier

Ballinger Equine LTD

Myself and a colleague put the phone lines over each day, whoever we speak to is always really nice and there are never any complications. If we get a power cut, and lines click over to Kernow, they always call to say 'are we meant to be taking the calls?' All in all a great service and we are very happy.

Jay

Bellevue Veterinary Clinic

Punctual, great at overflow protocols, staff are well trained to filter out calls that aren't an emergency. On the ball getting across any information we've missed. Always quick to respond to problems if they arise and find a solution.

Di Luckhurst

Calweton Veterinary Centre

Always lovely and helpful, and there when we need them.

Pauline Graham

Capontree Vets

10/10, Efficient, quick to answer the calls, messages always come through clear and concise. Couldn't ask for more.

Emma Lake

Chapelfield

We have used Kernow answering service for many years at Brownlow Vets, with a brief interlude with a different service answering our large animal calls in addition to fielding our out-of-hours small animal care, which did not go terribly well, prompting an immediate return! As one of the vets at the end of the line receiving calls from the Kernow team, I can say that we are very happy with the service provided. Calls are answered promptly and efficiently, with all the necessary information collected at the time to be passed to our vets. Correspondence with the Kernow team is easy, and we are able to make any last-minute changes to our scheduled vet without any worries that the wrong person is contacted. We are confident that the Kernow service offers what we and our clients need to ensure we can attend to emergencies quickly.

Elaine Russell

Brownlow Vet Group

We used Kernow at a previous practice and when we moved we called to use them straight away, because they have always been so helpful. There are times our phone system has gone down and we just call and Kernow get us set up straight away with no fuss.

Claire Hawkins

Phoenix Equine

Start a conversation with us today

Address

Unit 3B
Carn Brea Business Park
Barncoose
Redruth
Cornwall
TR15 3RR

01209 823100

Website by Maverrik

KERNOW VETS MESSAGING, your dedicated veterinary answering service.

30 years of industry experience and knowledge

6 second average answering time

Personalised call answering

All calls recorded

Daily Reporting for easy customer billing

UK Based

How it works

What we do

Overflow Day Answering

Out of Hours Telephone Answering

Lone Worker Monitoring

Pager Services

Disaster Recovery

Panic Alarm

Small Animals

Farm

Equine

01209 823 100

Charity Support Announcement

Christmas Cover

Thank You Veterinary Receptionists

An Open Letter from Anthony Caddy, MD.

01209 823100