Frame & Swift Limited is unusual amongst veterinary practices nowadays in that it provides state of the art facilities for the care of farm, equine and small animal patients alike. As a practice we feel strongly that a modern facility where we can offer an excellent all round first opinion service, combined with the development of in-house specialist skills is the way towards providing the sort of veterinary service this area deserves. The practice vets, as well as being dedicated to general practice, are recognised by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons as having built up additional skills in a wide range of disciplines. At present we have eighteen veterinary surgeons, and between them they hold Royal College Certificate qualifications in Equine Practice, Cattle Health and Production, Sheep, Veterinary Anaesthesia, Diagnostic Imaging, Emergency & Critical Care, and Small Animal Medicine. The practice vets, nurses and office staff are dedicated to promoting the welfare of our patients and increasing understanding of animal disease by practising good preventative and clinical medicine.
Mr. Frame graduated from Glasgow University in 1948. He began his veterinary career in Norfolk, moving to Penrith in the 1950s to set up the base from which the practice grew. He is now retired from active veterinary duties but retains a keen interest in the running of the practice and the well-being of all its clients.
Neil graduated from Edinburgh in 1978. After working for a few years in Devon he returned to Penrith. He gained the Certificate in Equine Practice in 1986 and the Certificate in Veterinary Anaesthesia in 1990. He works mainly on the large animal side of the practice with a particular interest in equine work and farm animal diagnostics. He is an Honorary Clinical Fellow at the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies in Edinburgh where he has been an external examiner. Neil has also been examiner for the Certificate in Equine Practice and is an RCVS Advanced Practitioner in Equine Practice.
Rona graduated from Edinburgh in 1978. She worked for a time in Nottingham and Devon before coming to the practice, where she gained the Certificate in Bovine Reproduction in 1985. Rona now works mainly on the farm animal side of practice with particular interest in cattle fertility. She also has an interest and experience in alpaca medicine and pregnancy diagnosis.
Chris graduated from the University of Cambridge in 1982 and joined the practice that year. He was awarded the Certificate in Cattle Health and Production in 1988, one of the first four vets in the country to do so. He works mainly on the large animal side of the practice with a particular interest in herd health
Richard graduated from Cambridge in 1990. He worked in Reading and then in Kendal, before joining the practice in 1999. He works mainly on the large animal side of the practice and is particularly interested in maximising herd performance through regular routine fertility work.
Sam graduated from Edinburgh in 1999 and joined the practice after initially working in Strathaven near Glasgow. He works mainly on the equine side of the practice. He gained the RCVS Certificate in Equine Practice in September 2006. He is interested in all aspects of equine work, particularly ENT and dental disorders.
John qualified from London in 2000. He joined the team in 2014 after having worked in mixed practices in Cumbria and Devon. John has a wide range of experience in mixed practice and now spends the majority of his time in the small animal department. Surgery is a particular area of interest and expertise. John has developed skills in laparoscopic surgery, also known as keyhole surgery, which is now one of the core services we offer to our patients.
Martin graduated from Liverpool in July 2008 and joined the practice in August 2008. He is originally from near Carlisle and spent time with the practice during his student days. In 2016 Martin gained the RCVS Certificate in Advanced Veterinary Practice (CertAVP) in Anaesthesia and is currently working for the CertAVP in Emergency and Critical Care. Martin also has a keen interest in farm animal herd health and surgery.
Rachel graduated from Edinburgh in 2011. She joined the practice in October 2013 after two years in south Cumbria. In 2016 Rachel completed the RCVS Certificate in Advanced Veterinary Practice (CertAVP) Sheep. Rachel is from Lanarkshire with a farming background and now lives on a working farm in Buttermere.
Jonathan qualified from London in 2014 and joined the practice soon afterwards. He is from a farming background in Cockermouth so has extensive experience in handling and working with livestock. Jonathan’s veterinary interests are not limited to the farm side and he enjoys working in all areas of the practice. He is currently enrolled for the Certificate in Advanced Veterinary Practice in Cattle.
Abi qualified from Cambridge in 2014 and joined the practice after getting to know our team on work placements as a student. Her veterinary interests span all species and she is involved in organising educational talks with the Lakeland Veterinary Association. Abi is currently enrolled for the Certificate in Advanced Veterinary Practice in Diagnostic Imaging. Her border terrier, Winnie, is usually riding around with her or helping reception staff in the practice.
Matt qualified from Liverpool in 2017 and joined the practice shortly afterwards. He is local to the area and spent time with us while he was training. Matt works in all disciplines at the practice. He gained extensive experience working on a dairy farm before qualifying as a vet and has a keen interest in all aspects of farm animal health and production.
Suzy graduated from Edinburgh in 1997. She began her career in a mixed practice in Cockermouth before moving to work in a purely small animal practice in Halifax. She joined Frame, Swift and Partners in 1999 and works exclusively with small animals. Suzy has a particular interest in small animal dentistry and has acheived the General Practitioner Certificate in Small Animal Dentistry and Oral Surgery in 2023. In 2024, she gained the ESVPS Postgraduate Certificate in Small Animal Dentistry and Oral Surgery.
Corinne qualified in 1997 from Liverpool. She spent several years in mixed practice in South Wales. Since then Corinne has focussed on small animal work. She has a particular interest in small animal medicine and has undertaken further training in this area.
Michela qualified from Bristol vet school in 2018, and worked in Stafford before later joining us at Frame, Swift and Partners. Michela is local to Cumbria and spent time with the practice as a student. She works across all species, with a particular interest in calf rearing and health.
Harriet qualified from Liverpool in 2019. During her time there she spent time in Sri Lanka as part of her master’s degree in One health. Harriet got to know us as a student before joining us and is interested in all aspects of mixed practice.
Rachel qualified from the University of Veterinary Medicine, Budapest in 2020. She worked in mixed practice in Anglesey before moving back home to Penrith to join Frame, Swift & Partners in July 2021. Rachel spent time at the practice as a student enjoying the wide variety of species treated and still has a keen interest in all aspects of mixed practice.
Victoria joined the practice in September 2023. Victoria qualified from Bristol in 2020. She has worked in mixed practice in Richmond for two years and Windermere for a year. She has two rescue dogs Izzy (pictured)and Dave (a needy Patterdale), and Blue the cavalier. She loves mixed practice especially surgical cases
Pui Pui graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 2019. She has returned to Cumbria after nearly 5 years in a busy mixed practice in west Cornwall. She enjoys all aspects of mixed practice and is currently completing a certificate focusing on anaesthesia and analgesia.
I’m Rachel Aspinall (another Rachel to keep things simple for everyone). I joined the practice in July after graduating from University of Bristol. Some of you may recognise me from my placement as a student and I have since been busy meeting more of your creatures great and small. I have grown up around dogs and horses, and worked on farms. I enjoy bouldering, fell walking, skiing and horse riding in my spare time.
I graduated from Cambridge in June 2024 and joined the practice after spending time as a student. I am from a dairy farm in Warwickshire but have interests in all areas of mixed practice. When not at work I enjoy cycling, running, horse riding and more recently spending time with my puppy Aster.
Anita qualified as a Veterinary Nurse in 1992 and joined the practice in 2003. She works on the smalll animal side of the practice and is particularly interested in nurse clinics, obesity management and dentistry.
Laura has joined us in 2008 having trained as a veterinary nurse in southern Scotland. She completed her training with us and passed her final exams in 2010.
Kim has been with the practice since 2002. She is interested in all aspects of small animal nursing and qualified as a Veterinary Nurse in 2006. In 2010 Kim passed her Diploma in Advanced Veterinary Nursing covering Medicine, Surgery and Anaesthesia.
Julie joined the practice in 1993. She is very experienced in all aspects of the practice workload, particularly the equine side. She is a keen rider and has her own horses and donkeys. In 2010 Julie passed exams to become on of the very few Registered Equine Veterinary Nurses in Cumbria.
Sara joined the practice in March 2020 and qualified as an RVN in 2007. She previously worked in practices in Lincolnshire, including a role as a night nurse and particularly enjoys nursing critical patients. Sara gained her certificate in Veterinary Nursing Emergency and Critical Care in 2017. Out of work, Sara enjoys walking with her Jack Russell Terrier, Dylis and also has 2 cats and an African gray parrot at home.
Heather joined us in November 2019. Heather has lots of experience with both small animals and equine and has previously worked in another local mixed practice. She has also worked in a specialist ophthalmology practice so often provides additional knowledge in this area. Out of work Heather enjoys spending time with her family and dogs and is a member of Penrith Ladies Rugby Team.
Katie joined the practice in 2019 and qualified as an RVN in 2008. Katie has worked in local veterinary practices previously so is used to the hectic environment on busy surgery days. When she isn't at work Katie enjoys walking her Whippet 'Eddie'.
Helena joined the practice in Oct 2020. She moved to Cumbria in 2018 with her husband and two children. She qualified as an RVN in 2003 after studying at Berkshire college of agriculture. Helena travelled on her canal boat from 2003-2018, working as a locum RVN in various practices all over the country. Helena has four gerbils at home and enjoys spending time dog walking and cat sitting. In her spare time she enjoys playing music in the family band and dancing, especially salsa.
Layla qualified as a Veterinary Nurse in May 2024 after studying with Myerscough College. Layla has a particular interest in emergency and critical care. In her spare time she can be found riding Nance while Kia the beagle trots along next to them.
I joined the practice in September 2024. I am originally from Scotland but moved to the Penrith area in January 2024. I work in the small animal department and have a keen interest in nurse consultations and inpatient care. Outside of work I love anything creative, walking, traveling and spending time with my cat Vinnie. I look forward to meeting you all and your pets soon
Catherine joined us in October 2023 as a Veterinary Care Assistant. Catherine has worked on several private yards and livery yards and has her own horses, she also competes in flyball, agility and obedience with her Border Collie.
Janice has been with the practice since the mid 1990s. She assists with both small animal and equine work, as well as the general running and maintenance of the clinic.
Julie joined the practice in December 2020. She has lived in the area all of her life and has worked in local veterinary practices since 2003 in both regular mixed practice and latterly an ophthalmic referral only practice. Julie is involved with many of the background administrative tasks. When not at work Julie is a keen walker and cyclist and loves exploring the Lake District as much as possible.
Zoe joined the practice in September 2022. Zoe worked in a local GP surgery for many years and is now dispensing for pets rather than their owners. Zoe is from a local fellside farming family.
Georgie joined the practice in September 2021. She is from a local farming family. The farm is predominantly Dairy but they also have sheep and horses to keep them occupied too.
In her spare time she is a keen member of Penrith Young Farmers & Border & Lakeland Holstein Young Breeders
Marnie joined the practice in November 2021 to work alongside the ever growing reception team. In her spare time, she can usually be found wandering in the Lake District somewhere, either up a mountain with her two dogs, on a paddleboard or camping lakeside.
Julie joined the practice in April 2024 having worked for a smaller mixed veterinary practice since 2020. She has previously worked for many years within a local GP practice as part of the patient support team. Julie enjoys a busy family life alongside exploring the outdoors.
She is pictured here with practice dog Tod.
She is pictured here with practice dog Tod.
