5 Mar 2020
“By having all the specialist disciplines available at the practice, we can offer a more holistic service to emergency patients” – clinical lead, RVN Harriet Deering.
James Westgate
Job Title
The newly assembled ECC team at Eastcott Referrals will be providing 24-hour care for serious cases.
Eastcott Referrals in Swindon has invested £500,000 in an emergency and critical care (ECC) unit.
The new service launched in February, and its newly assembled team of vets and nurses has already treated a number of emergency cases.
The ECC unit was the brainchild of David Mackenzie, an advanced practitioner in ECC, who has been planning the unit since he joined Eastcott in 2018.
Run by three ECC/medicine vets during the day and three ECC vets at night, the service is supported by four day nurses and two night nurses.
Dr Mackenzie said: “We’ve created a purpose-built intensive care unit with all the latest ICU equipment, including our own laboratory; critical care cribs; temperature, humidity and oxygen-controlled intensive care kennels; and an ICU ventilator.
“This means we have the facilities to care for the most severely injured and critical cases.”
Clinical lead for the service, RVN Harriet Deering, added: “By having all the specialist disciplines available at the practice, we can offer a more holistic service to emergency patients.
“For example, if a dog is involved in a road traffic collision, the ICU can stabilise it, and give emergency care and pain relief. Dentistry can then repair jaw and mouth injuries, orthopaedics can repair any other broken bones, and soft tissue can assess and repair any damaged organs.
“This is all supported by our dedicated anaesthesia service and advanced imaging capabilities.”
