2 Sept 2020
Clifton Lodge Veterinary Group has doubled the size of its Billingham practice following a £200,000 investment to convert a nearby chapel.
James Westgate
Job Title
Vet Anna Skibinska (with cockapoo Muffin) and RVN Lisa Kelsey (green uniform) with animal nursing assistants Samantha Kelsey (blue top/black trousers), Beth Philips (with Labrador retriever Ellie) and Emily Saxon (ponytail).
Clifton Lodge Veterinary Group has doubled the size of its Billingham practice after moving to a converted methodist chapel.
The move has more than doubled the size of the practice and will create at least three new jobs, including a vet, qualified veterinary nurse and receptionist.
The church has been renovated and refurbished to create a surgery with two consulting rooms, an operating theatre, x-ray room, prep room with dental facilities, separate cat and dog kennels, an isolation unit and a laboratory.
Following a £200,000 investment from VetPartners, which owns Clifton Lodge, the practice has also invested in a new x-ray machine, dental equipment, an ultrasound scanner, an in-house laboratory and surgical apparatus, enabling the team to carry out bigger surgical procedures instead of pets being sent to Clifton Lodge’s main practice in Hartlepool.
The new site had been expected to open in March, but renovation work was delayed due to COVID-19.
VetPartners business development director Paul Wilson, who oversaw the project, said: “The new surgery in Billingham is going to be a fantastic facility – not only for the team working there, but for clients bringing their pets to the practice.
“There is definitely potential to grow the client base, as there are demands for services, and it will be a better place to bring pets, with enhanced facilities and much more space. We want to provide outstanding care for patients and an excellent experience for our clients.”
