4 Oct 2022
Building work to treble the size of a leading Cambridgeshire veterinary hospital is underway and bosses said they expect to recruit dozens of new staff once it is completed next year.
Allister Webb
Job Title
A Cambridgeshire veterinary hospital has unveiled a £15 million expansion plan, which it said will treble the size of the site.
Bosses at the Dick White Referrals site in Six Mile Bottom, near Newmarket, said they expect to recruit dozens of new staff to work at the site once construction is completed.
The practice is also planning to implement new case management protocols and a booking system that it believes will be the first of its kind in the veterinary sector.
The development will increase the practice floorspace to 48,328 sq ft from the current 16,456 sq ft.
Work has already begun on the project, which includes a new critical care hub and imaging suite, plus a seminar room.
Sixteen new consulting rooms, taking the practice’s total to 25, are also planned along with separate waiting areas and wards for cats and dogs.
Clinical director Simon Tappin said: “This long-awaited expansion will transform our practice, offering even more space and capacity for referrals, brand new equipment and a seamless experience for our clients.
“It will also bolster our reputation as a training practice, with the expansion of our intern and residency programmes adding to our already-impressive provision in this area.
“Every part of this expansion is geared towards building on our reputation for world-leading, specialist-led care for small animals.”
Construction is expected to be completed early next year and the practice said it will recruit around 75 new staff during the first three years of the expanded operation.
It also plans to offer a single contact point for clients and individual case managers, as well as what it describes as a concierge service to book clients in using iPads, instead of a traditional reception area.
Client care team manager Deborah Bell said: “This is a USP for us and we think it’s an industry first. The idea came from how medical secretaries work in human health.
“When a referring vet calls us, our client care team takes the basic details and passes them on to the case manager for that discipline. They will contact the client, make appointments and meet the client in person on arrival.”
A virtual tour has also been created of the new facility, which is expected to be open early next year.
