A north east veterinary group has received a double boost with the appointment of a new practice manager and £250,000 of investment in state-of-the-art technology.
At 28, former veterinary nurse Mark Turnbull is one of the youngest practice managers in the UK following his appointment at Westway Veterinary Group, which has 18 sites across the region.
His first task since his arrival has been assisting the existing management team in overseeing installation of a new high-tech CT scanner at their main veterinary hospital on West Road, Newcastle, to provide more advanced diagnostic services for orthopaedics, soft tissue cases and tumour analysis.
Turnbull said: “The CT scanner cost £155,000 and the total level of investment comes to £250,000 after expanding the site after taking over part of a neighbouring newsagents and upskilling veterinary nurses to operate the equipment.
“The CT scanner will enable us to offer a fast, efficient imaging service, with a more detailed three-dimensional view of patients to provide a quick diagnosis service.”
He added: “We will continually invest in the practice to ensure we offer a wide range and a high standard of clinical services, and expand them where necessary.
“We have further expansion plans for so we can offer additional consult times for clients, and we also want to extend our West Road hospital. After opening a new cat-only unit in 2016, we plan to expand our hospital facilities for dogs as part of our growth.”
Westway Vets is the largest veterinary group in the North East, employing 40 vets, 70 nurses and an 80-strong client care team at branches from Wideopen down to Darlington.
The investment in new facilities has been provided by UK veterinary group, VetPartners, which owns 128 of the UK’s most respected and trusted small animal, equine, farm and mixed practices, including Westway Vets.
