PLANS for a new £1.4million veterinary hospital in Leeds have been announced by VetPartners.
Work will start in April to convert an office building at Temple House in Seacroft into a new state-of-the-art veterinary hospital for Beechwood Veterinary Group.
The 20-strong team currently based at Beechwood’s main veterinary clinic in Crossgates, Leeds, will transfer to the new site when work is completed in late summer.
The project is part of £20million of investment by VetPartners in new practice sites in 2020.
Plans for the new hospital include seven consulting rooms, three operating theatres, a dedicated x-ray room, ultra-sound suite, dental theatre with dental x-ray, and separate cat and dog wards to offer the best possible care to our clients and their pets.
The practice will also create a dedicated room to provide a calm, quiet and less clinical space for owners and their pets during difficult times.
The new site is big enough to house a CT scanner in the future, which will boost their capability for handling a wider variety of cases such as orthopaedics, soft tissue issues and tumour analysis.
The £1.4million hospital is being funded by VetPartners, a York-based veterinary group which owns 130 of the UK’s most respected and trusted small animal, equine, mixed and farm practices.
Beechwood Vets’ Practice Manager Kelly Mann said: “We will be able to offer a much better service at the new hospital as there will be much more space for improved facilities.
“We have outgrown our current site in Crossgates and struggle with the number of consult rooms and lack of kennel space. This limits the number nurse clinics we can offer to our clients. We have an excellent team of enthusiastic nurses, who are keen to grow and develop this service, so having the additional consulting space will allow us to do this.
“We also don’t have space to create separate cat and dog facilities and client parking is an issue. Moving to a bigger site and to a building that is being converted to meet our needs is a massive boost.
“As well as providing improved facilities for clients and patients, it will be great place to work for our veterinary team. It’s an exciting time for us all and it has been great being part of the planning process.”
The additional operating space will enable Beechwood Vets to offer laparoscopy, or keyhole surgery, providing a minimally invasive alternative to a traditional spay surgery, as well as procedures like biopsies of the liver, kidneys and intestines.
The relocation will lead to the recruitment of additional team members, including vets and nurses, to join the current team.
Following the opening of the new hospital, their main Crossgates site in Austhorpe Road will remain open as a branch surgery for routine healthcare.
Beechwood Vets currently have four surgeries across Leeds in Crossgates, Chapel Allerton, Beeston and Garforth, providing emergency care for pets, as well as general healthcare, vaccinations, medical investigations, surgical procedures including orthopaedics, cardiology clinics, dietary advice and dental work.
For media enquiries, please contact Amanda Little, VetPartners Senior PR and Communications Manager, on 07970 198 492 or email amanda.little@vetpartners.co.uk