WORK is underway to transform a former furniture store into a new £1.8million Surrey veterinary hospital with the creation of 20 jobs.
The new state-of-the-art Farnham Veterinary Hospital in East Street, Farnham, will provide 24-hour emergency and out-of-hours care for poorly pets, and will boast the latest, hi-tech equipment, including a CT scanner, hydrotherapy, dental x-rays and ultrasonography to produce images of the heart and other internal organs.
The three-storey building covers 10,000sq ft and will house three large operating theatres so the practice can offer orthopaedic and soft tissue surgery, as well as consulting rooms, laboratory for in-house testing, and physiotherapy room.
The hospital will also benefit from separate cat and dog waiting rooms and kennels to reduce the stress of feline patients, which it is hoped will see the new facility granted cat-friendly clinic status from the International Society of Feline Medicine.
Work has just started to convert the former Oak Furnitureland store and is expected to be finish in early 2021.
Farnham Veterinary Hospital will be the largest first-opinion hospital in Surrey, serving clients from Farnham, Aldershot, Hook, Basingstoke and surrounding areas.
The opening will lead to the creation of 20 new jobs, including five vets, eight nurses, admin staff and kennel assistants.
The £1.8million project is being funded by VetPartners, a veterinary group made up of some of the UK’s most respected and trusted veterinary practices.
Farnham Veterinary Hospital clinical director Kevin Clayton said: “It is extremely exciting because this is going to be a fantastic facility that will benefit our clients and our veterinary team. We will be able to handle more complex cases and look after patients requiring a longer stay in hospital.
“Although we will be a first-opinion practice, we will take cases referred to us by other practices. I saw there was a real need for a first-opinion practice that was able to do a little more. We often had to refer cases elsewhere, making it more expensive for clients.
“It is great that we have this investment from VetPartners and it is great that they are backing us to create this fantastic new hospital.”
For media enquiries, please contact Amanda Little, VetPartners Senior PR and Communications Manager, on 07970 198 492 or email amanda.little@vetpartners.co.uk