Duncan Phillips, UK and Ireland CEO at IVC Evidensia, cuts the ribbon at Blaise Veterinary Referral Hospital, with Andrew Kent, clinical director, and Julie Davis, hospital director
£10M Animal Super-hospital Opens Its Doors To Pets In Birmingham And Beyond
5 months ago 
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A new veterinary hospital is now open in Longbridge, Birmingham. Blaise Veterinary Referral Hospital is the UK’s newest pet hospital and will provide a specialist-led, multi-disciplinary referral service and 24/7 emergency care for pets in Birmingham and the surrounding areas. The hospital has the capacity to treat up to 10,000 pets each year.
Duncan Phillips, UK and Ireland CEO of IVC Evidensia, visited the hospital on Monday 13 November to officially welcome the new team and meet some of the hospital’s first patients.
Part of the IVC Evidensia Referral network, Blaise is the first purpose-built, multi-disciplinary hospital for the group in the UK and is expected to become a blueprint for future hospitals, with a clinician-led building design and a nurse-led clinical floor, both of which are fairly new practices for the profession.
Driven by the boom in pet ownership over the last three years, Blaise will accept patients referred from first opinion practices across the UK and offer a wide range of referral services including orthopaedic and soft tissue surgeries, neurology, cardiology, internal medicine and many more.
At the heart of Blaise is a state-of-the art intensive care unit where a dedicated ICU team can cater for emergencies around the clock, with out of hours support provided by Vets Now, the UK’s leading pet emergency service which is also part of the IVC Evidensia group. The 24/7 team is also available to support other departments in the hospital if needed, providing rapid access to the advanced facilities in the ICU. Elsewhere, the 36,000 square foot hospital is fully equipped with modern equipment to facilitate the best possible care for patients, including a 1.5T Siemens MRI, a 64 slice Siemens CT scanner, multiple ultrasound machines and both fixed and digital radiography machines.
Phillips said:
“Blaise marks a huge milestone for IVC Evidensia and we are so excited to officially open the doors today. As well as being home to phenomenal, modern facilities that will provide a wide range of options for pet care and treatment, we have built an amazing and collaborative team here who I strongly believe will see Blaise become one of the most prestigious and well-respected referrals centres in the UK.”
The team at Blaise is led by clinical director Andrew Kent and hospital director Julie Davis, both of whom have been hard at work over the last year amassing a stellar team of veterinary professionals across multiple disciplines including Jacques Ferreira as head of anaesthesia, Jennifer Raj as head of internal medicine and Carlo Anselmi as head of diagnostic imaging. Recent personnel announcements include Kate Flint as clinical nursing manager and Emily Jukes as relationship manager.
Kent said:
“We’ve worked incredibly hard to get to this point and I know I speak on behalf of the whole team here at Blaise when I say we are thrilled to officially be able to welcome pets and owners from all around Birmingham and the midlands.
“Recent years have seen an ever-increasing need for specialist referral services in the veterinary industry and we are here to answer that demand by providing excellent high-quality and professional care for pets who need it.”
Blaise is easily accessible by road from the main A38 route which links the M5 and M42 with Birmingham city centre and means that the hospital will welcome patients from across the midlands and the rest of the UK.
The new hospital facility is fully operational and open 24/7 for referrals, supporting colleagues from surrounding vet practices. For more information, visit www.blaise-referrals.com.
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