A drone image of the redevelopment work at Dick White Referrals
£15 Million Transformation Underway To Treble The Size Of Cambridgeshire's Dick White Referrals
2 years ago 
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One of Europe’s most highly-regarded veterinary hospitals is undergoing a £15 million transformation which will see it treble in size.
Work is underway at Dick White Referrals (DWR) in Six Mile Bottom, Cambridgeshire, to scale up its existing 16,456 sq. ft premises to create a total floorspace of 48,328 sq. ft.
As part of the redevelopment, Linnaeus-owned DWR will nearly double its kennel capacity from 107 to 197 and will create a new emergency and critical care (ECC) hub.
There will also be a new imaging suite kitted out with new, state-of-the-art imaging equipment including new MRI and CT scanners, two ultrasounds and two X-ray machines.
Sixteen new consult rooms will take the total to 25, including dedicated cat consult rooms, separate dog and cat waiting areas and wards, alongside a seminar room to seat 66 people.
As DWR looks to expand its reputation as a teaching and research practice, it will expand its intern and residency programmes to cover all disciplines.
It will also be working towards the top-level Green accreditation with Investors in the Environment, with the new building holding an A-rated Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) and recycled vinyl flooring, ceiling tiles and acoustic panels.
Work is expected to be completed early next year, and the practice will be recruiting for around 75 new team members to service the expanded centre over its first three years of operation.
Simon Tappin, clinical director at DWR, 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.”
The practice is also implementing major case management changes as part of the investment, with a single point of contact for every client and individual case managers in every discipline.
As part of its transformation, DWR will be replacing its traditional reception area with a concierge greeting service for clients, with staff on hand to book in clients on iPads.
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.
“We have 12 case managers for our disciplines at the moment, with the potential to expand. As well as providing a personalised service for our clients, it provides great career progression opportunities for our client care team.”
Dick White Referrals offers specialist-led care in anaesthesia and analgesia, cardiology, dermatology, diagnostic imaging, diagnostic pathology, emergency and critical care, internal medicine, interventional radiology, neurology and neurosurgery, oncology, ophthalmology, orthopaedics, physiotherapy and soft tissue surgery.
For more information on Dick White Referrals, visit www.dickwhitereferrals.com or search for Dick White Referrals on social media.
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