Matt Gurney, hospital director at Anderson Moores Veterinary Specialists, pictured with Steve Brine, MP for Winchester and Chandler’s Ford, in hospital's woodland walk.
New Hospital Director Matt Takes Helm At Anderson Moores
1 year ago 
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The new hospital director at leading UK referral centre Anderson Moores has certainly come a long way since his early times as a vet in general practice.
These days Matt Gurney is a Fellow of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, President of the European College of Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia and co-founder of acclaimed website, The Zero Pain Philosophy.
But Matt still remembers the career-defining moment that helped propel him to the pinnacle of his profession and into his new top job at the Linnaeus-owned hospital.
He explained: “It was 2am and I was out on a farm at the back end of a cow covered in pee and poo. At 9am, I was back in the consulting room seeing dogs and cats – before heading back out to rasp some horse’s teeth.
“It all helped me to appreciate that being an excellent mixed practice vet is a real talent. It also helped me decide I preferred to specialise in a particular discipline, albeit in an area that retained the breadth of species I had always enjoyed.
“I was soon back at the University of Liverpool, where I’d graduated, working as a resident and striving to become a specialist in anaesthesia and analgesia.”
From 2009 to 2018, Matt developed and led the anaesthesia service at Northwest Veterinary Specialists, another Linnaeus-owned multi-disciplinary hospital in Cheshire.
It was his time as a director at NWVS that fuelled his desire to achieve a post-graduate certificate in Veterinary Business Management in 2015, and he continued to chase his career ambitions by joining Anderson Moores in 2018.
In 2019, the British Veterinary Association hailed him as an industry role model and in March 2021 he was promoted to clinical director at Anderson Moores.
Now, Matt’s been elevated again to the role of hospital director at Anderson Moores and already has a clear focus on his aims, ambitions and new responsibilities.
He said: “It’s a very exciting opportunity as well as a huge responsibility and the focus must always be on achieving the highest standards in everything we do.
“So, the central part of my job is to ensure our clinicians, nurses and everyone in the team has the facilities and the conditions to provide the very best to the pets under our care.
“It’s a much broader role, though, and involves more operational, budgetary and financial responsibilities.
“There is also a keen client care perspective which begins the moment our clients and patients come through the foot door and are greeted with a smile and understanding at our reception desk.
“We aim to ensure that caring approach continues right across the consultation process, treatment, administrative aspects and all the way through to discharge.
“That’s because we know pets are regarded as part of the family, so when they are sick or injured it’s a very upsetting and emotional time.”
Matt has taken over as hospital director from the highly-respected David Walker, who has now moved to the role of referrals managing director in the south of the UK for Linnaeus.
Matt has been quick to pay tribute to his predecessor, saying: “I certainly have some big shoes to fill but working as clinical director alongside David was a great grounding and we work well together.
“Essentially, I was his running mate back then but now I am stepping up to take on the main role, with all the additional responsibilities it entails, and I’m determined to make it my own.
“I know I have the drive, the desire, the clarity of purpose and the dedication to succeed. I also know what an incredible operation I have inherited from David.
“Anderson Moores is one of the country’s leading specialist-led veterinary centres with a talented team that’s committed to providing excellent surgical and medical care for pets.
“Many of our clinicians are nationally or internationally recognised specialists in their field and bring unique experiences and excellence to the care we offer.
“One of the key things about Anderson Moores is that every member of the team works together in the same location to support every aspect of a pet’s treatment and recovery, so whatever service they may need is all available under the same roof.”
Anderson Moores offers specialist care in anaesthesia and analgesia, cardiology, dentistry, dermatology, diagnostic imaging, emergency and critical care, feline hyperthyroid clinic, internal medicine, neurology, oncology, orthopaedics and soft tissue surgery.
For more information on Anderson Moores Veterinary Specialists, which is part of Linnaeus, visit https://www.andersonmoores.com/home/.
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