It is Northern Ireland's first specialist-led multidisciplinary small animal referral hospital
Northern Ireland Veterinary Specialists Becomes Hillsborough Veterinary Referrals
3 weeks ago 
232 views
Northern Ireland's largest veterinary referral hospital adopts new name while continuing the same trusted referral care
Northern Ireland Veterinary Specialists (NiVS), Northern Ireland's largest veterinary referral hospital, has announced that it is changing its name to Hillsborough Veterinary Referrals.
The new name reflects the hospital's location in Hillsborough, County Down, and more accurately represents the broad range of referral services delivered by its multidisciplinary clinical team.
Importantly, the hospital has stressed that the rebrand does not affect the services, expertise or level of care provided to referring veterinary practices and their clients.
Hillsborough Veterinary Referrals will continue to provide advanced referral services for small animals, supporting veterinary practices across Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland with access to specialist expertise, cutting-edge technology, advanced diagnostics and complex treatment options.
Kat Nicholl-Basye, Hospital Manager, said:
"This change is simply about ensuring our name accurately reflects the services we provide. While we are moving from Northern Ireland Veterinary Specialists to Hillsborough Veterinary Referrals, everything that our referring practices and pet owners value about us remains exactly the same."
"We remain committed to delivering the highest standards of referral care through our experienced multidisciplinary team. Our facilities, clinical expertise, referral pathways and commitment to excellent patient outcomes are unchanged."
Established as Northern Ireland's first specialist-led multidisciplinary small animal referral hospital, the centre has built a reputation as one of the leading providers of advanced veterinary care on the island of Ireland. The hospital works closely with first-opinion veterinary practices to provide access to specialist treatments and state-of-the-art diagnostic capabilities for complex cases.
Based just outside Hillsborough with convenient access from the A1 corridor, the hospital receives referrals from veterinary practices across Northern Ireland and the
Republic of Ireland and offers a wide range of disciplines, including cardiology, internal medicine, neurology and neurosurgery, orthopaedics and soft tissue surgery.
Kat Nicholl-Basye, Hospital Manager, added:
"Our message to referring veterinary practices and pet owners is straightforward: only the name is changing. The same talented team will continue to provide the same exceptional referral service from the same hospital."
The transition to Hillsborough Veterinary Referrals will be reflected through new signage, branding and communications materials over the coming months, which will also reflect that the hospital is part of the CVS Vets group. For further information and to refer a case, please visit Hillsborouh Veterinary Referrals website.
More from CVS UK Ltd
- Collaborative project reduces antibiotic use across nine practices
- CVS Equine introduces analgesia project to improve pain assessment in hospitalised horses
- CVS launches 2026 Clinical Research Grants Funding Call to advance preventative veterinary medicine
- Manchester Veterinary Specialists project recognised for improving efficiency and patient safety across orthopaedic surgical care
- CVS selects Cats Protection as colleague Charity of the Year
1 week ago