Southfields At The Hub Of Pioneering New Service
4 years ago 
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A leading veterinary referral centre in Essex is set to transform the treatment of seriously sick and injured animals with a pioneering approach to improve and accelerate the admission, treatment and support of pets at the specialist-led hospital.
Southfields Veterinary Specialists, in Basildon, is introducing a new custom-designed, online portal service, to share information on cases more efficiently and accurately with their colleagues, primary care clients and other referral centres across Europe.
Southfields’ hospital director Daniel Hogan said ‘the hub’, which can be accessed 24 hours a day, would be a huge help in supporting the diagnosis of conditions and determining prompt treatment as his staff work collaboratively with the referring vet and wider teams at each centre.
He explained: “The aim is to share information about patients more efficiently and in far more detail than ever before, with the sole purpose of supporting veterinary colleagues with decisions about treatment.
“Referring vets can connect with us directly via an online portal, which then automatically logs, processes and records the discussion – updating all users with the progress of the enquiry.
“It’s designed to be used inside and outside of the practice and allow a more structured enquiry with vets who will be able to use the hub on any computer or hand-held device to log in and discuss specific cases – even out of hours.
“Users can send any photos and videos of patients, images and documents directly to the hub from any device using their login.
“The great advantage is that everyone involved in the case can look at the same reports, documents and images at the same time and discuss them, together. This will certainly aid better communication about the case and, therefore, advance care of patients.
“The hub also allows vets to connect with our specialists to discuss enquiries and emergency cases in far more detail. The Hub will support those complex, out of hours, referral cases and ensure we can respond promptly.”
The Southfields director says there will be a wealth of other information available via the portal, detailing the full extent of the multi-disciplinary services on offer and the advanced facilities and equipment which are available.
He added: “The hub will provide a library of videos by our specialists with each explaining the various treatments and techniques we provide in their particular discipline.
“Additionally, there will also be a biography clip to introduce each member of the clinical team to clients, which we hope will break down barriers and reassure clients before they arrive here at Southfields.
“For instance, in a cancer case they’ll be able to check out our oncology department, see our industry-leading equipment, such as our Linear Accelerator, learn about our specialists and their experience and watch treatment videos – all of it detailing exactly what they can expect.
“There will also be a video ‘walk through’ the practice to explain and showcase our state-of-the-art facilities and cutting-edge equipment. You will be able to fully navigate around every inch of our specialist-led referral centre.
“There will be easy access to data, to an FAQ page and other information, in a bid to break down barriers to support clients and vets throughout the referral process.
“In April, we’ll be extending our reception hours until 11pm, so there will be even more access to our client care team who can help facilitate the referrals and enquiries.
“The online portal is a terrific additional service for Southfields, which we believe highlights how innovation at our centre will continue to support and advance patient care.”
Southfields provides specialist services in anaesthesia and analgesia, cardiology, dermatology, diagnostic imaging, internal medicine, neurology and neuro-surgery, oncology, orthopaedics, radiation and soft tissue surgery.
For more information about the specialist services offered at Southfields, visit www.southfields.co.uk.
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