Left, Daniel Hogan, hospital director, and clinical director Henry L'Eplattenier cut the ribbon with the rest of the team at Southfields Veterinary Specialists’s new £16 million Basildon site
Southfields Opens Doors Of New £16m Animal Hospital
2 years ago 
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One of the UK’s leading specialist-led veterinary referral centres has opened the doors to its state-of-the-art £16 million hospital today. (Tuesday, August 30)
The opening of Southfields Veterinary Specialists’s new purpose-built 42,000 sq ft Essex complex is the culmination of an ambitious project which will see the Linnaeus-owned hospital offer some of the most cutting-edge treatments in Europe.
The new Basildon referral centre, based at Cranes Point, just 10 minutes from Southfields’ Laindon practice, offers 24/7 facilities and will create a range of jobs as it continues a recruitment drive which will see it almost double the size of its team.
The multidisciplinary referral centre, which is one of the largest animal hospitals in the UK, will continue to boast 14 specialist-led services.
The new centre has been designed to allow maximum light into the building, while the Southfields team has worked closely with a veterinary specialist in animal behaviour to ensure the facilities and building are as comfortable and accessible as possible for patients, as well as clients and team members.
Hospital director Daniel Hogan said opening the doors to the new hospital was a huge moment for Southfields.
He said: “The new hospital is a real statement of intent, a clear signal we are committed to delivering the very highest level of excellence in treatment and care.
“After a lot of hard work, we were all incredibly excited to open the doors to our first patients and the team have been incredibly busy leading up to today, putting the final touches to the move to ensure a seamless transition to these amazing new facilities.
“The new hospital will provide the region with one of the largest and best-equipped veterinary centres in not only the UK, but also throughout Europe, with an extensive range of expertise in a wide variety of disciplines all under one roof.
“There will be seven operating theatres, 16 consultation rooms, recovery suites, lecture halls, a dedicated ICU department and there are plans for a future hydrotherapy suite.
“The facilities also include a cutting-edge imaging suite, comprehensive treatment facilities and a new linear accelerator to assist our illustrious oncology team. We also plan to launch our emergency and critical care service in the first half of 2023.”
Southfields is already one of only a few specialist centres in the country to have a linear accelerator and its new site will offer advanced treatments in radiation working closely with colleagues across the globe.
Bart Johnson, chief executive of Linnaeus, said the investment in Southfields’s new site showed the group’s commitment to excellence for its brands.
He said: “This move is a reflection of the ambition of Southfields, Linnaeus and Mars to continue providing the best veterinary care in the UK and we are all incredibly pleased to see the opening of this impressive new hospital.
“It’s a significant investment to provide state-of-the-art facilities and technology, while we will also be attracting new talent to Southfields’ expert team.
“We’re incredibly excited to continue to expand the unique and innovative offerings in patient care at Southfields.”
The new referral centre will not only become a hub of cutting-edge veterinary treatment but also lead the industry in terms of staff wellbeing and sustainability.
Daniel said: “The increased size of the hospital will enable us to provide a dedicated staff wellbeing area and offer a range of activities which will benefit our team in both body and mind.
“Along with exercise and relaxation classes such as yoga and boxercise, we will have an education centre which will be able to offer some really exciting qualifications and courses for the wider profession.
“We’ll also be striving to care for both our community by working with Investors in the Environment (iiE) to introduce a bold green initiative to substantially reduce our environmental impact and enhance our sustainability.
“Everyone is just fully-concentrated on a smooth opening and, after a lot of hard work and dedication, embarking on this fantastic new chapter in the history of Southfields Veterinary Specialists.”
For more information about Southfields’ new site, visit https://southfields.co.uk/veterinary-professionals/new-hospital/ or search for Southfields Veterinary Specialists on social media.
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