World-class Radiation Service Still Running At Southfields
4 years ago 
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A leading vet centre in Essex is reminding referring colleagues that its radiation service is still available to them even during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Southfields Veterinary Specialists, which is part of Linnaeus, is one of the very few small animal hospitals in the UK to offer in-house radiation as part of its cancer treatment.
At a time when veterinary services are being affected by Coronavirus, with clinics across the country only seeing urgent cases and emergencies in line with guidelines from the government and Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, the specialist team at Southfields continues to adapt its radiation service to ensure it is operational, providing advice and accepting cases, whilst adhering to the current lockdown measures and social distancing rules.
Led by RCVS and European Specialist Sarah Mason, Southfields’ service enables patients to access a fully-functioning linear accelerator (Linac), along with a unique online platform to allow vets to enter basic information and discuss potential treatment plans before booking a referral.
Dr Mason said: “We are one of the few referral centres in the country which can offer in-house radiotherapy and my team have ensured pets can continue to access this type of urgent and emergency specialists treatment, despite the limitations due to the pandemic.
“We are keen to let referring colleagues know there is an option for them to refer and for patients to get the vital treatment they require.”
Advanced clinical services at Southfields include definitive radiotherapy treatment, usually the protocol of choice for most patients undergoing radiation; palliative treatment, which delivers a lower dose of radiotherapy sufficient to slow a tumour’s growth; and low-dose radiation therapy for osteoarthritis, which is available to control chronic, unresponsive pain in the long term.
Southfields will continue to host a number of free online CPD sessions, including an oncology webinar available on its website entitled ‘Treatment of canine lymphoma’ and a live webinar on June 3 on ‘Palliative care in cancer patients’.
Daniel Hogan, hospital director at Southfields, said: “We have assembled a world-class radiation and oncology team befitting our excellent facilities.
“We have such expertise at our disposal, we want any referring vets to be aware that treatment options remain available for pets with cancer, despite all the measures put in place due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We’re still very much active and are also keen to impart as much knowledge as possible to our colleagues in the industry, which is why we have organised a series of free CPD sessions which will be available on our website.”
For more information about Southfields’ radiation service, or to sign up to its free online CPD, visit www.southfields.co.uk or email [email protected]
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