Drove Vets, Swindon’s largest and oldest independent veterinary practice, has launched a new 24-hour out-of-hours and emergency service following the recruitment of six highly experienced veterinary surgeons and nurses.
The newly formed emergency team includes veterinary surgeons Catherine Rowe, Anna Bateman, and Maciej Ligus, all of whom bring extensive experience in emergency and critical care. They are joined by registered veterinary nurses Emma Clayton, Linka Sendall, and Amiee Simpkins, who have all worked in Swindon for many years.
The service will operate from Drove Vets’ purpose-built veterinary hospital just south of Swindon town centre, off Croft Road, supporting pet owners across the region. The new appointments bring the total Drove Vets team to 117 staff across six practices.
A return to independent, local-led emergency care
For the past four years, Drove Vets outsourced its emergency services to a corporate veterinary chain operating from its hospital at night and on weekends. Now, the practice has taken back full control to deliver a more personalised, locally managed service.
Lynne Gaskarth, Drove Vets’ Practice Director and Small Animal Director Vet, said:
“We’re hugely excited to now offer a dedicated out-of-hours service with our own pricing structure and experienced team. Having our emergency care back in-house gives us greater control and allows us to deliver the standard of service our clients expect from a trusted local name.
“We’re already receiving enquiries from neighbouring veterinary practices looking to refer their clients to us for emergency care, which shows the strength of trust in Drove Vets as an independent, community-focused business.”
Experienced team ready to deliver critical care
The newly recruited staff are already well-known in Swindon’s veterinary community and bring decades of combined experience in emergency and critical care.
Registered Veterinary Nurse Amiee Simpkins said:
“When I heard about Drove Vets’ plans to launch this new service, I immediately wanted to be part of it. Out-of-hours work is fast-paced and unpredictable, but also incredibly rewarding when you can turn a critical case around and make a real difference to pets and their owners.
“I’m looking forward to working with such a strong, passionate team to make this service a real success.”
A commitment to collaboration and excellence
Founded in 1839, Drove Vets is a proud member of XLVets, a community of independently owned veterinary practices that collaborate to share best practices, skills and knowledge to deliver the highest standards of veterinary care.
For more information about Drove Vets and its new 24-hour emergency service, visit www.drovevets.co.uk.
