Six Mile Bottom veterinary hospital near Newmarket undergoes £15 million improvement works

A veterinary hospital just outside Newmarket is undergoing a £15 million transformation which will see it treble in size and take on around 75 extra staff over the next three years.

Work is under way at Dick White Referrals (DWR), in Six Mile Bottom, which will see its floor space increase from 16,456sqft to 48,328sqft, its kennel capacity go from 107 to 197, the creation of a new emergency and critical care hub and a new imaging suite kitted out with new, state-of-the-art imaging equipment including new MRI and CT scanners, two ultrasounds and two x-ray machines.

Sixteen new consulting rooms will take the total to 25, including dedicated cat consulting rooms, separate dog and cat waiting areas, and wards, alongside a seminar room with the capacity to seat 66 people.

Linnaeus-owned DWR, one of Europe’s leading veterinary hospitals, is also looking to expand its reputation as a teaching and research practice, and will expand its intern and residency programmes to cover all disciplines.

Simon Tappin, clinical director at DWR, said: “This long-awaited expansion will transform our practice, offering even more space and capacity for referrals, brand-new equipment and a seamless experience for our clients. It will also bolster our reputation as a training practice, with the expansion of our intern and residency programmes adding to our already-impressive provision in this area.

“Every part of this expansion is geared towards building on our reputation for world-leading, specialist-led care for small animals.”

The practice is also implementing major case management changes as part of the investment, with a single point of contact for every client and individual case managers in every discipline.

As part of its transformation, DWR will be replacing its traditional reception area with a concierge-style greeting service for clients, with staff on hand to book in clients on iPads.

Deborah Bell, client care team manager, said: “This is a unique selling point for us and we think it’s an industry first. The idea came from how medical secretaries work in human health.

“When a referring vet calls us, our client care team takes the basic details and passes them on to the case manager for that discipline. They will contact the client, make appointments and meet the client in person on arrival.

“We have 12 case managers for our disciplines at the moment, with the potential to expand. As well as providing a personalised service for our clients, it provides great career progression opportunities for our client care team.”

The expansion work is expected to be completed early next year.