Every day, in every clinic, hospital and office, Vets Now staff step up and do their very best.
That’s certainly the case for Paul Aldridge, BVSc Cert SAS MRCVS from our Manchester Hospital. Paul’s experience as a surgeon is crucial in dealing with many of the most challenging cases.
But he insists that above this, the one thing that shines through more than anything is just as vital – teamwork.
“I enjoy working in a multi-disciplinary team” said Paul, an RCVS Advanced Practitioner in Small Animal Surgery who has been at the hospital since it opened in 2016. Part of the appeal of being here is the sheer variety of interesting cases, and the different departments, but we really are all a team. In referrals, we work with the ECC and medicine departments daily.”
“So, if the ECC team have trauma cases that require surgery, they will be transferred to us. But then from internal medicine we may have cases requiring abdominal or thoracic surgery. This works both ways as the ECC team will often do the stabilisation required for us to do the surgery in the first place and can then be involved in the post-operative care.”
“ICU is staffed by experienced ECC vets and nurses, so we know our patients are getting the very best care.”
At the Forefront of Veterinary Advances
Paul is one of three surgeons in the surgery team, in addition two interns and a skilled team of six surgery nurses. While typical days are few and far between, four or five major surgeries per day would be fairly standard.
The hospital continues to be at the forefront of veterinary advances, including the use of 3D printing technology.
One recent patient was one-year-old crossbreed Baxter, struggling badly due to a deformity on one of his front legs. Paul and the team were able to produce a model of the leg so they could better plan the operation, and a 3D guide helped make the critical surgical cuts.
It’s such expertise, and the growing reputation of the hospital, that draws clients from far as well as near.
“We get referrals from the Lake District, the Midlands, North Wales and Yorkshire,” said Paul. “Yes, we are a Vets Now Hospital with great facilities and a big team to deal with trauma and emergency cases, but during the day half our work comes from multi-disciplinary referrals.
About 50% of the Surgery caseload at the Hospital comes from more routine referrals. These vary from orthopaedic workups, including cruciate surgery, to BOAS and thoracic surgery. We’re very much here for that non-emergency work, which further adds to the variety in our day.”
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