Abbey Veterinary Centre Staff

Dr. Jacqueline Buck BVM&S, BA, MRCVS

Post Graduate Certificate: Diagnostic Imaging (ESPVS)

Post Graduate Certificate: Professional Development in Small Animal Surgery ( (PPCSASU)

Practice Principal

Neurology, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, 

Spinal and Orthopaedic Surgery, Internal Medicine, Dermatology

Dr. Charles Ross BVMS MRCVS

Consultant

Dr. Miro Ahmed BVet Med MRCVS

General Practitioner

Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Neurology

Dr. Farah de Souza BVSc&AH MRCVS

General Practitioner

Small Animal Surgery

 

Dr. Meente Schijf BVSc MRCVS

General Practitioner

Small Animal Surgery

Dr. Cameron Sheppard BVMS MRCVS

General Practitioner

Small Animal Surgery

Dr Jacub Vodnarek MVDr MRCVS

General Practitioner

Small Animal Surgery

Dr Brian Man-Yin Leung BA Vet MB MRCVS

General Practitioner

Diagnostic Imaging

The Abbey Veterinary Centre has a permanent team of seven veterinary surgeons. The experience of our senior vets means that the practice provides excellent veterinary support for recent or relatively recent graduates. All vets rotate equally through wards, consultations and theatre and we actively encourage all veterinary staff towards competence in all fields. Nobody monopolises the more interesting medical or surgical cases.

There are more than forty hospital kennels in our medical, surgical and isolation wards, so hospitalisation and intensive investigation plus appropriate medical and post-surgical nursing is never a problem here. The extensive accommodation means that it is very easy for a pet to be admitted and examined at length and case-conferenced with other vets if the veterinary surgeon who is in charge of the case wishes to do so. This is particularly helpful for new and recent veterinary surgeon graduates who may wish to have their thoughts about a case confirmed before discussing treatment with the client. Our nurses run all laboratory investigations, radiography and electrocardiography which means that the veterinary surgeons are free to chase diagnoses and make decisions about treatment regimes.

We recognise the professional obligation of veterinary surgeons to continually enhance their skills, and Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is therefore supported both financially and by allowing periods of absence for CPD. All veterinary surgeons get five days' paid CPD per year plus a generous CPD allowance. In addition, we also fund in-house CPD which is closely allied to the needs of the practice. For example, any newly employed veterinary surgeon will receive one to one training, in working time, to develop and improve their imaging capabilities and enable them to take full advantage of the practice's diagnostic facilities for ultrasound and eventually MRI. Anyone wishing to study for a certificate is actively encouraged to do so. Additional CPD time is available for veterinary surgeons who wish to study for a certificate providing they are willing to commit to remaining working with us for the period of study.

We are also firm believers that having a better quality of life will result in a happier working environment, so time to relax and do things other than veterinary medicine is a priority. Although we cover all out-of-hours ourselves on an equally shared rota, without the use of an emergency clinic, we also enjoy seven weeks' holiday per year (35 working days) and an additional two days off in the week following every on-duty weekend.  This means that if you’ve worked a weekend, in the following week you are off from Wednesday evening to the following Monday morning! This equates to over ten weeks' holiday per year.  This time can be used for personal activities, travel etc, but may also be used to locum in other practices at a reasonable distance from us if the veterinary surgeon wants to experience life in other working environments or simply make more money. It should be noted that there is 24 hour on-site nursing support for the duty vet.

If you are a new or recent graduate, for your first couple of months of night or weekend duties you will be accompanied by a senior veterinary surgeon who will advise and mentor you and who will step in if it is thought necessary. Even when you are eventually on your own, a senior vet will always be available on the end of a telephone to be consulted and to give advice and support on any cases which concern you.

We have a generous starting salary for recent graduates and we provide excellent accommodation away from the main surgery if required.

Caylea Spikings RVN

Head nurse, Clinical nursing supervisor, Medical and Surgical nursing

Nicola Tanton RVN
Clinical Coach, Medical and Surgical Nursing

Harriet Wills RVN
Medical and Surgical Nursing

Jordan Murgatroyd RVN

Practice Administrator, Clinical Coach, Medical and Surgical Nursing

Lucy Bell

Medical and Surgical Nursing

Nursing Assistant - Karen Melin

Student Nurses: Connor Tandy; Sophie Miles; Sophie Render; Chloe Lambley

We always have around 12 qualified and student nurses working for us. Student nurses are provided with accommodation on the premises. Qualified RVNs live out.

We value veterinary nursing skills; all our nurses perform all lab investigations (blood sampling, spectrophotometry, preparing blood smears, urinalysis including dry preparations), all radiography, electrocardiography and a variety of nurse consultations (e.g. puppy health checks, dietary and behavioural advice). Where possible, we encourage our veterinary nurses to perform Schedule 3 surgical procedures. This makes full use of nurse training and allows veterinary surgeons to concentrate on interpreting data rather than having to personally perform all the routine investigative procedures themselves.

The practice has more than 20 years' experience training student veterinary nurses, our own as well as university students on work placements to complete their Nursing Progress records. In the past we have successfully mentored nurses through the Diploma qualification (a rare achievement for a general practice) and would be happy to do so again for anyone who wished to go down that route. All veterinary nurses get 2 days' paid CPD per year which is generously funded. In addition, we also train veterinary nurses who are interested in the use of MRI once they have demonstrated a commitment to the practice by working for us for more than two years.

The current nursing rota involves on-call working one weekend in twelve and one Saturday (9-4.30) in ten. Nurses receive the same holiday and days off to compensate for weekends worked as vets - 35 working days plus 2 days per full weekend worked plus 1 day per Saturday worked, adding up to approximately ten weeks holiday per year including most bank holidays. This ensures that everyone has time to enjoy life as well as their profession.