Ashlands Veterinary Centre will open a large, modern practice in the summer of 2025 when work is expected to be completed on the new facility which will provide the best possible care for pets.
Excitement is building among the team at Ashlands Vets who will relocate to the new site which will be twice the size of its current practice and boast the latest equipment and technology.
Plans for the site, which is further along Leeds Road from the existing practice, include five consulting rooms, with one dedicated to cats, three operating theatres including a dedicated dental suite, an ultra-sound suite and x-ray facilities.
The site will also house a CT scanner suite boosting the practice’s capability for handling a wider variety of cases, such as orthopaedics, soft tissue issues and tumour analysis.
Cats and dogs will benefit from having separate waiting areas and wards to offer the best possible service for clients and their pets. There will also be a dedicated room that provides a calm, quiet space for owners during difficult times, including clients suffering bereavement if their pet has been put to sleep.
Investment for the practice is being provided by VetPartners, a York-based veterinary group, which owns some of the UK’s most respected small animal, equine, mixed and farm practices, including Ashlands Vets.
Work has started on the new practice, which will have client parking and electric charging points, and the outer shell is expected to be ready by Christmas.
The team is led by practice manager Ben Ogden, clinical directors Sam Burnell and Nikki Holt, and clinical nurse manager Jenny Chapman, and the practice attracts clients from Ilkley and the surrounding areas. Ashlands Vets also has branches in Glusburn and Skipton.
Skilled
Ben said: “We are currently in a small building which is where we first started when the practice was founded in 1991, and we’ve simply outgrown the space. We have a highly skilled and dedicated team with a wide range of experience, but the space constraints are limiting what we can offer.
“Moving to a bigger, purpose-built site is a massive boost because we will have much more space for improved facilities and new equipment which means we’ll be able to see more clients and expand our services such as keyhole surgery, laser therapy, physiotherapy and orthopaedic surgery.
“The CT scanner suite will be completely new and a great benefit for clients and patients. We currently have to refer cases which means clients have to travel out of town. This will save them the travel time and additional stress that brings.”
Jenny added: “Some team members have been here a really long time and lived through many discussions about relocating so there’s a real buzz now that it is finally happening.
“Everybody is really looking forward to having the extra space and improved facilities such as the bereavement room.
"Within the team, we have talked a lot about end-of-life care for pets and we all felt it was important to be able to support our clients by providing somewhere quiet and calm at such an emotional time. There will also be a separate exit so that they don’t have to leave through the waiting room.”