Preston vets expands with funding

Preston-based Oakhill Veterinary Centre is to open a state-of-the-art facility after securing significant funding.

Lloyds Bank provided a £650,000 finance package which will be used to purchase and refurbish its own premises.

The new site will be the business’ central facility for small animal veterinary care and has the capacity to welcome thousands of pets from the local area each year.

It will feature the highest standard veterinary medical equipment and machinery for x-rays, digital imaging, and ultrasound tests, while veterinary medical staff will have the capacity to perform on-site surgery and procedures including orthopaedic and dental surgery.

The surgery will be led by Judith Lee and Lisa Steinhage who collectively have more than four decades of experience in the industry. They will be supported by a team of eight veterinary nurses headed by Nicola Porter. Following the opening of the new practice next year, the business expects to create jobs for an additional two veterinarians and two nurses. 

Tony Barry, CEO of Oakhill Veterinary Centre said: “We are committed to providing the very highest quality of care and service for all our patients from when they arrive in the waiting room right through to rehabilitation, including a dedicated preventative healthcare programme.

"More than three million households in the UK have acquired a pet since the start of the pandemic, meaning the UK now has an incredible 17 million pet-owning homes. This is creating even more demand for small animal veterinary services and we need to expand into a larger and more sophisticated site to support this. "

Kate Salt, relationship director, Lloyds Bank, said: “The UK is well known for being a nation of animal lovers and most pet owners want their four-legged companions to receive the same high level of care and service as any other member of their family. 

“Oakhill’s new veterinary centre will help to tap into continually rising demand for veterinary care with the opening of their new centre in Preston, and we are pleased to have facilitated this expansion."

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