A County Durham veterinary practice is the cat’s whiskers – after receiving a makeover for moggies.
Prince Bishop Veterinary Hospital in Leadgate, near Consett has earned a top award for enhancing the care of feline patients.
Cat and their owners can now benefit form a separate waiting area, away from the noise of barking dogs, which helps make visits to the practice a less stressful experience.
Blankets are also available to cover pet carriers and owners are given advice about how to keep their cats calm during the visit, while veterinary team members have undergone training in how to handle stressed cats.
In the cat ward, hospitalised patients can relax in their cages with igloos so they can hide if they become anxious.
Prince Bishop Vets’ dedication to kitty care has seen it named as a Cat-Friendly Clinic by the International Society of Feline Medicine (ISFM), a charity dedicated to the care of cats, and awarded silver status.
Practice Manager Karen Hutton said: “We recognised because of their unique personalities and needs, bringing cats to the vets can be stressful for both the patient and their owners. When cats become stressed, so too do owners, and we want to try to improve the whole experience for everyone.
“The Cat-Friendly Clinic Programme has helped us to take a fresh look at how we help feline patients by creating a more cat-friendly practice and reducing stress. We’ve been delighted by the feedback from clients who feel it is making visits to the practice much easier for them and their pet.
“We have been explaining to clients about not putting pet carriers on the floor as cats prefer to be elevated and hopefully the award will help reassure owners that our hospital facilities are also cat-friendly.”
Nursing assistant Melanie Sterling has been appointed as a ‘cat advocate’ to ensure the practice maintains the standards it has set.
The award is a double celebration for Prince Bishop Vets as they have just had their hospital status renewed by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) in the Practice Standards Scheme.
Around half of the practices in the UK are accredited under the voluntary Practice Standards Scheme, which quality assures practices and their facilities.
Having hospital status means practices must meet a rigorous examination of its premises and facilities, ensure nursing teams are present on the premises round the clock and a vet available 24 hours a day to attend to in-patients if required.
They also have to provide a range of specialist equipment and meet high standards of cleanliness and sterility.
Prince Bishop Vets is the only veterinary practice in the UK to achieve six ‘outstanding’ awards for excellence in Customer Service, Diagnostic Service, Patient Consultation Service, Team and Professional Responsibility, In-Patient Service and Emergency and Critical Care Service.
The practice has also earned nearly 100 nominations in the 2020 Petplan Veterinary Awards, which celebrate outstanding achievements of vets, nurses and support staff across the UK.
They have received 31 nominations from clients in the Veterinary Practice of the Year category, while team member Louise Guy has received 41 nominations in the Receptionist of the Year category.
Winners of the Petplan awards will be announced on April 2nd.
