- Driven by the pet-ownership boom, Blaise Veterinary Referral Hospital is one of the largest in the UK and has the capacity to treat up to 10,000 pets every year
- Located on the Longbridge regeneration site near Birmingham, the state-of-the-art hospital has brought 100 new jobs to the local area
- The hospital is now officially opened and accepting referrals from surrounding vet practices
A new veterinary hospital is now open in Longbridge, Birmingham. Blaise Veterinary Referral Hospital is the UK’s newest pet hospital and will provide a specialist-led, multi-disciplinary referral service and 24/7 emergency care for pets in Birmingham and the surrounding areas. The hospital has the capacity to treat up to 10,000 pets each year.
Duncan Phillips, UK and Ireland CEO of hospital owner IVC Evidensia, visited Blaise on Monday 13 November to officially welcome the new team and meet some of the hospital’s first patients. Blaise is the group’s first purpose-built, multi-disciplinary hospital in the UK and is expected to become a blueprint for future hospitals, with a clinician-led building design and a nurse-led clinical floor, both of which are fairly new practices for the veterinary profession.
Driven by the boom in pet ownership over the last three years, pets and their owners will be referred to Blaise by their local daytime vet practice when they need more specialised treatment, such as oncology for pets with cancer or cardiology for heart issues, among many others.
At the heart of Blaise is a state-of-the art intensive care unit where a dedicated team can cater for emergencies around the clock, with out of hours support provided by Vets Now, the UK’s leading pet emergency service.
Phillips said: “Blaise marks a huge milestone for IVC Evidensia and we are so excited to officially open the doors today. As well as being home to phenomenal, modern facilities that will provide a wide range of options for pet care and treatment, we have built an amazing and collaborative team here who I strongly believe will see Blaise become one of the most prestigious and well-respected referrals centres in the UK.”
Andrew Kent, clinical director at Blaise, said: “We’ve worked incredibly hard to get to this point and I know I speak on behalf of the whole team here at Blaise when I say we are thrilled to officially be able to welcome pets and owners from all around Birmingham and the midlands.
“Recent years have seen an ever-increasing need for specialist referral services in the veterinary industry and we are here to answer that demand by providing excellent high-quality and professional care for pets who need it.”
The 36,000 sq. ft hospital is located on the West Longbridge regeneration site in South Birmingham, where a new town is emerging on the land that was once home to the Austin car manufacturing plant before it closed in 2015. The wider redevelopment will see the revival of 75 acres of brownfield land, delivering up to 5,000 new jobs, up to 395 new homes and 27 acres of landscaping and open space.
Blaise is easily accessible by road from the main A38 route which links the M5 and M42 with Birmingham city centre and means that the hospital will welcome patients from across the midlands and the rest of the UK. The new hospital facility is fully operational and open 24/7 for referrals and emergencies, supporting colleagues from surrounding vet practices. For more information, visit www.blaise-referrals.com.
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