You can get the latest news by visiting our Facebook page. You can browse and share photos, read comments from other pet owners and find out what our staff have been up to.
Winter 2021 newsletter
It has been a challenging period for us during the last few months with a couple of unfortunate situations happening at once. Jane, our most experienced vet, broke her arm leaving her unable to work. Thankfully Jane is on the mend and has been able to come in to support our staff although, at the time of writing, she is unable to handle patients.
In October we also said goodbye to our lovely Scottish vet Abi, who was very sad to go but has needed to relocate due to family circumstances. This has left us in a tight situation to staff the two practices - we are incredibly thankful to our vets who have bent over backwards to fill the gaps and keep us running at mostly full capacity.
Amazingly, during a period of national vet shortage and recruitment problems, Alice arrived! Alice graduated in 2009 from Edinburgh University. Having worked in small animal practices in Cheshire and Northern Ireland, Alice has moved back home to Penshurst with her husband, three young children and 10 year old lurcher, Reg. Alice enjoys all aspects of veterinary but is particularly interested in the benefit of pets to people’s wellbeing - she has just completed a diploma in Psychotherapy. When she has (a small amount!) of spare time Alice loves reading, gardening and eating nice food.
Also new to our team is nurse Lizzy who has moved to Dacre House from Pennard Vets. Lizzy is hoping to undertake her degree in veterinary nursing with us in the future. She particularly enjoys the surgery aspect of her job and is kept busy at home looking after her three
dogs, horse, ferret, snake and fish pond!
Autumn 2021 newsletter
Thank you all for your ongoing support and understanding as we have continued to review our Covid protocols over the summer months. Our aim has been to strike a balance between our mission to provide the best veterinary service we can for the local community against the need to protect our staff and ensure they, and all our pet owners, feel safe at our clinics.
We increased our kennel capacity back in June with some clever re-thinking of furniture/space and a little plumbing and carpentry from Bradley to make the new kennels fit! Our new kennels have given us more space to meet increased demand. In staff news, we were delighted that vet Hannah’s wedding was able to ahead in July and that many of us were able to attend the reception. Congratulations Hannah and Russell! At the end of the summer, it was also wonderful to finally hold a staff social for the first time (outside and socially distanced, of course) since Christmas 2019. With our 27 staff working various shifts and in ‘zones’ within the building (as well as across two sites), we have thoroughly appreciated a chance to meet together once more. We welcome Danielle to the nursing team. Danielle joins us as a recently qualified RVN having studied at Canterbury College. Moving to Tunbridge Wells has enabled her to be closer to her family. Within veterinary nursing, Danielle is particularly keen on dental work and in-patient care.
Summer 2021 newsletter
We opened our Pembury branch in May and have been bowled over by the support and excitement from Pembury residents. Thank you for all your messages, cards and chocolates! Our staff have been enjoying the new facilities and admiring the very green decor. Huge thanks to Barry Taylor and his fantastic team of builders.
In staff news, we saw Heather become a qualified Veterinary Nurse in April following two years of study at Plumpton College alongside work. A very well deserved congratulations, Heather! We have increased our vet team to coincide with the branch opening. Gabriella joins us having worked in a busy East London practice for 18 months. Originally from Tunbridge Wells, Gabriella undertook placements with us during her time at the RVC and we are delighted to welcome her back. She enjoys all aspects of small animal practice but has a particular interest in feline medicine. She has two rescue cats - a Birman called Jazz and a Ragdoll called Sammy. Finally, thank you for your continued patience regarding outdoor consultations. At the time of writing we are still unable to open our Southborough building due to so many staff (a number still unvaccinated) working within close confines. We are continually reviewing the situation and hope to offer a normal service as soon as possible.
Spring 2021 newsletter
At the time of writing, the building work at our new branch practice in Pembury is nearing completion – thank you so much to our wonderful builder Barry Taylor and his fantastic team. We are now on to fitting out the building with specialist equipment and are looking forward to opening in May. Please do follow us on Facebook for more up-to-date information or check notices in the windows.
To assist with our expansion and to ensure that you are able to get through on the phone more easily, we have now installed a very exciting new telephone system. We are pleased with the improved clarity this has brought to the line as well as the ability to answer calls more quickly. The staff have adjusted admirably to all the new buttons and protocols!
In staff news, we welcomed vet Sarah back from maternity leave at the end of last year. New to the receptionist team is Paige who will become our Pembury receptionist when we open. Paige is very experienced in reception work and has joined us having worked previously at Well House vets. She has fitted in wonderfully to the Dacre House ethos and is a pleasure to have on the team.
Finally, we hope you like our smart new dutch canopies - hopefully a better rainproof addition as we
all spend so much time outdoors. Thank you for your ongoing patience with being seen outside especially in the cold, rain and snow! We’re certainly glad to see the Spring and the hope of a gradual return to normality.
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...Bertie was a cat of character who gave us a huge amount of affection, lots of laughs, some worries and many memories. Thank you for looking after him during his long life, and for ensuring that his end was quick and dignified. You're a great bunch and we can't fault the care you provided to our Mr B. You also know about kindness to people too...
Thank you so much for all of your support over the past couple of years. It was nice to see how much you all cared for our 'little monster' Kasper and did everything you could for him. He was certainly a character and loved coming for his visits with you… You are all amazing, caring people and we are so grateful for all that you did.
To everyone at Dacre House, thank you so much for the past year I have learnt so much. I am sorry to leave but I hope you will allow me back after my exams. I cannot tell you how grateful I am for this opportunity.
I wanted to write to thank you for the wonderful care and attention you gave to Chad, and therefore me too, whenever we attended the surgery and to say that your dedication and devotion is outstanding and has been such a strength...
...At every stage you were so helpful with explaining the situation and the options open to us. We felt all along that we arrived at the right decisions for Bibi - as a result of your professionalism...
