Why refer to Willows?

Willows was one of the first private small animal referral practices in the UK and has been providing top-quality care for referred patients for the last 20 years. Our philosophy has always been one of aiming to provide the best possible care for every patient, but with the wishes and concerns of the client very much borne in mind. Whilst the practice has developed over the years and now has over 100 staff, we remain firmly committed to excellence in all that we do, and we are continually striving to improve and refine the care and service that we provide, not only to our patients and their owners but also to our referring veterinary surgeons.

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Willows Specialist multi-disciplinary team

We have RCVS, European and American recognised Specialists providing services in the fields of:

• Orthopaedics
• Ophthalmology
• Soft tissue surgery
• Internal medicine
• Neurology
• Spinal surgery
• Oncology
• Diagnostic imaging
• Anaesthesia/analgesia/critical care

Together our Specialists, a number of whom are internationally renowned, have over 140 years experience as Specialists, have published over 380 scientific papers and have given over 1200 national and international talks.

 

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Is having Specialists within each discipline important?

Recognised Specialists have obtained Diploma status, requiring rigorous, regulated and approved post-graduate clinical training which extends very significantly beyond that required at Certificate level. A Diploma trainee's exposure to clinical cases is monitored and their depth and breadth of knowledge, both of clinical matters and the published literature, is tested at the highest level in achieving Diploma status. In addition, recognised Specialists have to go through a re-accreditation process on a regular basis. Re-accreditation of Specialist status is strictly regulated and requires: that the Specialist is continuing to work primarily in their field of specialisation that the Specialist is obtaining sufficient relevant CPD that they publish peer-reviewed scientific papers, book chapters etc. (in turn requiring that they perform clinical research and keep up to date with advances in their discipline) that they make ongoing contributions to their field of interest by:
providing CPD to members of the profession being involved with work on relevant committees being involved in examining members of the profession seeking post-graduate clinical qualifications Having Specialists in each of our disciplines ensures that our teams are working at the highest levels and with an understanding of the most up to date approaches to our patient's problems.

 

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At Willows we understand the needs of referring vets

Many of the clinicians at Willows have worked in first-opinion practice and understand the pressures on general practitioners. We aim to provide a responsive, helpful service which caters for your needs as well as those of your clients and their pets.

Appointments are always available and urgent cases are seen as a priority. If you wish to speak with our clinicians prior to referral, or if you just want some advice, our vets are always happy to speak with you and will get back to you as quickly as possible if they are not immediately available.

We understand that many referrals are complex and that owners can be very anxious and in need of reassurance. We do all we can to look after clients' needs as well as those of their pets, and in so doing to assist you, the referring vet, in maintaining the confidence and loyalty of your clients. We have a dedicated Client Care Manager who will give your clients a tour of our state-of-the-art facilities and a chance to meet our clinical support staff at the time of their appointment.

We will keep you informed – we understand the need to keep you promptly updated regarding developments with both the client and the patient that you have entrusted to our care. Rapid, informative report provision is an important part of our approach.

 

 

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24 hour in-patient care

 

In contrast to the majority of other referral centres, Willows has experienced veterinary and nursing staff on duty, on the premises and continually caring for all our in-patients 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year. Our patients benefit from continual monitoring and attention from fully qualified, trained veterinary and nursing staff, whether during the day, the night or on weekends and public holidays.

 

 

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24 hour emergency service in all disciplines

Due to significant and on-going investment we are able to provide emergency care when you and your client need it – an important distinguishing feature differentiating Willows from many other referral centres. We have members of our orthopaedic, ophthalmology, neurology, medicine, soft tissue, anaesthesia and imaging disciplines on duty 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year. This service extends not just to ongoing cases but also to new patients.

 

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Willows Referral Service checklist

If you are considering referral of a case we invite you to compare the following with other referral centres: Our patients, clients and referring vets are central to our service provision over 80% of our clients score us 5/5 in all aspects of our service We have some of the top RCVS, European, American accredited Specialists in the UK  our Specialists all work only at Willows and are readily contacted  patient care and case continuity is optimised by our full time Specialist presence  refer with confidence, knowing that you are complying with RCVS guidelines Willows staff are friendly, helpful and genuinely 'Committed to excellence'  our personnel are highly trained and focussed on providing the highest levels of care and service We have unsurpassed diagnostic, surgical, patient care and hospitalisation facilities, all combined with Specialist expertise, facilitating optimal patient outcome Imaging facilities run by a highly experienced radiographer and Imaging Specialists  diagnostic image interpretation by our three on-site Imaging Specialists imaging studies tailored and fine-tuned for each patient's needs at the time of investigation, improving diagnosis and patient care Anaesthetic safety is a priority  we have an anaesthetic team led by Specialist Karen Walsh BVetMed DVA DipECVAA  top quality anaesthetic monitoring equipment is provided throughout the facility Multi-disciplinary service  this enables input from multiple Specialists for difficult cases Willows provides 24 hour veterinary and nursing care for all our hospitalised patients, 365 days of the year We have a highly trained team of over 60 nurses and other clinical support staff dedicated to providing the highest levels of patient care 24 hours a day Referring a case is rapid and easy:  ask the owner to call us for an appointment  send the history by email (histories@willows.uk.net) or fax (0121 712 7077) Urgent cases are seen as a priority We provide a 24 hour Emergency Service in each discipline for both ongoing and new cases We give rapid feedback and reporting by the Willows clinician after your client has been seen A rapid radiographic reporting service is available (radiographs may be emailed to radiographs@willows.uk.net) Willows has a track-record of quality clinical research  our clinicians constantly strive to monitor and improve clinical outcomes through peer reviewed publications We provide high quality CPD to veterinary professionals Direct claims can be arranged for many insured cases (subject to terms and conditions) Payment Schemes are available to assist clients with cash flow difficulties Willows is in a readily accessible central location with extensive client car parking Advice is freely available, even if the case cannot be referred

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We want your feedback

 

We are continually striving to improve our service, and your feedback is extremely valuable to us in this regard.

We invite you to give your feedback regarding any recent experience of our referral service by going to our feedback page for veterinary professionals.

Alternatively if you would like to speak to a member of staff, please call 0121 712 7070 and ask to speak to our Client Care Manager, Becky Tomlinson, Practice Manager, Jenny Tubb or Partners, Malcolm McKee and Peter Renwick.

 

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Come and compare us with other referral service providers!

 

We believe that Willows is truly different to many other referral centres in many respects, and that a visit to the practice helps to demonstrate that we provide an excellent, value for money service.

We welcome visitors and would appreciate the opportunity to show you around our premises and meet some of our staff.

If you would like to see for yourself what goes on behind the scenes at Willows, please contact our Client Care Manager, Becky Tomlinson on 0121 712 7070 and she will be pleased to arrange a tour for you.

 

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