Lumbry Park Veterinary Specialists Opens its Doors‏

Lumbry Park Veterinary Specialists, a new small animal referral hospital in Alton, Hampshire, was officially opened on Saturday 10th October. It was opened by the Town Mayor of Alton during an Open Day attended by local dignitaries and more than 100 vets, together with representatives from the veterinary industry and animal charities.  Dr Caner Salih, a Consultant Cardiac Surgeon at the Evelina London Children's Hospital was a special guest.

 Lumbry Park Veterinary Specialists has been created from a former out-of-town office building in Alton by CVS. Building work commenced in March 2015 and CVS has invested more than £4.3 million to create one of the most advanced, multi-disciplinary specialist veterinary hospitals in the UK. It occupies 1,300 square metres and, at the time of its opening, employs nine referral clinicians including seven boarded specialists, together with support and admin staff, creating an initial staffing level of forty. They offer a range of advanced diagnostics and treatments for dogs and cats across a range of specialties, including high-field MRI and CT scanning, key-hole surgery, interventional cardiac procedures, and joint replacements. Cardiology specialist Dr Luca Ferasin is Lumbry Park's Clinical Director and reports to Professor John Innes, CVS' Referral Director. 

The ribbon cutting (from left): Joanne Gardner, Gemma Smith, John Innes, Pam Ashton,  Simon Innes, Luca Ferasin, Belinda Joyce and Mandy Hogan

Commenting, Simon Innes, Chief Executive of CVS, said:  "The opening of Lumbry Park is a proud moment for CVS and the culmination of a huge amount of work by John, Luca and the team involved. They have worked together to create a fantastic environment in which our specialists can offer the highest standard of veterinary care to our patients and their owners and we are delighted to bring their expertise to veterinary practices and their clients right across the South East of England."

CVS Referral Director, Professor John Innes said: "The opening of Lumbry Park marks a major step for CVS in terms of investment in veterinary specialist services and we will work to ensure that it develops an international reputation for the standard of care it provides.  The Hospital is easily accessible and has the space and rural setting to provide a professional and pleasant environment for our patients, their owners, and our team.  Luca and his excellent team are raring to go and we look forward to welcoming our first patients next week."

Alton Town Mayor Mrs Pam Jones added: "I am delighted that Alton has been chosen as the location for such a prestigious veterinary centre and I am honoured to be asked to open it."