VETERINARY HOSPITAL - Key Persons
Andrei graduated in 2015 in Bucharest and since then has been working in small animal practices. His main areas of interest are; endoscopy and gastroenterology, keyhole (laparoscopic) spays, general and emergency surgery and basic orthopaedic surgery.
Andrei has excellent social skills which he finds is a key component for good teamwork in order to offer the best care for his clients and patients. He is currently studying for his GPCert PGC in Small Animal Endoscopy and Minimal Invasive Surgery.
His passions and hobbies outside of work are; video games, outdoor activities (mountain biking, kayaking, hiking and airsoft) He also loves cooking and exploring the world, which is the main thing he will retire for…at some point. He is also passionate about anything that has an engine and runs on wheels.
Angela is passionate about animal welfare and has spent many years helping animal charities rescue and rehabilitate sick injured and abandoned animals. She loves her job at the vets as she says it is a privilege to help look after clients pets and be a part of a likeminded team. Outside of work Angela's hobbies include looking after her own animals, which include horses, dogs, cats and sheep.
Caitlin graduated from Glasgow University in July 2016. She has a particular interest in surgery and emergency and critical care, working as a night vet at the hospital dealing with emergency cases out of hours, and is currently working towards a certificate in emergency and critical care.
Caroline has been head nurse at the Veterinary Hospital and Surgery for over 30 years. She loves her job and the team, striving to care for our patients as though they were her own animals. She enjoys training the student veterinary nurses and nursing our in-patients, particularly challenging cases and assisting the RSPCA with strays/rescue cases. Caroline has horses, dogs, cats and pet sheep at home which take up all of her spare time to look after them.
Catherine started at The Veterinary Hospital in April 1998 and has never left! She began her time here on reception, progressing into the nursing department and gaining a qualification in veterinary care assistants in 2010. She is currently the insurance claims handler for the Gorleston branch. Catherine loves the hands on nursing care of inpatients, giving them TLC and spending quality time with them providing the care and attention they need to recover. At home her time is consumed by her five dogs.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Support Team
- Maintenance
David deals with all maintenance related issues in both our Lowestoft and Gorleston practices, ensuring smooth running of both branches. He has been part of the team for 20 years. Outside of work David enjoys DIY and has recently started welding art. He is also currently his own outside entertainment area and bar. David and his wife have the pleasure of owing a gorgeous Chihuahua called Alfie.
Meet Donna, one of our Animal Nursing Assistants at the Gorleston site..Donna was originally our evening Dispensary nurse in 2019 but decided she wanted a more hands on role learning more about the animals.She enjoys working alongside the vets in their clinics and the hospital inpatient shifts. She loves her gardening,painting and woodwork.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Support Team
- Receptionist
Donna works as one of our receptionists at the Gorleston branch; she loves meeting the clients and their pets especially having numerous cuddles with the new puppies that come in. Outside of work Donna enjoys long walks in the woods with her three naughty Labradors named Willow, Lexi and Millie as well as spending time with her family.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Support Team
- Receptionist
Edith works as a receptionist and joined the practice in 2014. She enjoys her job, meeting the clients and their pets. It gives her self-satisfaction that she can help in some small way in the care of their pet when needed. Edith enjoys spending time with her cat Blu and outside of work her hobbies are crafting, reading and many others.
Elissa is our clinical director. She graduated in 2007 from Glasgow University and came here immediately after graduation and has never left. Elissa loves the varied nature of her role, meeting clients and working with our teams across both sites to ensure we deliver and offer the very best to the animals in our care.
Outside of work her family keep her on her toes and she has a love of walking and rugby.
Fraya started her veterinary journey in 2010 as a Work Experience Student and joined the team in 2012 as an Animal Nursing Assistant, progressing to a Student Veterinary Nurse. She graduated from The College of West Anglia, Cambridge, in 2018 as an RVN.
In 2021 she was promoted to Deputy Head Nurse and is based at the Lowestoft Practice. She loves all aspects of her job, ranging from surgery to consulting. Fraya enjoys interaction with her clients and patients.
Fraya is very foodie person, and therefore outside of work enjoys cooking and going out for meals. Fraya also enjoys spending time with her friends, family, and of course her rescued ginger furry feline friend, Simba.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Support Team
- Senior Receptionist
Jana is one of our senior receptionists at the Lowestoft branch who has been a member of the team since 1999. Jana finds herself being kept very busy but finds her job very rewarding and the years have just flown by.
Jana feels lucky to work with a great team which helps the days/weeks/months to pass. She enjoys meeting clients and their pets and finds every working day is different.
Job Titles:
- Head
- Member of the Support Team
- Receptionist
Jodie is one of our Gorleston head receptionists. She started working with us in 2016. Jodie loves being on the front desk interacting with the clients and their pets. When she is not at work she enjoys spending time with her little boy and walking her two dogs, Parker and Princess. She also has a cat called Buddy that she loves to spoil who was rescued from the Cats Protection.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Support Team
- Receptionist
Katie is part of our reception team at the Gorleston hospital. She has been a part of the team since 2012. Katie handles the insurances claims for the practice supporting our clients through the process, and when required she can also be found on the reception desk. In her free time Katie loves spending time with her husband, young daughter and her handsome Golden Retriever, Ralph.
Kelly has worked here since 2008, starting as a Saturday girl and then going onto to complete her vet nurse training and becoming a registered veterinary nurse in 2014. She has a particular interest in nurse clinics and nursing long term patients; she enjoys building a bond with her patients. Away from work Kelly enjoys spending time with her family, taking her Cavalier King Charles Spaniel named Arthur for long walks and photography.
Lauren joined us as a student veterinary nurse and has now qualified as an RVN! Her favourite part of the job is being able to make a difference to the animals. Outside of work she enjoys reading, spending time with her family and long beach walks with her Cavalier.
Lisa is an RVN and has worked at the practice since 2000, having started as a school leaver and completed all of her training here. She has a particular interest in pet dentistry and anaesthesia but enjoys all aspects of her job. Outside of work Lisa likes to cook and bake and is a member of the local rowing club. Her human and furry family also keep her on her toes!
Job Titles:
- Member of the Support Team
- Practice Administrator
Lorraine is the practice administrator based at Lowestoft. Outside of work she is keen and experienced in DIY, a qualified reflexologist (the human kind), loves animals and enjoys living in the countryside.
Meet Lucy, our Head Nurse at our Gorleston Hospital. Lucy join The Veterinary Hospital & Surgery team as a Saturday girl in 2009, initially working at the Lowestoft practice. She went on to study veterinary nursing and qualified as a Registered Veterinary Nurse in 2016. Lucy has an interest in exotics, especially rabbits and is looking to start an exotics certificate this year. She is very passionate about health & fitness and living a healthy lifestyle both physically and mentally. In her down time she's a bit of an adrenaline junkie and loves being out on her mountain bike.
Melanie came to The Veterinary Hospital as a locum (temporary) nurse in October 2016 and has been here ever since. She qualified as an RVN in 1994 and has worked in many practices both in the UK and abroad. Melanie enjoys all aspects of veterinary nursing but particularly anaesthesia, theatre preparation and surgical nursing. In her spare time she is kept busy with her two children and tortoise called Yoda.
Natasha has been with the practice since 2011 and qualified as a veterinary nurse in 2016. In 2019 she became MiNightVet Nurse Manager for our Gorleston MiNightVet service. She enjoys providing emergency and critical care to our patients especially when she gets to see the patients improve and go home to their owners. In her free time she likes relaxing with her French Bulldog ‘Benny' and cat ‘Lily'
Job Titles:
- Member of the Support Team
- Practice Manager
Rachel is our practice manager and joined The Veterinary Hospital and Surgery in January 2017. She enjoys all aspects of her role, especially looking after the whole team. Outside of work she loves spending time with her family and keeping her two Terriers out of mischief.
Meet Rachel, who is one of our Nursing Assistant's at our Gorleston Practice. Rachel has worked with us since 2018 and has been lucky enough to do training at The Veterinary Hospital. She started off as a Saturday girl, became part time and then became full time with us. She hopes to do further training to qualify as a RVN as she really enjoys caring for the patients and loves to build a connection with the clients and helping in any way possible. In her spare time she enjoys spending time with her family and friends and spending time with her cat Simbe who plays fetch.
Meet Sam, one of our Student Veterinary Nurses at our Lowestoft Surgery. Sam came to the practice for work experience in 2015, and joined the team in 2016 as a Patient Care Assistant. Sam recently started college and is enjoying all aspects of learning. She is completely dedicated to becoming a Registered Veterinary Nurse. She thoroughly enjoys all aspects of her job, especially meeting all the pets and their owners and is constantly expanding her knowledge. She has two dogs at home who take up a lot of her spare time. Tara, a German Shepherd Husky cross and Bear, a crazy German Shepherd puppy whom is yet to grow into his ears.
Job Titles:
- Registered Veterinary Nurse
Steph started working at The Veterinary Surgery in 2002 qualifying in 2006. In this time Steph has gained a lot of valuable experience, trained students to become qualified RVNs and enjoys teaching others too.
She really enjoys her job and takes great pride in caring our client's pets. Steph has a keen interest in laboratory work and infection control. Recently becoming a pet bereavement counsellor which allows her to support clients through the hard times and tough decisions they may face.
Veterinary nursing is highly rewarding and she looks forward to see what each shift brings.