Witham Centre Staff

Neil Hodson	Principle Veterinary Surgeon
	I took over the running of Spring Lodge Vets in 1992 and started a series of improvements that lead to the Witham Centre gaining its RCVS Tier 3 Hospital status. I mainly work at the Witham hospital but also at our newest centre in Ingatestone. I believe in providing a personal and friendly service to all of our clients and their animals.

James Sutton	Veterinary Surgeon
	I have worked at Spring Lodge since April 2008. I have a keen interest in surgery and am currently in the final stages of working towards a Certificate in Small Animal Surgery. My assessor for the certificate is Dick White at Dick White referrals in Newmarket. Apart from surgery I enjoy consulting, radiography and ultrasound examinations. In my spare time I enjoy playing and watching football and cricket, going skiing. I relax by walking my two English Springer Spaniels Jack & Coco.

Nicole Laws	Veterinary Surgeon
	I graduated from the Royal Veterinary College in 2005 and joined Spring Lodge in October 2008. Initially the main vet at our Tiptree branch, I now enjoy the responsibility of running the Witham hospital wards caring for post surgical and hospitalised patients. I have a keen interest in both surgery and emergency medicine and am in the first stages of studying towards the ESPVS Certificate in Emergency Medicine and Surgery which I should complete in November this year.    To keep fit and de-stress I enjoy being part of the Firststepsuk hip-hop crew performing in local and regional displays and also have started latin and ballroom and jazz dance classes. Any other spare time is taken up being attacked by my very over zealous kitten that I rehomed from Spring Lodge a few months ago!

Melinda Lewis	Veterinary Surgeon
	I qualified as a veterinary surgeon in 1996 in South Africa and worked there until 1998. I came to the UK in 1999 working as a small animal vet and I joined Spring Lodge as a part-time vet in 2007. My particular interest is for surgical cases and I am usually found in one of the surgical suites at the Witham Hospital. I also help operate at the Chelmsford Centre when required.

Sarah Float	Veterinary Surgeon
	Before coming to the UK, I worked at wildlife sanctuaries in Perth and qualified as a veterinary surgeon in 2004 from Murdoch University, Perth Western Australia. After my arrival in the UK, I continued with my veterinary career in Suffolk, then joined Spring Lodge in December 2009. I Have a particular interest in feline medicine and clinical pathology and I am very keen to continue learning and progressing in the veterinary profession, helping as many animals along the way as possible. Outside of surgery life, I enjoy travelling and the great outdoors with my husband Clinton who is an equine vet. My two pets, both rescues, are Beau, a mischievous Border Collie and Pippa a very sweet domestic shorthaired cat.

Nicola	Veterinary Nurse
	I am a Registered Veterinary Nurse at Spring Lodge. I qualified as a Veterinary Nurse in 1999 and have been with Spring Lodge since 2000. I was brought up on a smallholding with a whole range of animals from owls to horses. These surroundings only added fuel for my passion of animals and from an early age I knew that my future would always involve them. I have a particular interest in Veterinary Dentistry and have obtained the BVNA Certificate in Dentistry. I have two pets of my own, an beautiful, big grey cat called Maud and a young Wire Haired Hungarian Visla called Margo. In my spare time I enjoy walking Margo and spending time with family.

Sophie	Veterinary Nurse, Advanced Pet Heath Counsellor
	I am Spring Lodge’s Advanced Pet Health Counsellor. I am a Registered, Qualified Veterinary nurse and have been nursing for over ten years. I started at Spring Lodge in 2003 and enjoy being part of such a lovely team in a busy veterinary hospital. Running nurse consultations involves giving advice on nutrition, preventative health care, basic behaviour and general animal care. I also organise displays, promotions, puppy parties, client information evenings and attending charity events which involves many of the staff from Spring Lodge. In my spare time I look after our four very naughty cats and three very cute guinea pigs.

Stephanie	Veterinary Nurse
	I qualified as a veterinary nurse in 1986. Since then I have worked in a combination of mixed and small animal practices. I was also extremely fortunate enough to have spent 5 years working at the University of Bristol Veterinary referral centre in Langford, where I worked in the surgical department and in the kennels looking after the long term patients. I had a few years off to spend time bringing up my two children and have now returned to work in a part time capacity. I came to Spring Lodge as a locum Nurse in Oct 2009 and loved it so much I stayed and became a permanent part time member of the team. My pets at home include a Border terrier ‘Teasel’ two moggies and several stick insects!!

Tracey	Veterinary Nurse
	Hi my name is Tracey I have worked at spring Lodge vets for over 10 years. I have completed an Advanced Diploma in Clinical Veterinary Nursing. My main duties at work are the running of the surgical suite and assisting the vets in orthopaedic surgery. I also have interests in physiotherapy, wound care and nursing critical care patients. I have a 2-year-old ginger cat called Nando.

Laura	Veterinary Nurse
	Hello, my name is Laura and I have been qualified since 2008 and have worked at Spring Lodge for many years. I started by coming to help out on Saturday mornings while I was still at school and have stayed here ever since working my way up to becoming a veterinary nurse. My main duties at Spring Lodge are care of the inpatients, making their stay at the Hospital as comfortable as possible, and assisting in the theatre. I have a very keen interest in working with Rabbits and other small furry animals. I have a Jack Russell x staffie called Link that was a brought in as a stray who had been hit by a car. My hobbies include going to the cinema and seeing friends.

Lucy	Veterinary Nurse
	I have recently graduated from the Royal Veterinary College with a Foundation Degree in Science with Merit in Veterinary Nursing. I started working at Spring Lodge in April 2010 and have settled in brilliantly. I hope to complete further qualifications and specialise my nursing career in the future. My interests include travelling, spending time with family and friends, going to see shows and watching Formula 1..

Mary Samson	Veterinary Nurse
	Before I joined Spring Lodge I completed a Degree in Animal Management at Writtle College. I joined the Spring Lodge team in December 2005 initially as a kennel assistant, then as a laboratory technician. I have since completed my Veterinary Nurse training and became a qualified nurse in January 2010. I have a large amount of experience in dog training and help Sophie with the Puppy Parties and nursing clinics. I have a Jack Russell called Dizzee and a naughty ginger cat called Jacob.

Wendy	Veterinary Nurse
	I started my nursing career in a small animal first opinion practice where I qualified as a veterinary nurse in January 2000. Since then I have gained a vast amount of nursing experience including working within a cancer and critical care emergency referral clinic. I have been a member of the Spring Lodge team since 2004 and have achieved the Diploma in Advanced Surgical Nursing. I am now mum to two boys and work part time in the clinical and administrative departments. You may see me at the front of house running nursing clinics alongside our consulting nurse Sophie offering advice on preventative health care of your pets. My other responsibilities included nurse training and assisting in the day-to-day running of the Great Notley branch.

Sarah	Veterinary Nurse
	Hi my name is Sarah, I am a Veterinary Nurse mainly based at the Chelmsford site, but I work one day a week at the Witham Hospital. I passed the Level 3 Diploma to become a qualified nurse in 2011 after completing my training at Spring Lodge. I enjoy the medical side of nursing as well as surgery and have started to help with the nurses consultations and puppy parties. I have 2 Labrador dogs, and in my spare time enjoy taking them out for walks. I also enjoy going to latin and ballroom dancing.

Stuart	Veterinary Nursing Assistant
	I joined the company in 2009 as a Veterinary Nursing Assistant. My interests are animal welfare, wildlife conservation, and animal behaviour. My wife and I have an English Springer Spaniel called ’Sam’, a Jackhuahua called ‘Maddie’, a domestic short haired cat called ‘Baby’, and a dwarf lop rabbit called ‘Something Special’.

Janet	Senior Receptionist
	I have worked for Spring Lodge since 1985! The practice has changed dramatically since I started and it has been very satisfying to assist and be part of this change. I enjoy the varied nature of my job and especially enjoy forming a relationship with our clients, some of whom I feel I have got to know very well over the last 26 years.

Leanne	Veterinary Receptionist
	I have been working as a Veterinary receptionist since 2001 and I joined Spring Lodge in November 2005. I am currently studying for my ‘SQP’ exams which will allow me to run our large pharmacy at the Witham Hospital. I am currently on maternity leave but hope to return later in the year. I enjoy walking my Staffordshire bull terrier and occasionally like going for a swim, but without my dog!

Angela	Veterinary Receptionist
	I have worked at Spring Lodge since 2005 and before this I was working as a dog groomer for about 15 years. I live with my husband step daughter who is 13 and my 2 year old cheeky daughter .We also have a ginger cat called Pumpkin. I enjoy my job a lot especially building relationships with our clients. I find raising children and working a challenge, but one that I enjoy and find very rewarding.

Louise Freeland	Practice Manager
	I have worked at Spring Lodge since 1994 when I started my training to become a Veterinary Nurse. I worked my way up to being the Head Nurse after I became qualified and achieved my Advanced Surgical Nursing Diploma. I now manage the five Spring Lodge Centres and all of the staff which is a very busy but rewarding job. I have recently rescued a black cat brought in as a stray to the hospital called Lucy.

Jo-Anne Parsons	Office Administrator
	I started off my veterinary career by qualifying as a Veterinary Nurse in 1995. I have since worked as a Head Nurse and taught Veterinary Nursing at Writtle College, before joining Spring Lodge in 2004. I now work in the office assisting Louise and have started to manage our new website but mainly enjoy meeting all of the clients and their animals. I have two Irish Setters called Ellie and Eve, and a Patterdale Terrier called Daisy. I also have three horses, Rubie, Cassie and Daisy, with whom I regularly compete.

Caroline Sayers	Office Administrator
	I began working at Spring Lodge in 1999. After qualifying as a Veterinary Nurse in 2003, I decided I needed a change in direction. I enjoyed liaising with and assisting our clients and gained a position in the office. Since then, I left the practice to become Clinic Administrator for the emergency team. However, I missed working for Spring Lodge and soon came back! My two young children and our much-loved English Springer Spaniel, keep me very busy at home. As if working part-time and looking after these wasn’t enough, I’m also studying for an Open University Degree!