22 Sept 2024
When setting up a big new referral centre it is important to make the right kind of impact, so getting the community behind the project is of vital importance. Hospital director Julie Davis explained how Blaise Veterinary Referral Hospital in Birmingham has become a shining light in its first year, all thanks to people power…
Launching anything from scratch is no mean feat, but for this hospital with everything under one roof, location and community has played a key part.
Constructing a referral centre on a brownfield site in a part of Birmingham where regeneration is vital to the people who live and work there has created a bond to build a future on.
Blaise Veterinary Referral Hospital – named after the patron saint of veterinarians – is a brand new creation erected on a site steeped in history.
Built on the very land where the Rover factory once stood, this animal hospital – under the IVC Evidensia umbrella – is part of the Longbridge regeneration programme, making the firm and its team proud of the heritage.
Hospital director Julie Davis described the feeling behind the creation, launched just nine months ago: “We are building a unique culture here because people feel proud to be part of the regeneration and part of something new.
“Everybody that lives in this part of Birmingham knew someone who worked at Rover, knew someone who lost their job because the factory closed. Families were devastated and the livelihood of a lot of the working population was destroyed.
Blaise has been “designed by veterinary professionals, for veterinary professionals”; a brand-new veterinary hospital rather than a repurposed old building, giving the team behind it a “unique opportunity” to create a space that allows all employees to work in the best way possible.
Just one step inside the front door tells any prospective client that this firm means business, immediately enveloping visitors in its wow factor.
But it’s the people and team behind it that is the core and the heart of the hospital.
Julie said: “The staff love showing the building off. If we do tours, sometimes we’ll send an email out and say we’ve got a regional meeting here, they need three tours at 12 o’clock, can anyone help, and everybody offers. Our team always enjoys showcasing what Blaise has to offer, especially out of hours; they’re so proud of what we have built and achieved.
“Our team is made up of highly successful clinicians in their game, but they have to be team workers. We’ve got the ‘Hello, my name is…’ campaign here, which started in the NHS. It’s around those first impressions that you can make with clients.
“It all came from a doctor in the NHS who had cancer and during her treatment she felt she was referred to as a number and as a patient, rather than as a person.
“We’re trying to foster the concept of this campaign as much as we can and we encourage our staff to think about the small things that would really matter to clients, and enhance their experience of bringing their pet to Blaise.”
Blaise is a true multidisciplinary hospital that encompassed a huge recruitment initiative with around 100 staff and disciplines, including cardiology, medicine, orthopaedic surgery, soft tissue surgery, neurology and oncology, and is specialist lead.
Designing the centre as a 36,000sq ft purpose-built property has enabled it to be created in the most effective way for ease of use for staff and clients.
Julie explained: “The vets’ office is arranged so it’s multidisciplinary, so we’ve got anaesthesia next to neurology, surgeons in one area, and then medicine sits in the middle with oncology. We’ve encouraged collaborative working throughout the building, not only in the vets’ office, but the huge multi-disciplinary prep area.
“But what we really try to foster here is that every patient that comes through the door is a Blaise patient. It’s not necessarily cardiology for example. It’s a Blaise patient. Regardless of what the animal needs, once it’s through our doors, everything is all under one roof. We have an ECC department where we will take the sickest patients, and where required refer internally because we’ve got the disciplines here that they would need.”
With a background in the NHS, Julie has an impeccable understanding of what is important to the clients and efficient to the staff – and the thought that has gone into the layout of the building.
She said: “When I show people around, the layout just makes sense; it is easy and efficient for the person in charge of that animal’s care, to take them through the consulting corridor, take them through to prep then on to anaesthesia and into surgery, or the diagnostic suite, and it just all flows.
“Efficiency-wise, I think it really works. We haven’t had to try to repurpose any areas of it. We’re growing into the space we have, and the future use of some of these areas is for the people who work here to come up with what’s needed.”
The hospital’s all-under-one-roof strategy is what sets it apart from other centres and Julie says this continuity is what makes it different.
“I think by having ECC here that makes a difference because we can take the sickest patients, and we can take OOH cases, and we can look after them until discharge if that is what the practice wants. We work with our local practices , get to know them and identify how we can essentially become an extension of their practice.
Clinical director Andy Kent added: “IVC Evidensia have a team of national clinical leads within the leadership of the referral network and they had a huge amount of input on the hospital design. So, the intensive care unit was designed by an ECC specialist and the theatre suite by a surgery specialist. That means each area of the building caters perfectly for the discipline that utilises it and, quite simply, the space works well.
“The flow of patients has been carefully considered so they can move seamlessly through the building to where they need to be and the team can have excellent awareness of what is happening in each area.
“Apart from the people, I would have to say that the intensive care unit is the area of which I am most proud. It is the largest and best equipped ICU in the region and we have seen a large emergency caseload since opening, making full use of the facilities and expertise.”
The hospital has been open for nine months and the caseload and income are both increasing.
Julie explained: “It’s going well. We are finding that practices are now using us as their go-to referral centre a lot more. We’ve done a lot of relationship building with practices because we have been built from scratch.
“We opened the door on that Monday morning with a team that had mostly only been in for three weeks, so we started building the relationships then. We’re pleased with the progress that we’re making here, and the aim is just to reach out further to more practices, to try to encourage the practices that maybe haven’t yet sent us a referral to come and visit, and to ensure they know what we offer.
“You don’t get the repeat customers that you would get in a first opinion. So that’s why we try to remember the small things. We’ll try to greet clients really well from the moment they walk in. If they’re sitting in reception, you’ll find anyone walking through reception will go up and speak to their clients. They’ll chat to the owners and the animals; it’s all about creating lasting first impressions for us because you can’t see what happens to your pet when they go behind those prep doors. You’ve only got that first chance to make a good impression, and they know that the animals in safe hands.”
Both Blaise and IVC teams are confident this type of facility will continue to have real relevance in the future.
Julie expanded: “The staff is so invested in making a success, there’s no disconnect between really wanting to drive the caseload while doing the absolute best for the animals and the clients.
“Our teams want to get the animals into Blaise rather than elsewhere. They want to treat them the best, give them the absolute best care and discharge them home to their family. But they are really invested in making this place the success everyone knows it can be. We want it to be seen as a flagship place for IVC.”
Blaise holds monthly CPDs in a number of disciplines which Julie enthused over: “We’ve even had our first nurse-led CPD session, which was accidentally put on a bank holiday, and we had 60 people register – it has been the best attended one. And that then really links in with our nurse-led floor ethos, it’s a good confidence builder for the nurses – they’re on equal par with the vets in terms of their knowledge sharing. They’ve got a very different knowledge base, and it’s important that we recognise that.”
Andy is committed to the idea that, as referral clinicians, his team has a responsibility to share knowledge. “The Veterinary profession is an incredible one full of enthusiastic people who want to do the best they can and are keen to learn and improve,” he said.
“Making updated information accessible is therefore vital and an important part of what we do. It is also a great way for us to get to know local practitioners as we really want them to see us as an extension of their team.
“We do this in a variety of ways including the Blaise CPD programme, which includes evening CPD events, webinars and practice visits, but also with the wider CPD events that our team is involved in such as speaking at London Vet Show.”
As well as the people and the impressive building, the Blaise team is making real in-roads to be eco-friendly, with solar panels covering 40% of the roof space, heat source pumps, green travel plans and electric charging.
Julie explained: “There’s obviously some bits that are mandated in terms of planning permission but it’s not just about ticking the sustainability box and setting up with these things. It’s about the people that work here doing their share of what they need to do. We are really invested in our recycling programme, we’ve got a champions group, we’re getting a sustainability grant to start looking at where we could improve even further in some areas a little bit more as well.
“And the staff are involved and invested in this. Our staff have planted wild flowers down by the river and have asked us to adopt No Mow May, and we are even looking into measures to attract bees and additional wildlife. It’s such a nice setting to have. When you look at some other large practices on industrial estates, I think we are lucky here.”
Blaise is approaching its first birthday in November and plans are afoot for a community day to celebrate.
Julie said: “It will be for the community as well as for those in the veterinary business. We want to raise our profile locally and some of the stories and some of the reviews that we get are really important for us to get out there. Our aim is to ensure that all of our local community know the amazing people that we’ve got in this building.”
And as for building on the future of that business and those special people, Julie is adamant how to take the next steps.
“We’ve got to build our reputation. That’s the plan for the next year and beyond. We want people to refer to you because we’re the best, because we’ve got the best reputation and we provide an easy route for vets to refer to, with quick turnaround times for booking appointments.
“I’d rather take that over being referred to just because you’re IVC or because of any other reason. That’s what we’re aiming for, to provide the absolute best care that we can for clients and their pets, and to be noted for that.”
Blaise has been designed to meet the needs of modern referral practice and with a significant move towards emergency cases over the past few years, the hospital has been geared in that direction.
Andy said: “We are also super-keen to develop meaningful relationships with practitioners in the area.
“Referral centres have generally become larger and larger over time which has led to loss of the personal touches and personal relationships with colleagues.
“We want our local Vets and practice teams to know and trust us, so that we can be the first place they contact with referrals, for advice or because they just need a friendly ear.”
