Basildon Hospital (Pitsea) Vets4Pets

I have been a veterinary surgeon for the last 10 years working all over the world. I have been privileged to live and work with some great people in Essex for the last 8 years practising veterinary medicine.

My passion for excellent delivery of animal care and high quality customer centered service has been the main drive throughout my career. My special interests are all aspects of internal medicine and cardiology; I am currently studying for a certificate in Advanced Veterinary Practice.

When I am not working, I enjoy reading, jogging, playing football with my three boys and actively policing our exotic fishes from being overfed by the boys!

Dave has been with Vets4Pets Basildon since June 2017, having graduated from the University of Liverpool with distinction in 2014. Dave worked for 3 years in mixed practice prior to joining the team.

Dave is the surgical lead for the practice, meaning he is responsible for all inpatient and surgical care standards. He has an Advanced Veterinary Practice Certificate and a Post Graduate Certificate with study in Small Animal Surgery. Clinically Dave's main interests lie in soft tissue surgery: specifically airway and reconstructive surgery. He is also strongly interested in anaesthesia and analgesia. Dave is also the head of graduate development for the practice.

At home, he is blessed/cursed with a border terrier, Gimli, who is nothing but trouble! Dave is an enthusiastic (if not overly accomplished) climber, and love getting into the national parks for weekends wherever possible.

Marc is from the sunny South Africa and graduated from Onderstepoort in 2015. Marc spent his first year working in a rural settlement near Cape Town doing mostly surgery. In 2017, Marc moved to Colchester where he spent 2 years working in small animal practice before joining the Pitsea team. Marc's special interest lies in surgery, emergency and critical care.

Outside of work he enjoys all things sport, especially rugby and football. When he is not watching or playing sport, Marc enjoys travelling and exploring the cultural side of London. His hobbies also currently include buying books he will likely never read, and trying to learn Portuguese.

Carmen is from Spain and she has been a vet for 8 years, 7 of them working in the UK as a small animal vet. Carmen's main interests within veterinary medicine include soft tissue surgery, but I enjoy all aspects of it.
Carmen is a big cat fan and in her spare time she loves spending time with her 5 cats and her pup Noa.

Carmen also enjoys being outdoors in nature doing activities with her friends and loved ones.

Laura studied Veterinary Medicine in Valencia in Spain. Laura is Spanish however she is quite international as she grew up in the Netherlands and spent a year living abroad in Budapest in Hungary.

Laura's main areas of interest are Soft Tissue Surgery, Inpatient Care and Critical Care. She has a Maltese dog who loves to travel so she often takes him out hiking or to the beach.

Laura loves to travel and likes to combine this with her love for animals, so she often volunteers with wild animals in developing countries. When Laura is not working or traveling, she enjoys cooking, dancing salsa and catching up with friends or family.

Vikki joined the Vets4Pets team in October 2020. Her main areas of interest are emergency medicine and dermatology. Vikki graduated from the RVC as a veterinarian and has a previous degree in Zoology from the University of Leeds.

At home Vikki has a 3 year old daughter who keeps her very busy, as well as an extremely naughty toy poodle called Copper! Vikki also has a lovely rabbit called Jabba, who helps to calm some of the chaos! In her spare time Vikki enjoys swimming and trips to the zoo.

Anastasia Giakoumetti is from sunny Greece.  She graduated 2 two years ago and she has been working as a veterinarian ever since.

Anastasia joined the Vets4Pets Basildon team late 2020 and is really excited about it. She have a strong interest in surgery and in diagnostic imaging . In her free time she enjoys going to the gym, hiking  ,reading books and listening to music.

Lauren graduated from the Royal Veterinary College in 2021. Lauren then joined Vets4Pets Pitsea as part of the graduate programme.

Lauren is looking forward to learning a range of new surgical procedures and has a keen interest in managing long term medical conditions.

In her spare time, Lauren likes to learn new crafts, bakes, and spend time with her snakes Scaramouche and Galileo.

Barbara qualified from Complutense University of Madrid in 2019. She started working as an emergency and critical care veterinarian in Hospital Privet El Bosque and then joined Vets4Pets Pitsea in September 2021.

Barbara looks forward to gaining further knowledge in diagnostic imaging and she has a keen interest in medicine.

Sarah has been nursing since 2009 in busy hospital environments and qualified in January 2013 working at a busy vets for 2 years. Here she developed a passion for nurse clinics and specialised in Diabetic and Hyperthyroid Clinics.

Since starting at Vets4Pets Sarah has been promoted to Head Nurse and has continued with her nurse consult expertise, now also offering our K-Laser therapy sessions. Sarah enjoys working closely with the rest of the nursing team and training our student nurses.

Sarah has 2 rescue cats - Jinx and Cluedo. In her spare time she likes to turn her hand to something creative such as sewing, painting or fancy dress if she gets the chance!

Reece began working for Vets4Pets in 2013 as a student veterinary nurse while on placement at university. He quickly fell in love with the practice and the possibilities it would bring for his love and passion for providing high quality nursing care. It seemed the love was mutual and Reece was offered a full time placement and a diploma in veterinary nursing which he completed in 2015. Prior to this Reece has qualifications in animal management and laboratory technicians. His love for patient care has led him to continue to pursue his interests in anaesthesia, surgical nursing and peri-operative nursing. Outside of work, Reece enjoys reading, spending time with family and looking after his animal family at home including drake his Rottweiler/great dane, Aleister his saluki, Luna his boa constrictor and Edgar his chameleon.

Emily started working at Vets4Pets Basildon when the practice first opened in 2010, after qualifying as a veterinary nurse with a BSc (hons) in veterinary nursing from the Royal Veterinary College. Emily went to work at the Queen Mother Hospital for Animals at the Royal Veterinary College as a Medicine Nurse for a year where she gained valuable experience in nursing more complicated medical cases and general referral nursing. Emily has a keen interest in nursing rabbits but also in anaesthesia, both of which she has completed further courses on. Emily has recently gained her Certificate in Emergency and Critical Care allowing her to further her knowledge in this area. Outside of work Emily enjoys looking after her Abyssinian cat, Leo, her two rabbits Teddy and Scarlett and her Rottweiler, Lola.

Nicole has been working with the Vets4Pets team for the last 4 years and thoroughly enjoys the huge variety of pets that we see. The areas of nursing which Nicole enjoys the most include ward nursing, spending time with our inpatients and discussing the best healthcare options with our clients in consult.

Since working with Vets4Pets Nicole have also gained a very handsome one eyed cat named Englebert who has now turned her into a crazy cat lady. Nicole is sure that as her career continues she will ‘adopt’ several more waifs and strays!

Candice began her training as a student veterinary nurse at the Animal health trust referral centre before graduating university with a Bsc (Hons) in veterinary nursing science in 2016. Since then she has worked in a small veterinary practice for 3 years until she joined the Vets4Pets Basildon team.

Candice is really enjoying her time here and feels she is learning more and more every day. She loves how knowledgable and friendly the staff are and that the patients really do receive gold standard care. She also works as part of the night team which has helped her develop her skills and confidence and means she gets to spend lots of time nursing the in-patients.

In her spare time she enjoys baking and decorating cakes and keeping fit at the gym. She have two rescue dogs called George and Jai who love to cause lots of mischief!

Beverley started nursing in 2009 and qualified as an RVN in the summer of 2013. Beverley’s main interests in nursing include ward nursing, intravenous fluid therapy treatment and emergency and critical care. She also has a huge interest in feline behaviour and completed her ISFM certificate in feline friendly nursing.

Beverley joined Vets4Pets Basildon in October 2020, bringing with her 2 years experience as a Client Care Manager from a previous veterinary surgery. Beverley enjoys practical nursing two days a week and maintains her nursing registration by completing her yearly CPD requirements. Beverley spends another day each week in practice fulfilling her Client Service Manager role.

In her spare time (the little that she has!) she enjoys spending time with her husband and young twins, and very much looks forward to a rare night out socialising with friends and family.

Gemma joined vets4pets pitsea in 2018 as a student nurse and has recently finished her qualification and is now working as a registered veterinary nurse. Gemma feels the
team at pitsea have been very supportive through her training and is excited to continue to work closely with them as a qualified member of staff.
Prior to nursing, Gemma gained a 1st class Bsc in animal behaviour and spent two years working in rescue for a well known charity.
At home Gemma has two rescue ragdoll cats Bea and Lando and enjoys spending time with friends and doing pole fitness.

Hayley previously undertook the level 3 diploma in Animal Management at Capel Manor College which she finished in 2013. During which Hayley enjoyed carrying out a lot of volunteer work in farms, stables and zoos. After college she enjoyed working with reptiles for three years before joining Vets 4 Pets at the start of 2018.

Hayley has always kept many pets including reptiles, small furries and her rescue cat Tom and two rescue dogs Nina and Raffles. She loves working here because it’s all about the animals and spending more quality time with them giving them lots of TLC and pampering.

Jodie joined vets4pets in June 2018 as a veterinary care assistant. Jodie started her Veterinary Nurse training course in February 2020.  Her favourite parts of nursing are inpatient care and theatre practice.

In her spare time she enjoys taking her crazy boxer ‘Red’ for long walks and keeping fit at the gym.

Josie began working at vets4pets in June 2019 as a receptionist and veterinary care assistant. She had previously been volunteering at the practice one day a week for around 10 months for my college course.  

Prior to working at Vets4Pets, Josie completed a level 2 and level 3 animal management course at Writtle college. She has worked in animal sanctuary’s, kennels and Cattery’s and farms, but have always known that the veterinary environment was where she really wanted to be. Josie's main goal is to become a veterinary nurse, and she is now working as a Student Veterinary Nurse which she really enjoys.

Her favourite animals are guinea pigs and in her free time Josie likes to go on dog walks, go shopping and spend time with her friends and family.

Lily started working in vets4pets Pitsea in July 2020. Lily was so happy to start as it is her dream job to be a veterinary nurse.

Lily started as a veterinary care assistant and has now started her veterinary nurse training in January 2021.

In her spare time Lily likes to play with her two french bulldogs. Lily loves being able to care for all animals.

Amy previously worked for an animal charity for over three years which she really enjoyed but wanted to move to the medical side of animal care.
Amy has a fascination with exotic animals, she has had quite a few in her life time. Amy's favourite two so far have been Guinea pigs and bearded dragons.
In her spare time Amy loves to explore nature and visit nature reserves. She also loves being creative and has a hobby of drawing.

Jenna started at Vets4Pets Basildon as a Veterinary Care Assistant in January 2021.

Hannah joined the Vets4Pets team in March 2021 after leaving a career in hospitality to follow her ambition of becoming a vet nurse. She is currently studying for a VCS qualification and once completed, hopes to study further and qualify as a nurse.

Hannah has always loved animals, she has been horse riding for 12 years and would love her own horse one day. She also has a cat, two rabbits and a rescue dog from Puerto Rico.

Ellie joined Vets4Pets Basildon in June 2021 as a Veterinary Care Assistant.

Ellie wanted this position as she would like to further her career and complete an apprenticeship in veterinary nursing.

Ellie's main interests include reptiles, such as snakes and lizards! In her spare time, she likes to rescue and rehabilitate exotic animals.

Sarah joined Vets4Pets Basildon in 2021. She is currently in her 3rd year of student veterinary nursing at College of Animal Welfare. She has been working in practice since 2018 and is looking forward to qualifying as an RVN.

Emily has always had a passion (almost addiction) to animals for as long as she can remember - for almost as long she knew she was destined to provide them with the care they deserve. 
Emily gained her Level 3 Diploma in Veterinary Nursing at Writtle in 2018 and has been a Registered Veterinary Nurse ever since. She enjoys all aspects of nursing from inpatient care to anaesthetics and imaging. She will never turn down an opportunity to learn new things and looks forward to doing so at Vets4Pets.
When not at work Emily enjoys outdoor activities, drawing, spending time with her family and playing with her hamster.

Jordan joined the Vets4Pets Pitsea team in August 2021 as a Night Veterinary Care Assistant.

Jordan is a qualified hairdresser, she worked in London for many years for a well known salon chain.

Jordan has always wanted to pursue a career in working with animals and so decided to take the plunge this year by joining our dedicated team!

I started my career as a neuro physiotherapist in the NHS many years ago which has and would always be one of the most fulfilling roles I have ever done. Whilst in the NHS, I gained further qualifications in management and progressed into working as a clinical manager organizing and delivering services across South West Essex.

I left this role to team up with Shola to achieve our long term dream of being able to offer excellent patient focused care to all the pets we are privileged to look after whilst at the same time delivering great client experience.

I am blessed with three beautiful boys who ensure that I don’t ever have a dull moment! Outside work, I enjoy spending time with my family, watching movies and travelling the world.

Karen has been with the team since we opened in 2010. Karen started off in reception but found her expertise lies within insurance and finances and she is proud to say that she now runs this department. Karen loves her job and feels that every day provides something new.

Karen enjoys spending her free time with her family and taking her teenage son to his many football matches. Karen also has a staffie called Daisy and a 50 year old tortoise called Dave.

Beverley joined Vets4Pets Basildon in October 2020, bringing with her 2 years experience as a Client Care Manager from a previous veterinary surgery. Beverley is a Registered Veterinary Nurse and has regular nursing shifts to maintain her registration.

In her spare time (the little that she has!) she enjoys spending time with her husband and young twins, and very much looks forward to a rare night out socialising with friends and family.

Jackie has been part of the Reception team since mid-2017, and previously worked in animal welfare from a young age.

Jackie owns 2 cheeky dogs named Lupin and Mini, collectively known as the Binky’s. And has a keen interest in exotic’s and insects, owning a growing selection of Beetles, Millipedes, Insects, Frogs and Reptiles.

Lucy joined Vets4pets in 2018 after leaving school. Before joining Vets4pets she had several part time jobs in kennels and a cattery.

Lucy has always loved animals and caring for them. She has her own pets at home including a Welsh springer spaniel Oscar and a horse called Eddie. In her spare time Lucy enjoys going out with her friends and spending time with her pets.

Lucy is really enjoying her time here at Vets4pets. 

Brittany has been working at Vets4Pets since August 2018. 

Brittany has 3 cats called Jazz, Pebbles and Tinkerbell - who’s 20 years old and is still going strong! She also has a one eyed dog called Pablo who absolutely loves all the fuss he is given and the long walks he goes on.

Roisin joined the Vets4Pets team in March 2020.  Roisin enjoys the challenges that the role brings. There is always something new and interesting going on each day.

Roisin has two pets of her own – a black and white Springer Spaniel and a black and white rabbit so she is on the lookout for a panda or a penguin next to match!

Piper joined Vets4Pets Basildon in July 2021. Piper has previously worked at another Veterinary Hospital bringing with her 3 years of veterinary experience.

Piper enjoys working on the reception team delivering high standards of client care and talking to our clients.

In her spare time, Piper has a horse called Nina who she competes with in show jumping. Piper also enjoys socialising with friends and family.

Alanya joined the Vets4Pets Pitsea team as a Client Care Advisor in July 2021.

Alanya has previously worked in busy hospitality environments and enjoys delivering high standards of customer service.

In her spare time Alanya has a resin business and enjoys paddle boarding!

Jan joined Vets4Pets Basildon in August 2021.

Jan has over 20 years customer service experience and is looking forward to bringing her skills to the reception team in her first veterinary industry role.

Jan has 3 pets at home. A ginger terrier x called marmalade, a rescue cat called Fat Tom and a leopard gecko called cable. 
She has 3 children and has a keen interest in floristry and baking.