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An Insight into our ECC Department

Authored by Alice Jones BSc (Hons) CVN, Dip AVN (small animal), VN Cert ECC, NCert (TMedNsg), HE Dip (CVN), RVN, Senior Night Nurse and Alex Haines RVN Wards Team Leader’

At Swift Referrals, we are a 24-hour hospital providing an emergency and critical care out-of-hours service. Known as Swift Emergencies, we provide around-the-clock care for our referral patients and provide out-of-hours cover to 14 partner practices. We have dedicated night and weekend teams of veterinary surgeons, nurses, animal care assistants and client care team members. Many of our out-of-hours team members have a special interest in emergency and critical care and hold further qualifications.

At the start of a shift, a full handover of all the patients in the wards is provided. During a patient's stay, they receive regular checks, care and medication. Spinal patients receive physiotherapy and enrichment sessions overnight, and as rest is important for our patients, they have downtime with low lighting. Patients have regular walks even overnight and we have a hoist to enable larger immobile dogs to access fresh air and enrichment.

Plenty of tender loving care is given to all our patients. This includes hand feeding, toys, play, love and attention all provided by the team.

Owners are welcome to call Swift Referrals for an update on their pet should they wish to. Often, many owners will call before they settle for an evening, and we look forward to providing reassurance and support. Owner updates are provided by the veterinary nurse who is caring for their pet throughout their stay or by the veterinary surgeon on duty.

Partner practices can transfer patients to us for overnight care. When a patient is transferred to Swift Referrals, all of their history is shared with us and a discussion takes place with the vet so a treatment plan can be agreed. The owner usually accompanies their pet to Swift Referrals which enables them to meet the team who will be caring for their pet – it also provides an opportunity to ask any questions and for our team to provide support and assurance.

We consult twenty-four hours a day, 365 days a year for any emergencies. A client’s first contact when they call is usually a member of our client care team who has received training to triage cases. After hours, the phones are answered by a nurse or animal care assistant who will discuss the owner's concerns and arrange to see their pet if needed or offer supportive advice. Owners often choose to wait while their pet is being assessed or receiving treatment and are well looked after by the client care team. We have a hot drinks machine onsite and a comfortable and warm seating area. During times of uncertainty, we understand the importance of providing a safe and comfortable space for pet owners.

If a patient requires hospitalisation, we update the owner(s) at regular intervals, and we always provide the direct number to call us for an update should they wish to.

Each ward has its own dedicated nurses for particular shifts who get to know the patients which promotes continuity of care. There is always a nurse present in our Intensive Care Unit (ICU) as this is where our most critical patients stay, and we always have a vet on-site. Our ICU is well stocked with oxygen generators and kennels, a dedicated ICU cot and multiparameter monitors for constant monitoring. In addition, a full crash kit is set up for cardio-pulmonary resuscitation if needed.

Onsite we have dedicated emergency theatres and full radiography and ultrasound facilities. We have a laboratory enabling us to run in-house blood tests including bedside blood gases and lactate and clotting factors. As we need to be prepared for an emergency at any time, members of the nursing team are on a rota so that there is always a dedicated nurse available for any eventuality such as incoming emergencies that may need triaging, emergency first aid or if an inpatient suddenly deteriorates and needs to go into theatre.

Due to the nature of out-of-hours work, a shift can vary therefore, we are prepared and equipped to deal with both simple and complex situations. From pets who have eaten chocolate or patients with gastrointestinal upset, to those who have suffered major trauma or pets who require emergency surgery such as a dog with gastric dilatation volvulus or a splenic rupture. The team are prepared and trained to deal with major emergencies as well as the more routine occurrences. Our ICU also has an emergency station always set up for immediate treatment should it be required.

At the end of a shift, a handover is completed with the incoming team and the owners are all provided with an update of the plan for the next twelve hours, as well as a photo emailed to them of their pet should they wish to receive and the 24/7 care continues.

Swift Emergencies provides a dedicated emergency out-of-hours service for local veterinary practices. A veterinary practice must be registered with us for us to provide this service for their clients.

For further information on our partner practices, please visit https://www.swiftreferrals.co.uk/what-we-do/out-of-hours-service.

Should you require advice, support or you wish to access emergency care for your pet, please contact the team at Swift Emergencies any time of the night via 01937 374 888.