Out of Hours

It is with regret that after much consideration, we are going to have to make changes to our Out of Hours service. We have always strongly believed in providing our own ‘in-house’ emergency service at Scalby Road, but after 22 years of having maintained this, recent changes have made it unsustainable for us going forward.

As more practices in the area have started to outsource their out-of-hours, their clients have been using Swanzdale OOH for emergencies, and this has increased our workload to unmanageable levels. This has had a knock-on effect to both staff retention and recruitment, to the extent that we now have a reduced workforce.

This is both a local and a national problem, with many factors contributing. Aldegate Vets are soon to open a new Veterinary Hospital in Bridlington, which will provide 24-hour cover with a dedicated night team. They are hoping that local practices who are under the same pressures that we are will use them as their emergency cover, and we have reached the difficult decision that this is the only way we can maintain our high levels of care in the day, and our workforce.

Our consulting hours will continue until 5pm, and we will provide local cover until 6.30pm. We will then transfer incoming calls to Aldgate. In-patients staying with us will not be affected, as we will continue to provide overnight care. These new arrangements will come into force on Monday 7th November 2022.

We ask for your understanding at this difficult time and would like to reassure you that we will continually review the situation.