In a move that promises to revolutionise pet care in Hawke’s Bay, a new after-hours urgent care veterinary clinic is now up and running. The Hawke’s Bay After Hours Urgent Care and Emergency Clinic is the first of its kind in the region, providing overnight and 24 hour weekend access to critical veterinary services. Established by Vet Services Hawke’s Bay, the clinic is supported by all the other veterinary animal care providers across Hawke’s Bay.
The impetus for this innovative facility stems from a growing demand for after-hours care, driven by a surge in pet ownership during the COVID-19 pandemic. As Caroline Robertson, the group companion animal lead of Vet Services, explains, “The number of companion animals grew quite a lot over COVID, and so demand has increased. People really love their animals, and they want more for their animals than what was previously the norm.”.
She says this shift in societal attitudes towards pets has created a pressing need for accessible emergency and urgent care options. Previously, pet owners in Hawke’s Bay had limited choices, often having no option but to wait until the morning or risk disturbing their veterinarian in the middle of the night. Caroline notes that this hesitation to call a vet during the middle of the night can have serious consequences.
“Sometimes it may not be an emergency, but they really don’t want their animal to be distressed, and their own vets are closed.
The new clinic’s strategic location, opposite the Vet Services Hastings clinic, was a fortuitous find over a decade ago. Vet Services had owned the property for over 10 years, initially using it for storage and occasional overflow.
However, as the need for a dedicated after-hours facility became increasingly apparent, the team recognised the site’s potential. “The location is really good. And as central as probably we could get it,” Caroline says. The building has undergone a comprehensive transformation, with a focus on providing the necessary equipment and resources to handle a wide range of emergency and urgent care situations.
Unlike traditional veterinary clinics, the Hawke’s Bay After Hours Urgent Care and Emergency Clinic will not offer routine services such as vaccinations or speying/neutering. Instead, its purpose is to stabilise and treat animals in critical condition or those requiring emergency surgery and provide consultations and veterinary care for clients whose animals become unwell or painful at night or in the weekends.
The clinic will also provide an overnight and weekend service to provide vet and nurse monitoring for unwell patients from other clinics that need intensive care or monitoring to ensure their treatments continue overnight or just ensure they are comfortable and never left on their own.
The clinic boasts three consultation rooms, a dedicated prep room, and standalone facilities for surgery, ultrasound, radiology, and a full-service laboratory. Crucially, it also features an intensive care unit, a feature that Caroline highlights as a key differentiator. This laser-focus on emergency and urgent care is not only beneficial for pet owners but also supports the broader veterinary community in Hawke’s Bay.
By taking on the after-hours workload, the new clinic allows other practices to focus on their core daytime operations, while ensuring that animals in need receive the dedicated attention when it’s most needed. “It’s about elevating the level of service that pet owners are looking for while at the same time ensuring that vet clinics can collectively offer the extended level of service, fostering stronger ties between pet owners and their primary care veterinarians.
The staffing model for the Hawke’s Bay After Hours Urgent Care and Emergency Clinic has been carefully designed to address the unique challenges faced by the veterinary profession. Rather than relying on existing practitioners to take on additional overnight shifts, the clinic will employ a team of veterinarians and nurses who thrive on emergency care work.
This approach not only ensures that the animals receive the highest level of attention but also helps to alleviate the burnout that has become all too common in the industry. By providing a dedicated after-hours facility, the clinic also opens up new career paths for veterinary professionals, offering greater flexibility and work-life balance.
“This allows some people who prefer to work at nights, rather than what they may regard as the grind of normal practice as being too much. And they can maybe work three days, which is nearly the equivalent of a four-day week.”.
The benefits of the Hawke’s Bay After Hours Urgent Care and Emergency Clinic extend far beyond the veterinary community, however. Pet owners in the region will now have access to a reliable, around-the-clock resource for their animals’ most pressing medical needs.
Whether it’s a late-night emergency or a weekend crisis, the clinic’s team of experts will be on hand to provide the care and reassurance that anxious pet owners so desperately need.
“If we can relieve that worry for clients and offer after hours and overnight care with vets and vet nurses onsite, this will be great for pet owners in Hawks Bay as well as for others’ locally as well. “There are a lot of people that really want to do the right thing by their pets and if their pet is unwell and needs to be monitored overnight, then that’s what all vet clinics can now provide.”.
With its innovative approach, the Hawke’s Bay After Hours Urgent Care and Emergency Clinic is poised to transform the landscape of animal care in the region. By filling a critical gap in service and supporting both the veterinary profession and pet owners, this pioneering facility is set to become an invaluable resource for the community.
