The newly appointed hospital director at one of the UK’s leading veterinary referral centres has announced ambitious plans for its future.
Emma Laws has taken on the senior role at Linnaeus-owned London Vet Specialists (LVS) in Belsize Park and revealed one of her key responsibilities will be to help deliver a new state-of-the-art hospital next year.
Emma, an RCVS and European Specialist in Veterinary Neurology and Neurosurgery, says she is excited and invigorated by the chance to lead the expert LVS team into a purpose-built new building which will see its specialist-led team expand and accept more referral cases.
Emma, who has joined LVS from the Linnaeus central team, said: “I am really looking forward to getting back into a clinical hospital setting and working with the incredibly talented and inspiring LVS team.
“One of my key ambitions is to help London Vet Specialists expand and grow so that more clients and pets are able to access our exceptional care and service.
“We have exciting plans underway which involve moving to a larger state-of-the-art site in 2024 and I look forward to sharing more details of this in the coming months.
“Alongside this, my main responsibilities are to lead the team in the continued drive for clinical excellence, enhanced client experience, development and engagement of the hospital team as well as the hospital’s overall performance.”
Emma’s drive and determination will be a major asset in her new post and are qualities which she has shown abundantly in her career.
In July 2020, she became paralysed in her left arm and was diagnosed with brachial plexus neuritis, a rare autoimmune disease, but has since fought back to make a complete recovery.
Emma added: “Mentally, it has been a very challenging time. The sudden paralysis was a big shock and I didn’t know what the future looked like for me.
“I could no longer carry out surgery and the neuropathic pain was also a very limiting factor in me continuing to do my job.
“Fortunately, I was able to move to work within the Linnaeus medical and business development teams, where I have spent the last two years driving various strategic projects.
“I am incredibly grateful that my recovery allows me to work as neurologist again which I now hope to incorporate into my role at LVS.”
Emma, who graduated from Bristol Vet School in 2013, is more used to seeing such remarkable recoveries in the pets she treats.
One of her most memorable cases was a Jack Russell Terrier called Piglet who became suddenly unable to walk or bark.
Emma explained: “Piglet was diagnosed with an autoimmune condition called polyradiculoneuritis, which meant his body had attacked many of the nerves in his body causing the paralysis.
“Happily, within a few weeks of treatment and physiotherapy, he took his first steps and after a few months was back to running around the garden and barking for his ball as normal.”
Away from work, Emma enjoys walking her dogs, a weekly Parkrun, baking, gardening and various sports ranging from netball, tennis and cycling, to skiing, open water swimming and triathlon. She also loves going to watch live music.
LVS is a multidisciplinary veterinary referral facility which offers expert care in anaesthesia and analgesia, cardiology, dermatology, diagnostic imaging, internal medicine, ophthalmology and soft tissue surgery.
