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Our Team
At the heart of Debenham Veterinary Practice are our people - all dedicated to providing the very best care and medicine for you and your pets. Each of us is passionate about animals, each bringing our own unique blend of experience and expertise to the practice.
Veterinary Surgeons
Head Veterinary Surgeon
HEATHER COLLINSON
BVETMED MRCVS
Heather graduated from the Royal Veterinary College in 1995, enjoys emergency care, has a particular interest in endocrine disease and is studying for a Certificate in Medicine. Heather shares her home with Bramble and Truffle the miniature poodles, Olaf the Lovebird, her rabbits Clover and Ocean and a tank of tropical fish.
Veterinary Surgeon
MARIE BEALES
BVSC PGCERT SA EMERGENCY MEDICINE & SURGERY MRCVS
Marie graduated from the University of Bristol in 2016 and has a Certificate in Small Animal Emergency Medicine and Surgery and is currently studying for a Certificate in Imaging. Marie leads our Imaging Department and has a passion for emergency care. Marie shares her home with Lily, Ellie and Stanley her beloved Labradors,Wilma her cat and Veronica Michelle the tortoise.
Veterinary Surgeon
LUCY BURNELL VETMB BA MRCVS
Lucy qualified from the University of Cambridge in 1999. Lucy has a special interest in Feline Medicine and heads our Radioactive Iodine Referral service. She shares her home with her Greyhound Minnie and cat Milo.
Veterinary Surgeon
JOE POACHER BVMSCI MRCVS
Joe qualified from the University of Surrey School of Veterinary Medicine in 2022 and joined us having enjoyed his EMS work placements with us during his degree. Joe has a passion for neurology. He shares his home with his German Shepherd Woody.
Veterinary Surgeon
HARRIET MCAUSLAN
BVETMED BSC(HONS) MRCVS
Harriet qualified from the Royal Veterinary College in 2022 after a previous degree in Bioveterinary Science. Harriet is passionate about providing a high level of first opinion veterinary care. She shares her home with a flock of ducklings that she rescued and is now hand rearing.
Veterinary Surgeon
LOUISA PRICE BVSC MRCVS
Louisa qualified from the University of Liverpool in 2018. Louisa has travelled worldwide as a veterinary surgeon and is currently studying for a Certificate in Medicine. She shares her home with her two cats Shadow and Sonic and her labrador Jack.
Referral Veterinary Surgeons
Our referral team offer services in veterinary ophthalmology, small animal surgery, imaging and dermatology
Veterinary Ophthalmologist and Practice Owner
PETER WILSON
BSC VET BSC(HONS) BVMS CERTVOPHTHAL MRCVS
Peter graduated from Murdoch University, Australia, in 2000 after a first degree in Environmental Sciences. He came to the UK to work in 2001 and gained his Certificate in Ophthalmology in 2008. He started Debenham Veterinary Practice in January 2014 and heads the ophthalmology department with particular interests in corneal, glaucoma and cataract surgery. He shares his home with rescue animals Doggit the broken French Bulldog and Toothless the enormous long haired black cat.
Veterinary Ophthalmologist and Surgeon
PIPPA CHILDS
BSC(HONS) BVETMED PGCERTSAOPHTHAL MRCVS RCVS ADVANCED PRACTITIONER IN OPHTHALMOLOGY
Pippa graduated from the Royal Veterinary College in 1997 and gained her Certificate in Veterinary Ophthalmology in 2021 shortly followed by her Advanced Practitioner status. Pippa has a particular interest in corneal disease and slow release medication implants. She shares her home withe her cat Bumble and her dog Muffin.
Veterinary Ophthalmologist and Surgeon
JAMES GIBSON BSC(HONS) BVETMED BSAVA PGCERTSAOPHTHAL MRCVS RCVS ADVANCED PRACTITIONER IN OPHTHALMOLOGY
James graduated from the Royal Veterinary College in 1995 and has a Certificate in Veterinary Ophthalmology. After first working in the UK in general practice he spent ten years in Uganda where he taught and worked at Makerere University. He shares his home with Thor the Cocker Spaniel.
Veterinary Ophthalmologist and Surgeon
HOLLIE POWNALL-ANDERSON BVMEDSCI (HONS), BVM BVS (HONS), GPCERT (OPTHAL) MRCVS
Hollie qualified from the University of Nottingham in 2019 and has a Certificate in Ophthalmology. Hollie brings a lot of enthusiasm and postivity to the team and has excellent communication skills. She shares her home with her Husky Vince, her two Cocker Spaniels Lennie and Maisie and her cat Doris.
Veterinary Surgeon and Head of Surgical Referrals
BEN GARLAND RCVS ADVANCED PRACTITIONER IN SMALL ANIMAL SURGERY BVETMED CERTAVP (GSAS)MRCVS
Ben graduated from the Royal Veterinary College in 2014 and gained his Certificate in Small Animal Surgery in 2020. Ben previously worked in referral practice where he attained his Advanced Veterinary Practitioner status before joining us in 2021 and setting up our surgical referral service in 2022. Ben shares his home with his dog Fred.
Veterinary Dermatologist and Surgeon
ALISON SHEARER BVETMED CERTSAD MRCVS
Alison qualified from the Royal Veterinary College in 1988, holds the RCVS certificate in small animal dermatology and is a RCVS Advanced Practitioner in Small Animal Dermatology. Alison is a longstanding member of the British Dermatology Study Group and the European Society of Veterinary Dermatology.
Veterinary Nursing Team
Head of Clinical Nursing
JO STEPHENSON
Jo is part of our Senior Nursing Team and along with all her experience she has a particular interest in CT and imaging and a real love for cytology. Jo shares her home with her two Labradors Eider and Steller, Cocker Spaniel Rusby, Border Terrier Seth and a gaggle of chickens.
Head of Nursing Management
LAURA BARTHOLOMEW
Laura qualified in 2007, is part of our Senior Nursing Team, has an ISFM Certificate in Feline Nursing and Animal Behaviour and is a Feline Champion at the practice. She shares her home with her cats Caeser and Tinka and Whippet Riley.
Senior RVN
ALISON DEVONSHIRE
Alison qualified in 2001, is part of our Senior Nursing Team, senior anaesthesia and cataract nurse and has a Postgraduate Diploma in Professional and Clinical Veterinary Nursing. She is currently studying for a Masters in Anaesthesia at the University of Edinburgh and develops our nursing CPD programme. Alison shares her home with Bess her English Springer Spaniel.
Senior RVN
ELEANOR WOODWARD
Eleanor qualified in 2011 and joined us with experience as a Deputy-Head and Head Nurse. Eleanor heads our wards team and is passionate about post-operative and inpatient care and enjoys working with owners. Eleanor shares her home with her two cats Fluffy and Harry.
Senior RVN
SARAH MOFFETT
Sarah qualified in 2016 and has a Certificate in Emergency Care. Sarah heads our first opinion theatre service and is genuinely passionate about veterinary nursing as well as QI. Sarah shares her home with her Labrador Apollo.
Senior RVN
CHLOE HARRIS
Chloe qualified in 2019, is part of our Senior Nursing Team and particularly enjoys anaesthesia and pain management. She shares her home with three cats Marlon, Mowgli and Murphy and a chicken named Mabel.
Senior RVN
KAY EMINSON
Kay qualified in 2009 and is part of our Senior Nursing team. Kay joined us having previously been a Clinical Director. She is passionate about QI and heads our sustainability initiative. She shares her home with her cat Berlioz and Labrador Milo.
RVN and IRVAP Physiotherapist
JEMMA FRY
Jemma qualified in 2021 having previously worked in the physiotherapy department of a large referral centre. Jemma has an Advanced Certificate in Veterinary Physiotherapy and is passionate about nursing clinics and physiotherapy. She shares her home with her two Whippets Bracken and Wilbur.
RVN
VICKY SORHAINDO
Vicky joined us to gain some voluntary work experience for a day a week and she impressed us so much that we persuaded her to train with our nursing team. Vicky particularly enjoys cytology and pharmacology and she shares her home with Teddy the Bichon Frise and Cleo the Cockapoo.
RVN
CLARE BLAXILL
Clare qualified in 2020 after graduating from the Royal Veterinary College. She is particularly passionate about anaesthesia. Clare shares her home with Pippa the Cocker Spaniel.
RVN
MEGAN BERRY
Megan qualified in 2018 and since joining us in 2023 has grown her passion for inpatient care. She shares her home with Busta the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Nala the Labrador and Ralph the Whippet.
RVN
KERRY BRUNDELL
Kerry qualified in 2007 and joined us in 2023. Since then she has proved herself to be an all-rounder, passionate about excellence across all departments. Kerry shares her home with Marli the cat.
RVN
KAYLEY ABLEY
Kayley qualified in 2023 and brings her passion for customer service having previously worked in veterinary admininstration and client care. Kayley shares her home with Charlie the French Bulldog and Leo the cat.
RVN
JESSICA BLAIS
Jess qualified in 2022 and is passionate about the client facing aspect of nursing. Jess loves using her training to give back and in November 2024 she is embarking on a 4 week Nursing Volunteering programme in The Gambia.
RVN
HELEN JOSLIN
Helen qualified in 2010 and has a large amount of experience to draw upon. Helen has a passion for wound management and surgery. She shares her home with her Whippet x Bedlington Terrier Mouse, her Border Terrier Sid and Holly the horse.
Student Nurse
ALICIA ADAMS
Alicia is currently training to be a Registered Veterinary Nurse with the hopes of becoming qualified by summer 2024. She is passionate about anaesthesia. She shares her home with her two rabbits Comet and Nova, her Samoyed Alaska and her cat Bean.
Student Nurse
ASHLEIGH GORMER
Ashleigh joined us as an Animal Care Assistant and is now training to be a Registered Veterinary Nurse. She hopes to become qualified in 2025. She is particularly passionate about wildlife care. She shares her home with her dwarf hamster Timothy
Student Nurse
EVE MCMANUS
Eve joined us an Animal Care Assistant and is now training to be Registered Veterinary Nurse. She is passionate about exotic animal care in particular rabbit care. Eve shares her home with three cats Morticia , Phantom and Pumpkin, Willow the Bedlington Terrier and Gary the rabbit.
ACA
DARCI BOAMAH
Darci joined us in 2022 to gain experience and has hopes of becoming a Vet. Alongside her work, in order to improve her Veterinary School application she is also completing a degree in Biology.
ACA
RACHEL TAYLOR
Rachel joined us after leaving school in order to gain experience to help her reach her goal of becoming a Registered Veterinary Nurse.
ACA
LEAH DURRANT
Leah joined us after leaving school in order to gain experience to help her reach her goal of becoming a Registered Veterinary Nurse.
ACA
LUCY BRACE
Lucy joined us after leaving school in order to gain experience to help her reach her goal of becoming a Registered Veterinary Nurse.
Administration Team
Head of Client Care Team
JONNY SHINE
Jonny joined is in 2023 having previously worked in veterinary practices across Suffolk and Essex. He brings a wealth of experience to the team as well as his natural leadership skills. He is also a Qualified Medicines Advisor (SQP). Jonny shares his home with his four cats Jasper, Lily, Marley and Simon.
Client Care Team
EMILY FORSDYKE
Emily has previous banking and veterinary experience and assists our accounts department alongside her client care role. She shares her home with her thirteen cats and Calamity the Alaskan Malamute.
Client Care Team
GEMMA HAMBLETT
Gemma joined us in 2021 after working previously in emergency commercial logistics and wedding planning. Alongside front of house client care she also assists with our health care plan. Gemma shares her home with Gabriel the cat and a flock of geese and more.
Client Care Team
HAYLEY SCOTT-WEBB
Hayley joined us in 2021 with an incredible wealth of experience in veterinary client care. She is committed to client care and provides a reassuring and professional welcome. She shares her home with her four well-pampered Chihuahuas, her cats Eric and Ernie and her Pomeranian Gucci.
Client Care Team
HAZEL STANCLIFFE
Hazel has previous animal care and human nursing experience and assists with dispensing. She is currently studying for her SQP and shares her home with her two rescue dogs Alfie and Hazel (not named after herself!)
Client Care Team
EMILY CUSHION
Emily joined us in 2022, has a PhD in Sports Science and alongside her work with us she lectures at the University of Essex. She also recently qualified as a canine massage practitioner and offers her service with her business Emily Cushion Canine Massage. She shares her home with her cat Lucy and her Labrador Saru.
Client Care Team
GILLY JENKINS
Gilly joined us in 2023 with experience in both veterinary client care and human physiotherapy reception. Gilly is passionate about customer service and is our Client Care Team Customer Service Champion. She shares her home with Rosie the Norfolk Terrier.
Head of Referrals
CORRAN TURNER
Corran is experienced with veterinary referrals and account management and works closely with our referral surgeons and referring practices. Corran shares her home with Rupert the Staffordshire Bull Terrier.
Referrals Team
JULIE READMAN
Julie has spent the majority of her career in veterinary client care and administration. She handles referrals as well as writing reports and assisting with insurance. Julie shares her home with her three dogs Banks, Nelson and Ramsbury and her tortoise Hendricks.
Referrals Team
JULIE CROUCHER
Jules joined us after an extensive career working in travel and wildlife conservation. Jules assists with referrals and report writing. She shares her home with Kali the cat, Clarabell the duck and Zuri the chicken.
Head of Insurance
REBECCA PRICE
Rebecca joined us having previously worked as a veterinary nurse and in client care. She deals with insurance and referral administration alongside support for our client care team.
Insurance Team
MANDY COTTRELL
Mandy spent a large part of her career in human healthcare settings before joining us and brings huge experience and a lot of laughter to the team. Having previously worked as part of our front of house client care team she now works in our insurance claim team. Mandy shares her home with her two cats Felix and Freddie.
HR, Finance & Practice Owner
JADE MARTIN
Jade has degrees in Theology and Law and thought that Peter was such a great vet that she married him. She has been the driving force behind finding and securing premises and now assists across the practice whilst enabling the team and focussing on development. She shares her home with rescue animals Doggit the broken French Bulldog and Toothless the enormous long haired black cat.
Practice Manager
LISA WILSON
Lisa has a background in veterinary nursing and rejoined us in 2021 as our Practice Manager. Lisa is passionate about client care and attention to detail and ensures the smooth running of the practice as a whole. Lisa shares her home with her Jack Russell Terrier (and bridesmaid) Ella.