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Vet nurse to lead flagship Blue Cross hospital
Louise Newman and Paul Manktelow.

Louise Newman is the first RVN to be appointed to the role.

A veterinary nurse has been appointed to lead the Blue Cross flagship animal hospital in Central London for the first time in the charity's 125-year history.

Louise Newman, who joined Blue Cross as a night nurse in 2006, will oversee the veterinary and support services, budget and overall clinical decisions at the charity's Victoria Animal Hospital, which opened in 1906.

Having first joined the profession as a student nurse in 2001, Louise has gained a wealth of experience in roles such as nurse leader, volunteer coordinator and a practice manager.

She said: “It’s the love of animals that motivated me to join the veterinary nurse profession but it’s my love of people that has kept me here. I’ve always wanted to act as a role model and to coach and develop a team. 

“I’ve got a real passion for customer service which comes from working alongside my mother in a family run business and I’ve always wanted to do the best for people”.

Dr Paul Manktelow, director of veterinary services at Blue Cross added: “Louise is a great example of incredible talent within the veterinary nurse profession. It’s a role with very strong transferable skills around communication, compassion and the ability to get things done. 

“I think vet nurses are very well positioned to understand the challenges in the profession and make practical steps to protect the wellbeing of the team whilst ensuring the service meets the highest welfare standards”. 

This year marks the 125th anniversary of Blue Cross, first known as ‘Our Dumb Friends League’. The charity formed to help vulnerable pets and their owners and contiues this work today across its rehoming, clinical, animal behaviour, pet bereavement support and educational work.

Image (C) Blue Cross.

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Equine Disease Surveillance report released for Q4 2025

News Story 1
 The latest Equine Disease Surveillance report has been released, with details on equine disease from Q4 of 2025.

The report, produced by Equine Infectious Disease Surveillance, includes advice on rule changes for equine influenza vaccination.

Statistics and maps detail recent outbreaks of equine herpes virus, equine influenza, equine strangles and equine grass sickness. A series of laboratory reports provides data on virology, bacteriology, parasitology and toxicosis.

This issue also features a case study of orthoflavivus-associated neurological disease in a horse in the UK. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
NSA webinar explores sheep tailing and castration

The National Sheep Association (NSA) is to host a free webinar on the castration and tail docking of lambs.

The webinar, 'Understanding the tailing and castration consultation: A guide for sheep farmers', will be hosted online on Monday, 2 March 2026 at 7.30pm.

It comes during a government consultation into the methods used for these procedures. Farmers are encouraged to engage before the consultation period closes on Monday, 9 March 2026.

The webinar offers clear and actionable guidance to support farmers to contribute meaningfully to the consultation and prepare for potential changes.

On the panel will be former SVS president Kate Hovers, farmer and vet Ann Van Eetvelt and SRUC professor in Animal Health and Veterinary Sciences Cathy Dwyer. Each panel member will utilise their own specialism and expertise to evaluate risks and outcomes to sheep farming.

Find out more about the webinar on the NSA website.