Ophthalmology Team

Alison graduated from the Royal Veterinary College in 2008 and started her career at the RSPCA hospital in Manchester. After two years, she moved to a small animal A&E hospital, where she gained her postgraduate certificates in ophthalmology and surgery. She joined Woodcroft in October 2014. She has a particular interest in ophthalmology as it combines her interests in both medicine and surgery, as well as corneal surgery and the challenges of microsurgery. She enjoys time at home with her young family and when possible walking and running with her whippet, Maggie.

Kate has been working with veterinary ophthalmology referrals since 2010 and joined Woodcroft in 2019. She is an RCVS Advanced Practitioner in ophthalmology, and particularly enjoys corneal and cataract surgery. Outside of work she likes spending time with her cavalier King Charles spaniel, riding, kayaking, and drawing and painting – particularly pet portraits as seen at artbykatebrooks.weebly.com.

Marta grew up in Bilbao, a lovely city in the north of Spain. She qualified in 2010 from the University of Zaragoza in Spain and moved to the UK that same year. She developed an interest in veterinary ophthalmology as a student and completed her certificate in small animal ophthalmology in 2017 and was listed as an RCVS Advanced Practitioner in small animal ophthalmology the same year, demonstrating her abilities to date, and an ongoing commitment to further development of her skills and clinical evaluation amongst her peers. She regularly attends national and overseas congresses to continue learning about the latest developments in the field. In her spare time she enjoys walking her dog Jamie, a rescue saluki cross. She also enjoys meeting up with friends, reading and travelling.

Alistair graduated in 1997 from Bristol University. Alistair originally joined the practice in June 2002 after working for nearly five years at the PDSA clinic in Manchester. As the initial ophthalmologist at Woodcroft Referrals, Alistair has been accepting ophthalmology referrals since 2007. He gained the RCVS Certificate in Veterinary Ophthalmology in 2004 and became an RCVS Advanced Practitioner in Veterinary Ophthalmology in 2014. Clinically, he enjoys all aspects of veterinary ophthalmology although he is particularly interested in cataract surgery. In 2022, Alistair gained an additional post graduate Diploma in Veterinary Anaesthesia from Edinburgh University and became an RCVS Advanced Practitioner in Veterinary Anaesthesia in the same year. Alistair’s interest in anaesthesia allow him to optimise anaesthetic safety especially in patients with pre-existing systemic disease which may complicate anaesthesia. He is a past committee member for the British Association of Veterinary Ophthalmologists. Outside work he enjoys looking after his family, skiing, golf and running.

Helen joined us in December 2014 as a registered veterinary nurse at our Queens Road hospital before we moved to our Atlas House site in Cheadle Heath. Helen completed her BSc (Hons) veterinary nursing degree in 2013, qualifying her as a registered veterinary nurse (RVN).

Helen then spent 4 years leading the Ophthalmology team before becoming a Senior RVN for the group in 2021. She also achieved a Diploma in Advanced Veterinary Nursing in 2020.

Helen really enjoys still being a part of the Ophthalmology team and her interests in anaesthesia.
In her spare time, she likes to walk her Lhasa Apso Hugo and baking delicious treats.

Sarah joined us back in 2008 as an apprentice at our Queens Road hospital and then qualified as a registered veterinary nurse in 2012. She now works primarily in the Ophthalmology referrals team at our hospital in Atlas House but does work in the A&E department on weekends assisting the vets with emergency care.

Sarah really enjoys client service and talking with pet owners about their animals. She also has an interest in anaesthesia and would like to further her knowledge and understanding of this subject in the future. Sarah has also completed a course in pet health and nutrition which helps her counsel clients.

In her spare time, she likes to walk her dogs with her son.

Paula joined us in 2017 doing part time hours working in our A&E department at Woodcroft Veterinary Hospital and then moved with us when the hospital relocated to Atlas House in Cheadle Heath. Paula was already a qualified veterinary nurse as she completed her studies in 2000.

She decided to join us full time in 2020 and since then has continued her work at the hospital in emergency care and more recently has been working alongside the Ophthalmology referrals team. Paula is currently working towards her certificate in Anaesthesia to further her knowledge on the subject and enable herself to assist our referrals team in more advanced procedures.

In her free time, Paula loves to spend time with her son Ronnie. They enjoy going on days out and spend lots of time at theme parks or at the beach. She also likes to go out with friends, swim and work out at the gym.