This article is sponsored content brought to you by the Animal Referral and Emergency Centre.
Veterinary care across the Newcastle, Hunter and surrounding regions is evolving. As demand increases and case complexity grows, local services are adapting to provide better support for pets and their parents and referring vets.
At the 24/7 Animal Referral and Emergency Centre (AREC), centrally located in Broadmeadow, this has meant strengthening referral capabilities across surgery, internal medicine, dermatology and oncology. These disciplines are essential for managing complex or ongoing cases and help ensure continuity of care when general practice support alone isn’t enough.
Surgical referrals remain a key focus. With expanded facilities and new team members, including a surgical registrar, the service can now offer a broader range of procedures; from orthopaedics and soft tissue surgery to spinal and emergency operations. Around-the-clock care from experienced emergency vets and nurses supports patients throughout their stay, including recovery and rehabilitation.
In September, the team will move into a new purpose-built hospital, still in Broadmeadow.
The new space has been designed with patient care and collaboration in mind, with more consulting rooms, two surgical suites, advanced imaging capabilities and larger treatment and recovery areas – as well as feline wards and a dedicated intensive care.
The new layout aims to streamline workflows, improve communication between teams, and reduce wait times for pets needing urgent or specialist care.
The new hospital is located just 3km from Newcastle CBD, within a precinct undergoing significant redevelopment. According to the City of Newcastle’s Broadmeadow Place Strategy, the area is expected to accommodate 20,000 new homes and 15,000 new jobs in coming decades, alongside improved transport, green spaces and community infrastructure. As this community grows, so too will the demand for responsive, integrated veterinary care.
By expanding services and facilities and growing our team, the aim is to better support general practice vets, offer continuity for patients with complex needs, and remain available 24/7 for pet owners whenever urgent care is needed.
If you have questions about AREC’s move, referral services, or how the new hospital will support patients in the future, visit arecvet.com.au. If you’d like to learn more about the Broadmeadow Place Strategy, visit newcastle.nsw.gov.au.
