Meet the Referrals Team
Our Animal Trust teams are what make our practices and hospitals special. They are dedicated to our mission to provide access to affordable, compassionate, and quality care. Putting pets before profit.
Our referral teams are located across most of our practices throughout the U.K and Wales and our 24/7 hospitals are located in Shrewsbury, Ellesmere Port and Bolton.
Dr James Portsmouth, heads up our referrals service, working alongside Residency Trained Veterinary Surgeon, Dylan Payne. They are supported by a large team of talented and experienced surgeons who together provide a quality referral service, that is accessible and compassionate.
Dr James Portsmouth BVSc BSAVA PGCertSAS PGCertVBM MRCVS
James graduated from University of Liverpool in 2013 and worked for 4 years in mixed practice in North Wales and Shropshire, before joining Animal Trust in 2017 as the first vet employed at the newly opened Ellesmere Port practice.
During his time with Animal Trust, initially as Lead Vet, and later Area Principal Vet for Merseyside and North Wales, James developed a keen interest in surgery. He completed the BSAVA Certificate in Small Animal Surgery in 2021, and later was granted RCVS Advanced Practitioner Status. After leaving Animal Trust for a brief stint as a Veterinary Director in Hong Kong, and then Surgical Clinician in a UK referral hospital, James returned to Animal Trust as Referral Principal Vet, managing and developing our growing referral service. In 2024, he completed the post graduate Certificate in Veterinary Business Management.
James' main clinical interests are in fracture management, oncology and reconstructive surgery, and routine orthopaedic surgery.
Away from work, James sits on the Board of Directors for the Veterinary Management Group, and as a Trustee for his local rugby club, for which he still regularly plays for the 1st XV. He his often accompanied at work by his two Labradors, Ruby and Quill, whilst Goose the cat reluctantly stays at home.
Dylan Payne Residency Trained Veterinary Surgeon BVMedSci (Hons) BVMBVS (Hons) PgCertVPS Cert AVP (GSAS) MRCVS
Dylan, a graduate of the University of Nottingham, brings a wealth of surgical expertise to our team, allowing owners to access a wide range of quality, referral-level surgical procedures at an affordable price.
Dylan completed his RCVS certificate in Small Animal Surgery while working in general practice and subsequently undertook a Residency in Small Animal Surgery at a highly respected specialist referral centre. He is set to sit board certifying exams in 2025 to become a European specialist in surgery.
Dylan is based at the 24/7 Ellesmere Port Hospital, meaning additional surgical services such as arthroscopy and thoracic surgery will now be available to pet owners.
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Animal Trust is a trading name of Animal Trust Vets CIC, a community interest company registered in England and Wales. Company Registration No: 07938025
Registered Office: Animal Trust Administration Centre, Cedab Road, Ellesmere Port, CH65 4FE