Meet The Team
John Alexander MRCVS
John joined Essex Vets Rainham in August 2021 as our Senior Vet. John qualified as a Veterinary Surgeon in 1995, with the last of his examines in Bristol University. He has a strong passion for bulldogs and greyhounds, with great knowledge developed for both breeds. John has great experience with birds, which is an uncommon area of interest amongst the industry. Many travel far and wide in search of John’s services with his good reputation ever growing. He is the pinnacle point of the surgery, spending even his free time helping out both night and day – in fact we sometimes wonder whether John ever sleeps!
Shannon Desmond RVN
Registered Night Nurse
Shannon was one of our first Night Nurses starting at the company March 2022. Shannon arrived at Essex Vets Rainham with a wealth of nursing knowledge having worked previously as a Head Nurse. She has an extremely good eye for detail and strives to provide not only her patients but clients too with a top notch service often commended by clients for her “extra mile” approach. Shannon enjoys all aspects of Veterinary Nursing and continues to pass down her knowledge to the Veterinary Care Assistants thanks to her time spent as a Clinical Coach. She has a Frenchie called Olive who she loves spending long walks with.
Scott Bruce
Night Veterinary Care Assistant
Scott is one of our Night Veterinary Care Assistants having joined the company in February 2022. Scott was previously a Head Receptionist so brought great customer service skills to his new role, alongside being a human calculator – great for reconciling customer accounts. Scott was keen to progress his veterinary career moving from Reception to Care Assistant and now provides a high level of support to his night teams. A very memorable character at the practice Scott brings fun to the shifts which is great for those long nights. He has a cat called Prue who he rescued from his last practice.
Megan Murphy
Trainee VCA
Meg joined us in September 2022 having a complete change in career paths from P.E teacher to Veterinary Care Assistant, deciding that her passion for animal care led the dream she wished to follow. Meg shows great leadership skills from her time as a teacher and often helps organise tasks on busy days. Due to the speed in which she has developed her skills, she is due to begin the VCA Diploma in April 2023 and we are sure the dedication she shows our clients and patients will only reflect in her studies. She has Great Dane Cross called Stanley and Staffie called Lexi.
Mafalda Ribeiro RVN & Vitor Martins RVN
Registered Veterinary Nurses
So we have labelled these guys as one because they come as a pair! Mafalda and Vitor originate from Portugal, having grown up together, built a relationship together and with their mad love for animals a shared passion their Veterinary Nursing qualifications now see them working together at Essex Vets Rainham. Vitor and Mafalda joined us in January 2023 and have very quickly become part of the ever evolving team. For all their sins, they have helped to home several strays from their time in the industry and now have cats Nala, Leia, Arthur and Frenchie puppy Arthur.
Mariangela Colasuonno MRCVS
Night Veterinary Surgeon
Mariangela joined us in August 2022 as part of our dedicated Night Vet team. Having Qualified in 2018 in Valenzano, Italy, Mariangela came across to the UK in 2019 beginning her career in a busy referral hospital. She moved around gaining experience from both a sole charge position and a large independent clinic, before travelling down to Essex to join us. She enjoys both the medical and surgical aspect of Veterinary Medicine but her passion lays with the Emergency and Critical Care work that she attends to overnight. Mariangela resides within Essex Vets accommodation but on her weeks off, travels home to Italy to enjoy as she puts it “proper food!”
Harriet Wescombe
Trainee VCA
Harriet (or Little H) as she is known, joined Essex Vets Rainham before our Practice doors even opened. Originally offering her help as a volunteer, helping to set up the new branch she then continued to volunteer as a kennel hand before taking on paid work as a receptionist. She now works a variety of Receptionist and Care Assistant shifts around her studies, working towards a Degree as a Veterinary Nurse. Harriet has a Frenchie called Arthur who she loves walking daily, with a love for keeping both her mind and body active.
Megan Patrick
Trainee VCA
Megan joined the practice in November 2022, starting at Essex Vets Rainham on a work placement as part of her Animal Management Course Level 3. Very soon after starting we acknowledged her abilities as a good Veterinary Care Assistant and offered her paid work alongside her placement. You will often see Megan on site at the weekend, giving up her free time to the practice where ever she can and she can be easily recognised by her contagious laugh. In the few seconds she has spare, Megan spends her time at the stables and with her two cats Tallulah & Gus.
Charlotte Salmon
Client Care & VCA
Charlotte was employed as our evening Receptionist in September 2023. Having undertaken a Level 3 Diploma in Equine Management and Bachelor of Equine Studies with honours, she decided that she wanted to keep horses a passionate hobby and move across into the small animal sector as her line of work. She is a confident, bubbly individual making her a perfect employee on our front desk. She works our evening shifts late into the night classing herself as a “night owl” which also allows her to tend to her horse Rosie in the morning. Charlotte also has a flat coated retriever called Nala.
Katie Hamill
Qualified VCA
Katie joined Essex Vets Rainham in August 2021, soon after we opened, starting with no experience in the animal sector. To date Katie has become our most experienced Veterinary Care Assistants having sailed through her VCA Diploma. Katie always has a smile on her face and her bubbly personality shines through in her work, making her the “glue” that brings the team together. Katie has a German Shepherd called Lola, who at almost 40kg is nearly as big as her.
Strachan Coutinho RVN
Registered Night Nurse
Strachan is one of our longest standing team members having joined the practice in January 2022 as one of our dedicated Night Nurses when the Out of Hours service first begun. He completed a degree in Veterinary Nursing Science at Hartpury College (UWE Bristol) in Gloucester and qualified as a Registered Veterinary Nurse in November 2011. Strachan has an interest in rodents, with Essex Vets seeing patients of all shapes and sizes. Strachan has a passion for theatre, often taking part in performances and enjoys rock music which you can often hear playing during his night shifts.
Lily Louise Rodgers
Trainee VCA
Lily joined us early on in November 2021, initially requesting to undertake a placement for her Level 3 Extended Technical Diploma in Animal Science – and guess what, she’s never left! Nearing the end of her studies now Lily works almost every minute she is not studying, perfecting her skills not only as a Veterinary Care Assistant but outstanding Receptionist too. Always available to jump in for extra shifts when needed, Lily is a hard worker.
Cassandra Chown
Client Care
Cassie is our newest member of staff at Essex Vets Rainham, joining the Client Care Day team. With a variety of customer focused roles under her belt, Cassie came with great experience. Her most recent role as Client Liaison for Next, gave her skills for dealing with high volume and fast pace. With animals being a huge part of her life, she jumped at the chance to combine her skills with her passion. Cassie spends her free time with the family, or down at the stables tending to her pony Tegan