Companion Care Basingstoke

José qualified in Madrid in 1994 and moved to England shortly after for what was supposed to be a 12 month professional development experience. 26 years later he is now the Practice Director at the Basingstoke Companion Care Surgery which he, his wife Fran and the team opened in 2004. 

His wealth of experience comes from being able to work with excellent colleagues, great professionals and invaluable nurses throughout the years, initially in the North of England and then in a Veterinary Hospital on the South Coast and, since 2004, in his Practice in Basingstoke.

In his free time José loves being outdoors and you will often find him walking or running with Luna, his 7 year-old Springer Spaniel, while training for his next marathon.

Married for over 20 years with 2 children, José’s family is the real passion in his life

Fran qualified in Madrid in 1994 and moved to England shortly after to start her professional career. She worked near Manchester for two years, before moving down South. Fran helped to develop the first Joint Venture Companion Care practice in Portsmouth.

She took a career break to raise her two children and has now come back to work part-time. Although she has always been a helping hand during busy times since we first opened our surgery in 2004.

Norma graduated from the University of Lugo, Spain in 2001. Soon after she moved to England, where she worked in a small animal practice in Surrey for 11 years. Norma then relocated to Hampshire with her family and joined our practice. She enjoys medicine, particularly feline medicine and ultrasonography.

In her spare time, Norma enjoys walking in the Hampshire country side with her son Iago and her two dogs Gringo and Bowie. She also helps run the family-owned pub. To relax Norma enjoys nothing better than listening to classical music whilst she crochets .

I qualified from Bristol university in 2007 and have worked in small animal practice ever since. I spent 7 years in a hospital in the Midlands before returning home to Hampshire. I like a good mix of medicine and surgery and I particularly enjoy using ultrasound as a diagnostic tool. Outside of work I enjoy running, cooking and crafting. We live on a mixed farm so I spend a lot of time with our two boys helping out with the sheep and cows!

Carlos gained his Veterinary Degree in 2014 from the University of Cordoba in Spain. He likes to travel and experience different cultures and before joining our team here at Basingstoke, he travelled extensively undertaking studies and veterinary internships in both Italy and Croatia.

Carlos enjoys all aspects of practice and is particularly interested in soft tissue surgery, endoscopy and dentistry.

When he is not at work Carlos relaxes by listening to music and watching films. Camping is something he also enjoys as he appreciates nature and being outdoors.

Adrián qualified in 2014 from the University of Santiago de Compostela in Spain. After finishing his degree he went to Romania where he did a 4 month internship focussing on internal medicine.

In February 2015 Adrián joined a small animal practice in the UK where he remained before joining Companion Care Basingstoke in April 2018. He has a particular interest in diagnostic imaging - an area in which he would like to specialise. Back at home in Spain, Adrián has his family dog, a miniature Schnauzer called Nika. He misses Nika very much and loves spending time with her when he goes back to visit his family.

In his free time Adrián enjoys a variety of sports including football, golf and hiking. When he is not playing sport he enjoys catching up with friends and discovering all of the beautiful places that the UK has to offer.

Mafalda qualified in 2002 from the University of Tras os Montes e Alto Douro, in Portugal. She interned in Oporto in a referral hospital for one year, later joining as a permanent vet.

In 2007 Mafalda joined a veterinary practice still operating in post-war Angola where over and above the medical care she provided, she had the experience of a lifetime in all possible and unimaginable ways.

Having moved to the UK in 2011, Mafalda worked in Scotland, Portishead and Long Eaton finally settling in the south following her maternity leave, and joining us in 2015.

Mafalda likes all aspects of veterinary medicine but is particular keen on feline medicine.

In her free time, Mafalda enjoys music, cooking and spending time with Koffee, the cuddliest of cats, and his nemesis, Anna, the little human who burst into his life not that long ago.

Natalie has been working with us since the surgery opened back in October 2004 and she qualified as a Veterinary Nurse in 2009. Natalie is energetic and enthusiastic about her job and is very keen on orthopaedic surgical cases. She loves to help owners and their pets. At home she is kept busy with her young family and her menagerie of pets including dogs, Lola and Freddie, cats Millie and Mollie and guinea pigs, Ginge, Speedy and Betty.

After leaving school Jade went to college to study Animal Management and the obvious career progression from there was for her to continue her studies for a Veterinary Nursing Diploma. Jade joined our team at Companion Care Basingstoke as a Student Veterinary Nurse at the end of 2017.

She became a full qualified Veterinary Nurse in August 2018 and was promoted to Head Veterinary Nurse in September 2020. Jade is particularly interested in exotics and her favourite duty at work is caring for our inpatients. At home she has two dogs, a Staffie cross called Harper and a Jack Russell cross called Roxie. Jade is also a qualified swimming instructor and in her free time can be found at her local pool teaching children to swim.

Jasmine joined the practice in August 2015 became a fully qualified Veterinary Nurse in August 2018. She was promoted to Head Nurse in September 2020. Jasmine has a BSc Hons Degree in Animal Management and before joining the practice she worked in the ambulance service. She always wanted a career with animals and so made sure she gained plenty of work experience within different sectors of the animal industry.

Like most of our colleagues, Jasmine has had many different pets from hamsters and rats to dogs and horses. She currently has a dog called Marley, a horse and a rescue cat called Daz

In her spare time Jasmine likes to spend time with her horse and socialising with friends.

Emma has been working in veterinary practice since 2010 and joined Companion Care in 2013. She qualified as a Veterinary Nurse in summer 2017. Emma has a keen interest in Radiography and caring for inpatients. Emma is currently working towards her ISFM Certificate in Feline Nursing. In her spare time Emma enjoys spending time with her  daughter and going for long walks with her Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Roxy and riding and competing on her horses.

Jessica joined our nursing team in July 2018 after passing her BSC Hons degree in Veterinary Nursing at Moreton Morrell (part of the University of Coventry). Jessica gained her practical experience in a veterinary practice in Oxford. She has a strong interest in dog behaviour and training and in her free time likes walking in the countryside surrounding her home. Jess is the proud owner of a lovely black cat called Ruby. She is very creative and makes beautiful quilts - she also loves to knit and paint in watercolours.

Charlotte joined our team as a Veterinary Care Assistant in 2016. Before joining the practice she completed an extended Diploma in Horse Management and Animal Biology. Charlotte has now completed her Veterinary Nursing Diploma and is a Qualified Veterinary Nurse.

Charlotte finds inpatient care particularly rewarding; she enjoys learning and has a keen interest in Emergency and Critical Care and enjoys in house laboratory work and learning about pet nutrition.

Charlotte loves travelling and in the past has rescued and rehomed stray dogs in Europe At home she has a beautiful furry family of her own – a horse, dog and three cats!

Meg is passionate about animals; she joined our Reception team in April 2016 and then joined our Nursing team as a Student Veterinary Nurse. Meg qualified as a Veterinary Nurse in January 2021.  Meg has wide-ranging experience for as well as her Veterinary Nursing Diploma, she has a BSc Hons degree in Animal Management and plenty of practical experience gained in diverse environments from working at a wildlife rescue to a company that trains animals for TV and film; she has also worked in a pet store.

At home she is kept very busy with Bilbo the Border Collie, Pumpkin the cat, Axel the guinea pig , Milo the crested gecko, three lovely chickens, Nugget, Pigeon and Brownie and last but not least her young son Oliver.

When she gets a moment to herself she enjoys running and reading.

Annabel has always had an interest in animals and has owned a wide variety of pets. Before joining our practice in June 2015, she completed work experience at a dog groomers and at another veterinary practice. She then went on to complete an Animal Management course at Sparshalt College after which she completed her Veterinary Nursing Diploma and qualified as a Veterinary Nurse at the end of 2020.

In her spare time Annabel enjoys walking her dog, caring for her cat and two rabbits and riding and competing on her pony Charlie.

After working for British Airways, Fiona hung up her wings and headed to London to take up a position in an International investment bank. After five years she decided city life was not for her and in 2001 returned to the country to follow a career in veterinary practice. Fiona joined Basingstoke Companion Care in February 2015 having previously managed a variety of practices including equine, a small animal first opinion and a referral hospital. Fiona is 'owned' by a broken-coated lurcher called Noodle (also known as HRH by members of the practice team).

Anne joined Companion Care Basingstoke in October 2013 as a part time Receptionist. Prior to having her children, Anne was an HR Business Consultant working in Retail and the Pharmaceutical industry. Anne loves the variety and challenges that working in a vets provides and learns something new every day.

Outside of work Anne is married with two young boys who keep her busy. She has 2 cats, Millie and Tigga, and is about to welcome a new kitten into the family very soon. Anne’s hobbies include socializing, decorating and music.

Helen joined our Reception team in 2019 after taking a career break to raise her daughter. On leaving school she trained and qualified as a British Horse Society Riding Instructor. Aside from her equestrian background Helen also has experience in customer service roles including being a telephone controller for the RSPCA. Outside of work Helen enjoys riding.

Before joining our Reception team in 2019, Kristin had spent the previous 6 years working in London as a manager in the event industry.  She grew up with a variety of pets from cats and budgies to gerbils and 8 years ago she rescued a puppy who she called Cooper; Cooper is now a trained search dog for the German Red Cross.  Kristin is kept very busy being a mum of two toddlers but any free time she has, she enjoys being outside and exploring nature.

Originally from Johannesburg South Africa, Garrett moved to the UK in early 2019 to be closer to family after five years working as a veterinary receptionist in Dubai UAE. 

Garrett enjoys being creative and with a background in sound engineering, will often take the time to work on a few music production projects.

Currently working towards completing his private pilot’s license, when free time presents itself he can also be found taking walks in the countryside with his wife or spending some downtime at home with their two cats, Jack and Bebe.

Daisy is currently studying Veterinary Nursing at the University of Middlesex and has been on placement with the practice since January 2019. Prior to this Daisy worked in a pet store. She joined our Reception team in the summer of 2019 and this combined with her Veterinary Nursing degree allows her to pursue her love of caring for pets. She has two dogs, called Teddy and Alice and a rescued Degu called Sammy.

Before joining our team at companion care in 2020, Steph gained her Masters in Clinical Animal Behaviour at the University of Lincoln. The versatility between reception based tasks and assisting the clinical team at the practise appeals to Steph as every day is different. Outside of the vet practise, Steph runs her own dog training and behaviour business, and is working towards full Certified Clinical Animal Behaviourist status. She enjoys training and going for woodland walks with her dog Stevie, a Romanian street dog that she taught to play Connect-Four