About Elm House Veterinary Centre — Chelmsford’s Trusted Vet Practice

Joanna joined the Elm house team in 2010.

Joanna enjoys all aspect of general practice and small animal medicine.  Joanna builds stable, sympathetic relationships with her clients in order to achieve the best possible outcome for their pets. 

Animals are not only a big part of Joanna’s work life but her home life too.  Joanna is a dog lover and has a bonkers xbreed dog called Charlie.  Jo also is a horse lover and has a beautiful (sometimes naughty horse) called Roberto. 

During her spare time, Jo enjoys running and spending time at the stables with Roberto. 

Kirsten qualified as a vet from Cambridge in 2005 and has been applying her expert knowledge at Elm House since November 2011. Having undertaken an internship at a referral centre in 2009 Kirsten realized that she enjoyed too many aspects of veterinary medicine to specialize in one particular area and that general practice was the best way to achieve this. That being said she finds soft tissue surgery very satisfying and always enjoys working up a good medicine case.

Kirsten particularly enjoys working cases up from the initial consultation through to diagnosis and is motivated by providing top quality care and treatment for her canine and feline patients.

Outside of work Kirsten enjoys reading, playing tennis and spending time with her two children.  Kirsten also has a 3 legged cat called Wonky. 

Sarrah Joined the Elm house team in 2023.

Sarrah graduated from the RVC in 2018 and worked for a busy veterinary practice in London before relocating to Essex.

Sarrah worked at a busy hospital and soon became a branch vet.  Following that, Sarrah soon realised her love for building close client relationships, both getting to know both pet and owner alike. 

Sarrah likes a variety – loving both surgical and medical cases, and also has a love of small furries.  

In her spare time, Sarrah enjoys travelling, going for long walks with her rescue greyhound Atlas and carrying out lots of DIY in her old, new home. 

Originally from Chelmsford Zoe joined the Elm house team in 2024. 

Zoe qualified from Bristol in 2010 and obtained a post graduate certificate in small animal medicine in 2015. 

Zoe enjoys getting to know pets and their owners and particularly enjoys medical cases, managing chronic conditions and treating Guinea Pigs.  

Outside of work Zoe enjoys reading, swimming and running with her Staffordshire bull terrier called Cooper. 

Zoe is also a Guinea Pig enthusiast and has 7 rescue Guinea pigs at home.

Sharon started with Elm house in 2010 and heads up our fantastic team of Veterinary Nurses. Her commitment, keen eye for detail and brilliant organisational skills play an important role in making sure our centre runs smoothly.

Holding nurse clinics is one of Sharon’s favourite things about working as a Veterinary Nurse. She also enjoys caring for our patients, trying out new procedures and working as part of a close-knit team.

Away from the centre, Sharon has her three young children to keep her busy. With the little time she has left, Sharon also enjoys running, trips to the zoo and socialising with her friends. She also loves travelling to hot countries, relaxing and reading a good book.

Sarah has been nursing since 2007 and joined the Elm house team in 2016. 

Sarah enjoys all aspects of nursing but has a particular interest in patient care. 

At home Sarah has two cats and a toddler to keep her busy. 

During her spare time Sarah enjoys spending time with friends and family, baking and the odd Joe Wicks workout!

Eloise graduated from the RVC in 2016 and has worked at a couple of practices before joining the Elm house team back in December 2019
Eloise has a varied role within the practice which includes carrying out general nursing care, clinics and to process insurance claims.
Eloise has a passion for medical nursing and enjoys spending time fussing and nursing the in-patients.

In her spare time, Eloise enjoys family company, going out for dinner, watching films and travelling.
At home Eloise has a much adored, rescue cat called Pearl. 

Gemma, as well as being a superb Veterinary Nurse, is also a qualified clinical coach and assessor. The coaching skills that Gemma possesses are very important for the progression of our Student Nurses and our team as a whole.

Admitting patients, administering anaesthesia and taking care of general admin are just some of the other duties that Gemma carries out within the centre. She believes that the most rewarding part of her work is being able to see the improvement in her patients post-surgery, and also enjoys the variety her work offers.

When she’s not working, Gemma enjoys spending time with her two sons.

Ashleigh joined the Elm House team as an animal care assistant in April 2024.

Ashleigh previously worked for our OOH service Vets now as an ACA. Ashleigh has taken a step away from emergency work to hopefully complete her veterinary nursing training. 

Ashleigh loves spending time with her family and pets. She has a springer spaniel  called Snoopy, 2 cats, a rabbit and a hamster to keep her busy during her spare time!

With the little spare time she has left, Ashleigh enjoys doing arts and crafts, which helps her relax after a busy day. 

Shajeda joined the Elm House Vet team at the end of July 2021 as a full time receptionist. She has been working as a vet receptionist since 2018. She enjoys working for an independent practice and particularly enjoys getting to know the clients and their pets- especially giving them treats as they come out of their consults! 

She is extremely proud to be part of a dedicated team that put 100% into everything they do and looks forward to growing with the team. 

Janet joined us in November 2019 as a part-time receptionist. 

She enjoys working in the practice; having brought her own pets here for over 25 years. 

In her spare time, Jan enjoys spending quality time with her daughters and seeing the sites of Europe. 

Jan also enjoys a round of golf and a occasionally be found paddle boarding around Southend during the summer months!