Harmsworth Memorial Hospital (RSPCA)

Lamenting the loss of our dear sweet JJ........such a gentle, loyal and pretty little cat. Our Persian Princess! She died February 25th at 3.18pm, aged just 16. We thought she'd live longer but she succumbed to illness, and went peacefully. We will miss her. We had her from 6 weeks (full of fleas and worms!) but she has been a constant companion since then. Thank you to all the staff at Harmsworth Memorial Hospital (RSPCA) to help me through the though decision. Thanks guys and keep the good work.


 RIP JJ Wolf-Mendes

I feel I must stick up for this place based on my visit there.My 16 year old Norwegian Forest Cat had another bout of Cystitis so I had to take him here.The lovely young lady vet was most courteous and professional and I really couldn't ask for more care and expertise then was given.I actually think the care was better then the previous time he was ill and I took him to a private vet (I have since being reduced to part-time hours at my work so can no longer afford a private vet).I was even in and out in an hour,although I realize people aren't always this lucky.As previous posts have said it can be annoying in the waiting room when you get a 'canine chorus' but that is the price you have to pay for cheap treatment.

Really bad took my cat up there out of hours with a hole in his paw he was in pain,didn't mind paying extra .. And,was sent away very uncaring .. They never answer the phone .. My family give to the rspca every month maybe another charity would use the money better ..

I have not had a good experience with the Harmsworth. My Dog has been sick for a few days. He was admitted and we were told they would run some blood tests and xrays. Several days later and this was not done. They said that they had been too busy and would get round to it. When I was able to see my pet, he was in a worse state and it was very clear that he had been neglected while he stayed at the Harmsworth. He had urinated in his cage (although he is house trained) and left to sit in it. He had several cuts on hus face that they were unable to explain. I decided to take him out of the Harmsworth and had him admitted to the Beaumont that evening. I would really think about having your pet treated at the Harmsworth. The staff are rude and the hospital really is in need to a clean. the telephones are never answered and a lot of the reception staff are very rude. My experience has been very upsetting and I am shocked that the people working there are able to sleep at night knowing that some animals are mistreated while in there surgery.

I cannot praise the Beaumont hospital enough. Lovely staff and a very nice place.

We have had a bad experience with them, our dog had a tumor removed and had stitches, when we collected her we were sent home with only 3 painkillers, but before the op she was on 2 a day for a week? Why would they give her 2 a day when she hadn’t even been in pain, and then just 3 after a big op like that? When i asked the nurse this they said “well thats all they need” but she didnt need to previous lot? After a few days from the op we noticed it was getting bigger and was starting to bleed. We took her staight back to Harmsworth and said we were really worried its infected. The nurse told us we had to go back at 7pm cos thats when the vet would be there. When the vet had a look at her she said "No theres no infection, its just fluids building up in the space in which the tumor was, we will need put her under another anaesthetic and open her up again to drain the fluid. When we collected her that evening, i asked the nurse “was it infected inside then?” to which the nurse replied “yes, thats why it was filling up”. I don’t know who to trust anymore, the actual vet or the nurse? are they covering up for not giving us the right meds when we collected her? thats why i would only recommend them for minor treatments like worming or flea treatments. Our dog now has stitches across three mammory glands (3nipples), two drains hanging out either side and is on 8.1/4 tablets a day along with painkillers. We took our dog for the op hoping she would be ok and in better condition without the tumor but what they have done to her now is awful. I wish they could all do their job properly and all be on the same page as each other.

I can’t believe the grumblers. This organisation is charitable and relies on donations. If you are there then it’s because you are in need of financial help, and as far as I’m concerned you therefore have no right to grumble – every penny spent is spent as wisely as possible so that they can cover a larger number of animals. Expecting premium care and attention means you may be depriving another animal in crisis with the care it needs.
Targeting staff with your frustration is also unfair – they work long hours and have to deal with very many bad-tempered clients or lonely people wanting to chat. Their priority is the animals and that, as far as I’m concerned, is the right way for it to be.
I’ve used the Harmsworth twice in an emergency and I think they do a fantastic job with the little they are given. Really fantastic.
Next time you are frustrated by a long wait or lack of a smile from someone – understand that it’s because of the huge volume of demands that are made on the hospital and maybe make a small donation to help out, on top of your fee, that’s what we did. Just £5 or £10 but it’s a nod to the idea that you shouldn’t take on a pet then expect someone else to provide it’s healthcare at low cost for the whole of its life.
It’s an emergency service, not the vet at the corner of the road. So keep your expectations more realistic and be a little more generous with the people who work there, please. It upsets me that they are being targeted when it’s a charity and they are doing the best they can. Other vets have a huge mark up on their costs and they also make mistakes.

I have been using this hospital for over 20 years, during that time, I have found the nurses and veterinary surgeons very polite and helpful, unfortunately they are being badly let down by one particular person, who happens to be the receptionist, Amanda Makay. She is a very aggressive, rude, unsympathetic, nasty piece of work, who is not only unpleasant to deal with but also scares the staff employed there, quire a bully in fact. The people in charge should look into her disgraceful conduct and remind her that she is only a receptionist and not the boss, she should know her place. I would like to award five stars but because of her I can manage only four.

In october 2010 i took my my sweet calico cat to the Harmwsworth, because i noticed some blood in her poo and she had began vomiting. we were told that her heath was fine but that she had arthritis. They gave her some medication but instead of getting better she became worse, so we took her back in january 2011 and they said the same thing that she was fine. In april 2011 we took her back for a third time and they did some blood tests and said she was fine but that they would do a scan on her body.The results came back that she had a tumor in her intestine, I asked them why they did not do the scan in the first place in october 2010. They replied "because we thought she was fine" no apology for their mistake and diagnosis....i felt like screaming and was really angry that they could miss something like this. The doctor then said that if they did surgery then the tumor would grow back.so they gave me some tablets that apparently shrink and stop the tumor from getting bigger but do not cure it, and they said to come back in 2 weeks. Since those two weeks my sweet cat has lost so much weight and will not each much, they said her appetite would increase no decrease.so i took her back after those two weeks and explained my concerns to the doctor who. he said two keep her on the tablets. i voiced my disapproval about the misdiagnosis in october and that they had failed my cat, but i got no apology, instead they told me even if they had found it that they would not perform surgery on a cat with a tumor..i said what ..but the other doctor told me that they would have performed surgery but she feared it would grow back.. i got no reply, i told her that my cat had been let down by the hospital and that we were badly treated..but still no apology..they would not admit their guilt for fear of loosing their jobs i presume..So i said to myself i will not let the possible death of my sweet cat be in vain and would write a review to warn others! Now i am about to take my cat two the beamont animal hospital in camden because to parden my french but these fucking vets at the harwsworth do not have a fucking idea what they are doing..So if your thinking of taking your pet to the Harmsworth Medical hospital think again..just look at the first four letters "HARM" and believe me that is there specialty.. yours in anger frustration and sadness JC

iwas told at edmonton clinic to take cat meggie to the hospital that i did well on arrival showed papers proof income benefits etc- we both told its out of normal hospital hours- so were left to wait--= from 3pm till 5pm to even get to see a traige nurse -then told Have to pay initial consultation fee of £28.00anything else tests treatments medicines also to be paid after vet seen
have to wait till 7pm till vet sees us -we waited- then its worth all the wait concern worry-- upmost attn -meggie was blood tested -looks like had stroke maybe back injury she is lethegic and very ill. ---- -but we were still left all that time prior and unseen to get any attention on diagnose well had to leave her overnight for tests /now iam telephoning for results //what hope for 18years old cat she has been so well till now///

This place is truly fantastic! Fair enough there is sometimes a long waiting time but if you get there at 8.30 am sharp you will only have to wait for 2 hours max. The staff are great although some are not as friendly as they could be but why should they stop and chat for 10 mins when they are so busy?? They are better than any private vet we have EVER been to. A few years ago we had a cat who was run over. I was working at the time and we took him to medivet in finchley and were disgusted with their treatment of us. The cat was clearly gasping for air yet the vet made us waste 30 mins filling out an insurance form before she even took the cat through to the back ( meanwhile he was slowly dying) and still charged us £2000! I am positive if we had been able to take him to harmsworth they would have saved his life. 2 years later another cat of ours dissapeared after being poorly for a few days. We found him freezing and half dead the next morning after spending almost the entire night looking for him. We rushed him down to the rspca harmsworth ( i was now claiming benefits) As soon as we arrived they rushed him through to the back and put him straight onto a drip before even asking for proof of benefits!! They saved his life and i am exceptionally grateful for that.
Granted the chavs are a bit of a turn off but who cares? if you love your animal just grab a good book and sit quietly or start a conversation with some of the old dears about their dogs. The majority of people there are sweet genuine animal lovers.

I have given them two stars for trying but the service is over used and frankly even abused by those on low incomes that have several Dogs.
If your not working and cannot afford a Dog, don't get one period.
But the same people supposedly on a Low income sneak outside and smoke like 20 cigarettes and drink lager while they wait the 3 or more hour wait! and many people are more sick looking than the several Dogs they bring with them.I sat next to a lady that clearly had a very severe scalp infection and smelled strongly of urine,but she had her lager and cigarettes!.
The system was brought about for genuine animal lovers whom are in genuine temporary hardship but that system is clearly being abused.
I'm on DLA benefits,but I would eat baked beans for a week to save myself going through what me and my pooch went through last time,
so many huge and aggressive pit-balls snarling at my poor Bichon Frise
in his little red coat! and some of the owners looked and had an attitude like their pit-balls believe me!.
The poor very young vet was seriously overworked.(as there was only one)
my dog was on the table for seconds and overall the medicines are not that cheap anyway that I would go through that again ever.
Basically its just over 50% cheaper with 60% more stress than going to a private vet.
I guess in life you get what you pay for,or don't want to pay for!...

Been going to Harmsworth for 30 years now and have to report some very bad experiences over the years. One when my 6 month old dog was hit by a car (he escaped out the house) and the vets who x-rayed him could find no apparent damage - 3 weeks down the line & still hobbling on 3 legs I insisted on having further x-rays done where it was found he had fractured his ball joint on back leg. I was told there was a waiting list for operations and was given appointment for 2 weeks time! Going ballistic I immediately wrote to the Director detailing my grievances and he promptly emailed me back giving me an emergency appointment for 2 days later! (My dog had to have his ball joint removed & I must say the surgeon seems to have done an excellent job to give credit where its due).There are similar cases of treatment with my other animals, too long to go into.

They are an extremely busy & overworked practice but full credit to the vets & staff who do a great job under much pressure.

Recently my dog developed a large growth in his testicle & on going through the various options it was decided he would have to be castrated as whether cancerous or not, it would have to be removed. The closest appointment they could give me was 3 weeks down the line, by which time the growth (if malignant may have travelled elsewhere). I pointed this out and I was given the contact numbers for Blue Cross & The Beaumont Animal Hospital (Kings Cross) - cutting a long story short, The Beaumont did the operation a lot sooner than RSPCA could offer & I received premium treatment & aftercare for no more than RSPCA would have charged.

I cannot recommend too highly The Beaumont Hospital as an alternative to using RSPCA - go there if you possibly can.

Rating this place is a difficult task. I’ve given it a rating as a vets, but that is unfair to its staff who do an amazing job.

On the negative side it’s not somewhere you really want to be. For a start there’s no appointments, so you have to queue, usually for at least a couple of hours. Once you do get called you get to see whatever vet is available, and there’s a lot of different vets. There’s no chance to build up a relationship with one. It’s a bit of a conveyor belt. An example: one vet lets you hold your cat for blood tests, others will insist on getting a nurse in or even sending them into the back. Annoying as I’m well able to hold them and it’s better for them if I do. Also, it’s no frills treatment. Of course, it is a clinic for people on a low income, so avoiding unnecessary expense is needed. But as someone who’s read up on their cat’s conditions, I know I’m not getting some of the tests etc that might be available if I was able to afford a private vet. And of course, though most folks and animals there are nice, you do get to share a waiting room for hours with some you’d rather not. Days when badly trained dogs all start barking at each other are not pleasant.

I have to give five stars to the staff though. Some of them (naming no names) have been know to be a bit jobsworth, but with some of the folks that come in taking the proverbial (i.e. want free treatment for the dog because they want to buy the newest mobile or something) I can’t really blame them. My cats have always been calm there, and while I give myself some credit for that, I think it also shows that the vets have a good attitude. I also feel happy if my cats have to go in for an operation: unlike some small vets they have staff on duty 24 hours. By the way it’s not free, you pay a £10 consultation fee plus medical costs. As an example a few years ago dentals for my cats cost £150 each at a private vets, and a couple of years later £40 at the Harmsworth.

And yes, it is the place that featured in ‘Animal Hospital’ with Rolf Harris. It is kind of cool to be able to say your cat has been seen by a celebrity vet, but it’s not worth it. If you have the money, you should go to a private vet, to avoid your animal waiting around for hours if nothing else. Most of the ones off the telly seem to have moved on now anyway…