RSPCA closures
10 year strategy of restructuring
Last summer (2020) the RSPCA announced proposals which included the closure of Putney Animal Hospital, Southall Cattery and Clinic, the Lockwood Equine Centre and South Godstone Animal Centre. These proposals were presented as part of a ten-year strategy to restructure RSPCA services and make the charity sustainable for the future.
Following hot on the heels of the closure of the Hanwell RSPCA clinic in 2016, we found this news worrying for animals in the West London area. It’s not as though their needs will go away.
Despite protests and petitions the closures have gone ahead. Local to us the Southall Cattery, which re-homed around 500 cats a year, and the 100 year-old Putney Animal Hospital, which saw 13,500 patients and treated 7,500 strays in 2019, closed on the 30thSeptember 2020. The RSPCA say changes are needed as, without them, they are predicting a £47million hole in their finances over the next three years.
What has been lost is not just the re-homing of unwanted and stray animals, but also access to services provided to the community such as reduced veterinary fees for those on low incomes.