Meet the Team

Mehdi Shorafa

Veterinary Surgeon - MRCVS, PGCert (SAS), MBA, DVM

Mehdi gained his degree in Veterinary Medicine in 2005, having studied veterinary medicine in Iran and completed his MBA at the University of Buckinghamshire in 2009.

In 2012 he became a member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons. He moved to Surrey in 2012 in order to develop his particular interests in the management aspects of veterinary practice as well as small animal surgery.

Mehdi relocated to Sussex in 2015 and worked six years as Clinical Director for two corporate veterinary groups. Mehdi was keen to continue his passion for small animal surgery and in 2021, he achieved his General Practitioner Certificate and subsequently obtained his Postgraduate Certificate in small animal surgery from Harper Adam University. Mehdi joined Greenwood veterinary clinic, the very long-standing independent veterinary clinic in Ruislip, in 2022.

Mehdi now lives in Ruislip with his wife and two sons, enjoys flying model aircraft, which he builds himself in his spare time.

Andrew Wood

Veterinary Surgeon - BVSc, MRCVS

Andrew studied to be a Veterinary Surgeon at Bristol University and qualified in 1983. He joined the Greenwood Veterinary Clinic in South Ruislip as a partner in 1996. As he has always done, Andrew continues to enjoy treating a wide range of surgical and medical conditions and works hard to provide the highest standards of care to help his patients and their owners.

Richard Prigge

Veterinary Surgeon - BVSc, MRCVS

Richard obtained his veterinary degree from the University of Pretoria (Onderstepoort), graduating in 1996.

He enjoys all aspects of small animal general practice and is passionate about looking after his patients and finding the best solutions for both pets and their owners.

Richard is looking forward to meeting clients and their pets in the friendly environment of Greenwood Veterinary clinic.Richard lives with his wife, two children and a cat named Sky. In his free time, he can be found exercising or enjoying the outdoors.

Katie Lees

Animal Nursing Assistant/Receptionist

Katie has been part of the veterinary industry since 2017. She began her career as a receptionist, but her passion for animal care soon led her to take on a more hands-on role as an Animal Nursing Assistant.

Katie enjoys the variety her role offers—whether she's assisting with lab tests, helping on reception, or assisting the team to care for the patients. She takes pride in being a friendly, familiar face at the clinic.

Outside of work, Katie loves spending time with friends playing Dungeons & Dragons and enjoys working on computers in her spare time.

Gareth Alderman

Practice Manager/Head Nurse - RVN

Gareth spent his first 12 years working in a mixed large and small animal practice where he qualified as a registered veterinary nurse learning many valuable skills. He came to Greenwoods as our Head Nurse in 1999 and has since also taken over managing the clinic's day-to-day running.

Gareth still enjoys all aspects of the job and the fact that no two days are ever the same and has a particular interest in dentistry and radiology.

At home, he has a rescue cat called Baily to look after and spends his spare time blacksmithing or crafting.

Erin Batstone

Veterinary Surgeon - (BVetMed) MRCVS

Erin graduated as a Veterinary surgeon from the RVC in 2023, after working part time as a patient care assistant in an Small animal hospital throughout her studies. Erin enjoys all aspects of helping pets, especially meeting kitten and puppies for their first vaccines! She has a keen interest in medicine and diagnostic imaging and is very much enjoying getting to know all the lovely Greenwood clients. At home Erin has a lovely saluki and a little whippet to keep her busy and in her spare time she loves running, travelling and going for a cold swim in the ponds at Hampstead Heath!

Andy Elliott

Veterinary Nurse - RVN

Andy is a newly registered veterinary nurse as of 2025! He completed histraining at a small animal practice after moving back to London in 2020. Healways had an interest in looking after animals and loves taking care ofall the patients that come into the practice.

He has a particular interest in feline care and anaesthesia ever sinceadopting his rescue cat Lizzie from his previous practice. In his sparetime you can usually catch him taking her on little adventures or playingsome video games to relax.

Laura Mackay

Veterinary Nurse - RVN

Laura has always had a passion for animals as she was brought up on a farm caring for a variety of animals including cattle, sheep, geese, hens, cats and dogs and not forgetting her pet Vietnamese potbellied pigs!

Due to this she decided from a young age that she would love to have a career working with animals, although it be with slightly smaller ones!Laura attended Hartpury College in Gloucestershire and qualified with a degree in Veterinary Nursing in 2003. She worked in the same practice for 21 years before deciding to move on.

In that time she enjoyed building up great relationships with clients and their furry friends. Laura joined Greenwood at the end of January 2025 and overtime looks forward to building those same relationships.In her spare time, Laura enjoy's being outdoors, whether this be gardening, hiking or running. Also enjoy's spending time at the gym and challenging herself on a spin bike.

Charlotte Alderman

Senior Veterinary Nurse - RVN

Charlotte - (known to everyone as Charlie) qualified in 1998 after spending five years in a large mixed practice. She then went on to work in small animal practice as a head nurse until she joined Greenwood veterinary clinic in 2018.

Charlie enjoys the challenge of dealing with fractious cats; she likes working in all areas of the clinic but particularly likes laboratory work and dealing with wildlife brought into the clinic.

Charlie is the main person who processes our clients' insurance claims. In her spare time, she has a little boy who keeps her busy with various outings and activities; Charlie enjoys various crafts and making the occasional cake for the team.

Ana Afonso

DVM GPCert (DI) MRCVS

Ana graduated from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Lisbon, in 2012. During her internship, she discovered her passion for ultrasound and has never stopped.

She has worked in the UK since 2015, completing the General Practitioner Certificate in Diagnostic Imaging GPCert (DI) in 2018 and then Post-graduation in Diagnostic Imaging PgC(DI) in 2020. Ana shares her life with two very silly cats, and her hobbies include playing football, travelling, scuba diving and reading.

Ana joined Greenwood veterinary clinic in November 2022; since then, she has been the main ultrasonographer.

Sarah Bay

Receptionist

Sarah joined Greenwood in March 2021 having had a varied career working for many years with the Halifax, Geller Business Machines and the NHS.

During her time at Meadow House Hospice, she realised her preference for "making a difference" in a customer facing role as opposed to back-office administration.  Sarah subsequently volunteered for the RSPCA Southall Cattery as their receptionist one day per week.   This provided valuable additional experience to pursue her goal of working at a Veterinary Clinic.

She enjoys being part of the team here, loves the clients and their pets! It seems the busy mornings fly by - every day is different and brings a new challenge.

Hayley Prior

Receptionist

Hayley is a passionate animal enthusiast with a strong background inanimals and animal care. Before her time in the veterinary field she workedfor the NHS in the GP surgery where she developed skills in communicationand multitasking in a busy medical environment. Hayley's love for animalsmade her to the transition to the veterinary field

Hayley is a keen horse rider with two horse's of her own. Hayley's home isalso shared with a dog, three cats and a snake . Outside of her animalfilled life, she enjoys dancing and delving into books about psychology -always curious to understand the mind.

Whether in the clinic or out and about her kindness, energy and genuinelove for animals define everything she does.