The Loved ones [NTSC]

A documentary film that provides an insight into the running of the Lort Smith Animal Hospital in North Melbourne, Victoria. Established in the 1930s, the Lort Smith is a well-known, well-respected Melbourne icon recognised for its wonderful service in the treatment of sick animals - its mission being that no sick animal will ever be turned away. However by the 1990s the hospital building, run-down and outdated, was reaching a crisis point. Its clients had risen to an almost unmanageable level, the budget was in deficit to a million dollars annually and staffing issues were becoming a major headache. Radical change was needed if the Lort Smith was to continue. In 1998, through Managing Director Dr Alan Lawther and his efforts, the Lort Smith Management Committee approved plans for the building of a new hospital. The next step was to raise the finance. Dr Lawther’s push for change extended to a more corporate and professional concept of fund-raising than had been practised in the past and also a rethinking on staff performance and salaries. The documentary features interviews with Dr Lawther, his staff and the Management Committee as well as an inside observation of clients and their pets and the hospital generally. NB: Some scenes may be considered distressing.