Specialist Small Animal Orthopaedic-Neuro Surgeon
In 2005 he opened Fitzpatrick Referrals, one of the UK’s pre-eminent and largest independent small animal orthopaedic and neuro-surgical facilities in Surrey, employing over 170 veterinary professionals and comprising superlative surgical, diagnostic and rehabilitation facilities.
Noel is the clinical chair and chief surgeon at Fitzpatrick Referrals. He is particularly experienced in minimally invasive arthroscopic (keyhole) surgery, spinal disc disease, limb deformities, joint replacement, regenerative medicine and limb salvage for severe trauma or cancer. He is widely appreciated for his innovative solutions to complex problems, while always promoting and ensuring efficacy and ethicacy. He has developed more than 40 new techniques including several world-firsts.
In 2009 he became the first veterinary surgeon in the world to successfully apply a cutting-edge amputation prosthesis (called a PerFiTS) for a cat named Oscar who had lost both front paws in an accident. In 2015 Noel and Oscar each received a Guinness World Record for the achievement.
In 2018 a further centre was developed named the Fitzpatrick Institute for the Restoration of Skeletal Tissue (FIRST). The purpose of the facility is to provide a range of validated evidence-based options for the treatment of complex conditions of the neuromusculoskeletal system. This includes marrying new advances in biomaterials with the revolution of regenerative medicine.
Academic Research
Noel is an Associate Professor at the University of Florida School of Veterinary Medicine. He is one of the founding partners of the Veterinary School at The University of Surrey where he is also Emeritus Professor of Orthopaedics. He has received Doctorates from both The University of Surrey and The University of Bath for his contributions to medical science.
Noel has shown an unprecedented commitment to academic research from private veterinary practice, having been an author on dozens of peer-reviewed papers in the past ten years. His research has been diverse. He has established evidence for surgical techniques and implants as well as elucidation of disease epidemiology. These include the publication of a treatment algorithm for addressing elbow dysplasia and reporting the outcomes and complication rates in a series of over 1000 consecutive tibial plateau levelling osteotomies.
Television and Media
Noel has been the subject of a number of TV shows and documentaries which have been broadcast internationally. In 2010 BBC commissioned the six-episode Bionic Vet, showcasing some of the remarkable science of Noel’s procedures. In 2014 Channel 4 started airing The Supervet based at Fitzpatrick Referrals, which continues to run and is on its 18th series. The show has the highest audience appreciation figures of any show on the channel. The programme explores the importance of the human-animal bond in society and our moral responsibility for animals in the context of advanced medical and surgical care.
Noel has been an expert guest on Channel 4’s Crufts coverage for a number of years to share his experience and ethos for responsible animal care and guardianship.
In 2017 and 2019 he appeared alongside Steve Jones and Kate Quilton on Animal Rescue Live, the Channel 4 show that ran live over five consecutive days. The show set out to rehome as many rescue animal residents as possible, as well as raise awareness for nationwide animal adoption and promote responsible animal care.
Public Speaking
Noel has delivered more than 1000 lectures around the globe for more than a decade, including as a keynote speaker at both human and veterinary congresses. Noel is regularly invited to speak and inspire audiences from within the veterinary and medical industry and beyond, including students, the British Army, Art and Literature followers, City financiers and opinion formers.
In 2018 Noel was given the great honour of being asked to deliver the keynote speech at ACVS Congress in Phoenix, Arizona, on the subject of “Revolution or evolution? Ethics and engineering of bionic biology”. In 2019 Noel was invited to speak at the Royal College of Surgeons Vicary lectureship, the first time a veterinary surgeon had been asked to do so.
In 2018 Noel embarked on his first nationwide arena tour, the first veterinary surgeon to do so. The tour explored Noels’ personal journey from his early years in Ireland through to today where the future of medicine is full of incredible potential.
In 2022 and 2023 Noel went on tour again across the UK and Ireland, giving audiences a unique opportunity to gain insight into Noel’s life as a veterinary surgeon and to learn more about the animals who have inspired him along the way.
One Medicine
Noel has been instrumental in bringing the concept of One Medicine to the fore in the UK, establishing a platform for the cross-pollination of expertise and ideas between veterinary and human medicine. One Medicine is at the heart of Noel’s mission and the cornerstone of Humanimal Trust, the charity he has founded to promote this cause. This landmark charity aims to raise awareness and create a collaborative forum as well as fund research and training programs that will facilitate proactive collaboration between vets, human doctors, bioengineers and scientists of all kinds for the benefit of all living creatures.
Innovator
Noel is the director of Fitzbionics and FitzRegen which were initiated to conceive, design, develop, manufacture, test, and implement new implants and regenerative technologies for the alleviation of pain and suffering in animals. Implants and regenerative medical interventions are custom designed by a group of dedicated researchers and bio-engineers providing unique patient-specific solutions.
A number of Fitzbionics technologies have featured not just in respected veterinary journals but also in broadcast media across the globe. He has pioneered more than forty new techniques and many world-firsts. Noel is particularly experienced in minimally invasive arthroscopic surgery, spinal disc disease, limb deformities, joint replacement, regenerative medicine and limb salvage procedures.
Author
Noel has established himself as a thought-provoking author and has published three memoirs.
In 2018 Noel published his first: Listening to the Animals, which explores Noels’ story Becoming The Supervet. Noel went on to publish a second memoir in 2020 How Animals Saved my Life which shares the story of Being the Supervet.
In 2022 Noel published his third memoir, How Animals Make Us the Best We Can Be which was Noel’s most candid book yet as he explored life Beyond Supervet. All three books went on to be a Sunday Times No.1 bestseller.
In 2021 Noel published his debut children’s story, Vetman and his Bionic Animal Clan. In this adventure, Vetman, Imogen, Findlay, and a whole cast of incredible bionic animals save animals everywhere from the evil plans of The Man With No Name.
In 2023, Noel published The Superpets, a further book for children where Noel shares stories of the most incredible animals, from bionic cats and dogs to hero hedgehogs and courageous chameleons, and shares more insight into life as a veterinary surgeon for the aspiring animal carer.
Keira & Me was also published in 2023, based on the real Keira and Noel and their life together, Keira & Me captures the true, powerful bond between human and animal. Inspiring, healing and a heartfelt celebration of love, this beautifully illustrated fable teaches us all how to embrace the ups with the downs, the joy and the sorrow, that make up a life.
Awards and Accolades
Noel has won several awards including the BSAVA Mark S Bloomberg, Simon and Blaine Awards for teaching and for contribution to veterinary surgery. He is recognised in the Guinness Book of Records for his achievements and in 2016 he had the honour of being invited to Buckingham Palace to discuss his work with Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth.
