Frequently asked questions

Fitzpatrick Referrals currently offers services to treat conditions within the areas of orthopaedics, neurology, rehabilitation and regenerative medicine.

We do not offer services other than what we have detailed on our website. We have clinicians that are specialists in the field of orthopaedics, neurology, rehabilitation and regenerative medicine in small animals and therefore are not suitably qualified to receive or treat companion animals that have other conditions outside our remit of expertise.

We are not able to comment or advise on animals that have not been referred to us as our patients. If you have concerns or questions about the treatment of your pet, we recommend talking to your regular primary care vet. We can offer a second opinion with the arrangement of a referral.

Our specialism lies within the treatment of small animals, and our day-to-day case load consists predominantly of dogs and cats. We also regularly treat rabbits and other small animals so please do get in touch with us to discuss your circumstances. We endeavour to help wherever we can so do get in touch with the team to talk through your case. All patients must be referred to us from a general practice primary care vet.

Monday – Friday 8am – 8:30pm

Saturday 8:30am – 4:30pm

Sunday 10am – 4.30pm

Bank holidays 10am – 3pm

We regret that we do not offer visits or tours to the public. We are a busy referral practice working with vulnerable cases 24/7 365 days of the year, and our first priority is our patients and their families.

Professor Noel Fitzpatrick is a full-time working clinician at the practice and is unable to accept enquires that are not associated with his clinical work through Fitzpatrick Referrals. If you wish to find out more about Noel and his media activities, please visit his website.

We currently only provide work experience to veterinary undergraduate students who can find more information on arranging Extra-Mural-Studies.

Due to our commitment to the training of undergraduate veterinary students and the busy and specialised nature of referral practice, we are unable to offer work experience placements to school and sixth-form students in either the rehabilitation or the referral centre.

We advise those people hoping to start working in the veterinary profession to try and gain work experience at their local general practice to get a good grasp of all round veterinary care, as the work carried out at a referral practice is highly specialised.

Please visit the page dedicated to Directions to find Fitzpatrick Referrals in Eashing.

Yes, we have plenty of car parking spaces at the practice.

If you and your regular primary care vet feel that your animal friend has a condition which is beyond the scope or expertise of what can reasonably be achieved in general practice, then a referral to a specialist is appropriate.

A referral can only be made by your primary care vet, who will provide us with all the medical information we require in order to treat your pet and discuss the possible solutions with you when an appointment has been made. To find out more about what to expect from your referral journey, have a look at our Your Visit page.

Referral is a system of professionals working together to offer all families the best service and healthcare options for their animal family member. Specialists at referral centres have vast experience in their field and access to specialist equipment that might not necessarily be available in general practice.

Referrals can only be arranged through your veterinary surgeon and we are unable to accept a referral directly from members of the public or to give advice to pet owners on cases that have not been referred to us for review or treatment.

If you feel that your animal friend might benefit from a specialist opinion then you should contact your usual veterinary surgeon/practice who you can ask to arrange a referral. It may be that your vet feels referral is not necessary, but this does not mean that we cannot be of help to your primary care vet and you as we offer an advice service to veterinary surgeons as well as radiograph reporting and case reviews.

Once we have received your primary care vet’s referral for your pet, our triage team will ensure we have all history/imaging for our surgeon’s review.  Our reception team will then be in contact with you to book your animal friend in to see one of our clinicians along with an email confirmation of booking. You will also be provided with an information pack with all the key information about the consultation and what you need to prepare for your appointment.

Please contact our reception team to discuss the referral of patients from overseas. The referral must follow the standard referral pathway; however, logistics must be discussed prior to referral.

For patients outside the UK, this can be complicated because we need to consider factors such as the extreme travel distance involved for the patient, the legal implications of transporting an animal across international borders, and the potential for infectious disease transmission (particularly of diseases which may not be endemic to the UK, for example Brucella canis).

Due to the numbers of referrals we deal with on a weekly basis, we are unable to guarantee exactly which clinician you will see. All cases are triaged and organised according to severity of the case, which will also dictate who the most suitable clinician is to treat your animal friend.

Please be assured that all our specialists are world-class in their speciality and all our clinicians work collaboratively, so though you may only see one clinician, most patients will benefit from the skill and knowledge of multiple practitioners.

Professor Noel Fitzpatrick is an advanced orthopaedic/neurosurgeon and as such he sees our most complex patients who require advanced treatment. Should your animal friend need such service, this will be indentified in the triage process.

• A letter from your vet if this has not previously been sent through.
• Any radiograph imaging (in jpeg/dicom format) that have been taken.
• Your pet’s insurance certificate and claim form. We do not do Direct Claims unless by prior arrangement with ourselves and confirmation from you insurance company. Please note: this process will take at least 5 working days.

Your animal friend will be examined thoroughly and recommendations made for further investigations and treatment. All options and outcomes will be clearly explained. Please feel free to discuss any concerns or questions you may have. Please allow plenty of time for your appointment as we may need to perform diagnostic imaging or other investigative procedures

There are a number of places we can recommend to stay if you’re travelling long distances or simply somewhere to enjoy lunch or dinner whilst your pet is with us. Please visit our local places page for details.

Our clinic is equipped with fully comprehensive operating and diagnostic imaging facilities. The welfare of your animal friend is our main concern and we aim to provide a friendly and approachable service with an excellent standard of clinical, surgical and nursing care, plus emotional support for you and your family.

If your pet stays with us, we will give you updates either by our dedicated communication app PetsApp or by phone call. Updates are given at least once a day. It may be necessary for your pet to be hospitalised overnight or longer so please prepare for this. However, if your pet is undergoing a reassessment appointment for example sedation and imaging following a six-week post-operative recovery period most patients are discharged on the same day once they are fully awake from their sedation or general anaesthetic.

It may also be possible for your pet to be scheduled for surgery on a later date, especially if custom implants are required. However, the initial investigation process will normally be performed at your initial appointment.

Yes, please read our terms and conditions of business, found on our payment options page. This covers a range of topics, including methods of payment, estimates of treatment costs, settlement terms, media and fundraising rules, pet health insurance, consent, prescriptions, clinical records, photography and more. Some aspects may not be relevant to you, but we ask that you please read these.

You will be given detailed instructions on how to care for your animal friend postoperatively and the surgeon will discuss any further questions you may have. For cases requiring extra special care or where you may find it difficult to cope in the postoperative period, we may be able to provide a specialist boarding facility within the practice.

In the event that your pet requires surgery, they will invariably require a period of close confinement or cage rest for recuperation. If you do not already own a kennel or cage please contact the clinic for details on how to acquire one which is suitable.

We have a fully-equipped rehabilitation centre where your pet is likely to receive physiotherapy and hydrotherapy following surgery. We introduce these therapies as part of our comprehensive postoperative programme. We believe good rehabilitation is integral to the successful outcome of surgical intervention.

No, we will communicate with them at every stage of your pet’s treatment and will provide a full report on findings, surgery undertaken and postoperative care direct to your vet.

Our patients reside in one of six wards and are cared for 24/7 by our wonderful nursing and animal care assistants. Unlike a lot of referral practices, we have veterinary surgeons on site all day and all night to ensure your animal friend receives the highest level of care possible.

Fitzpatrick Referrals aims to provide the highest standard of care for you and your animal companions, and we hope you never have cause to complain. However, if you have concerns please direct your comments in writing to the hospital director in the first instance to [email protected]. Read Fitzpatrick Referrals complaints procedure.

You will be given comprehensive discharge instructions from your clinician regarding their care and medication, to follow at home. We recommend preparing your home in advance, prior to their discharge. For example, ensuring your crate is suitably sized to accommodate them whilst wearing a large cone; washing their bedding and toys to provide a clean environment and minimise infection risk; and covering slippy floors with rugs or mats. For further advice, read more about home aftercare.

Our fundamental goal is to provide your pet with the gold standard of care, to support you in making difficult practical or ethical decisions and to give the fullest possible information to allow you to make an informed decision relating to your pet’s condition.

When you become a client, you will be given a link to join PetsApp, which allows you to communicate with us, and we provide updates while your animal friend is staying with us.

We understand that clients may wish for their animal friend to receive extended aftercare and boarding facilities, for example, if they are not around for the recovery period. However, Fitzpatrick Referrals can rarely provide this service due to limited ward space and we would always encourage families to be around during the important recovery period, where animals always are comforted by their home and family.

Existing clients may order your animal’s required medication via our online repeat prescription request form.

Our experienced staff will be able to give you a guide to the costs involved, and the clinicians will be able to discuss this with you further at the time of your appointment. You are required to make a 50% down payment of the estimated costs at the time of your initial consultation. We also offer a third-party payment service, subject to you meeting credit checks. Visit our payment options section for more details.

RSA Insurance Group has a preferred network of referral practices that they have selected. RSA made changes to their terms relating to veterinary referrals for their policyholders, meaning that clients who are or wish to be referred to a hospital that is not part of the RSA Referral Vet Network scheme will be charged a £200 excess.

This does not apply to RSA underwritten policies from M&S Bank or John Lewis Finance who have opted not to charge their customers the referral network excess. Read more about the RSA Referral Network policy.

Fitzpatrick Referrals is not a member of the RSA Referral Vet Network scheme, which means your pet insurance company (if underwritten by RSA) may charge you a £200 excess to be referred to us.

However, if you are charged the excess, we will help you to appeal the additional £200 excess or we will reimburse this excess to you on condition that you follow our protocol for direct and indirect claims.

Yes. You may receive a phone call from your insurance provider requesting you to visit a preferred referral hospital in the RSA Referral Vet Network, and even try to advise you that the treatment we provide is not completely covered.

The only part that may not be covered by your insurance provider is the £200 excess, which Fitzpatrick Referrals will help you appeal or we will reimburse the £200 excess to you on condition that you follow our protocol for direct and indirect claims.

Fitzpatrick Referrals is a working animal hospital where we see many different patients with different needs and where we do our utmost to provide world-class veterinary treatment and care. In very rare circumstances, a decision will be made to undertake treatment for a reduced cost but this is on a purely needs-driven basis.

There are no set criteria for this and no decision is ever taken prior to consultation. This does mean that should you wish to be referred to Fitzpatrick Referrals, we advise that your decision should be taken on the basis that set charges will apply. In circumstances where insurance claims are not possible or there is no insurance policy in place, we do, however, accept credit cards and there are loan facilities available through a third party, subject to status.

These loans are arranged through our finance department once the correct course of any treatment has been agreed. Please read our payment options page for more details.