In civilian life Barry was The Senior Orthopaedic Surgeon for the Sussex Group of Hospitals. He became very interested in teaching and became a major figure in the South East Orthopaedic Training Programme. There are many orthopaedic surgeons in the UK and abroad who have been trained by Barry Fearn.
Over the years he became very involved with the development of trauma and orthopaedics, especially in Brighton and particularly in the emerging specialism of joint replacement. He was a thoughtful and careful surgeon with a very enquiring mind. He was largely responsible for the treatment and recovery of a large number of senior Conservatives after they were injured by the IRA bombing in Brighton in 1984. Less seriously, Barry identified the medical condition known as “welly-wanger’s finger” in “The Lancet” which led to an appearance on the BBC show “That’s Life”.