Fothergill was appointed to his first medical position in Manchester in 1899 at the Northern Hospital for Women and Children and also in 1899 was appointed as the first director of the clinical laboratory at Manchester Royal Infirmary and was responsible for bringing the laboratory into existence holding the directorship until 1905. During this period at the Royal Infirmary he introduced radiology. In 1904 Fothergill was appointed to Manchester Southern Hospital for Women and Children and when it was amalgamated into Saint Mary's Hospital, Manchester in the same year Fothergill became one of its staff. In 1907 Fothergill was appointed as assistant gynaecological surgeon to the Royal Infirmary and in 1919 became a full surgeon. His academic career at the University of Manchester started in 1901 when he was appointed a lecturer in obstetrics and gynaecology. In 1920, Fothergill was appointed to Professor of Systematic and promoted again in 1925 to Professor of Clinical, Obstetrics and Gynaecology.
