Optometrist

The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a motivated newly qualified optometrist to join our dedicated team within the hospital setting. This substantive post offers a structured career path, commencing at Band 6 with progression to Specialist Optometrist (Band 7) expected within 2 years upon successful completion of a residency period.

This role provides a valuable opportunity to gain comprehensive experience and develop the necessary skills for a successful career as a hospital optometrist. Your workload will encompass both clinical and non-clinical aspects, including opportunities in teaching, audit, research, and management.

Main duties of the job

You will be actively involved in our core optometry service, developing your expertise in specialist contact lenses (adult and paediatric), low vision, and refraction. Furthermore, you will undertake rotations through our glaucoma, medical retina, and cataract (including YAG capsulotomy) services, with regular sessions in the eye emergency department.

Achieving the theoretical modules for Independent Prescribing is an important element of the residency period, and full support will be provided to help you achieve this. Support for other relevant qualifications may also be available.

As a new member of our team, you will benefit from Newcastle Hospitals' preceptorship programme, designed to support your transition from trainee to registered Optometrist. This programme covers topics such as leadership, human factors, and quality improvement, with opportunities to further develop your knowledge and skills in specific areas of interest. You will be encouraged and supported to undertake a quality improvement project during your residency.

If you are a newly qualified optometrist with a genuine interest in developing your career within a hospital setting, we strongly encourage you to apply.

About us

Our staff oversee over 6,500 patient contacts every day, delivering high standards of healthcare from the following sites:

• Freeman Hospital
• Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI)
• Health Innovation Neighbourhood (on the former Newcastle General Hospital and Centre for Ageing and Vitality site)
• Newcastle Dental Hospital
• Newcastle Fertility Centre
• Northern Centre for Cancer Care, North Cumbria
• Northern Genetics Service

These include a range of flagship services which deliver cutting-edge care (supported by state-of-the-art diagnostic services in both radiology and pathology) and are a catalyst for innovation to support pioneering clinical practice in the NHS.

Please see attached information on what Staff Benefits we have to offer at our Trust under 'Documents to download' or 'Supporting documents'.

For further information on The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust please visit: Careers Newcastle Hospitals NHS

Job responsibilities

Hospital Eye Service experience is desirable but not essential.

• To deliver a quality of service matching clinical need to available resources within the focus of Specialist Optometrist practice.
• To take a lead role in extending Optometrists involvement in highly specialised clinics, for example:
• Highly specialised medically necessary contact lenses.
• Low vision assessment.
• To work as an independent practitioner and as part of a multidisciplinary team, providing an extensive range of advanced Optometric services to the highest standards of quality and care.
• To ensure that the patient is the central focus.
• Working as a Specialist Optometrist, provide a prompt response to calls from colleagues, prioritising importance and clinical need.
• Manage own caseload to include assessment, investigation, diagnosis and treatment within defined parameters and training.
• Provide immediate care management of patients including communication of plan to patients and significant others.
• Review and refer to appropriate person, e.g. Consultant Ophthalmologist.
• Liaise with Eye Clinic Liaison Officer for patients with untreatable sight loss.
• Provide specialist education and training at post-graduate level to qualified and pre-registration Optometrists and multiple disciplines in Ophthalmology.
• To undertake administrative responsibilities as determined by the Head or Deputy Head of Optometry.
• To demonstrate Optometry techniques at post-graduate level for multiple disciplines within Ophthalmology.

Please note it is a requirement of The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust that all successful candidates who require a DBS for the post they have been offered pay for their DBS certificate. The method of payment is a salary deduction from your first month's pay.

As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us and for our patients, and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement. If it works for the service, we will do our best to make it work for you.

Person Specification Band 7

• Registered Optometrist
• GOC registration requiring Post Graduate Qualification continuing Education and Training to Masters Level
• Further highly developed specialist knowledge including theoretical and clinical training. e.g. College of Optometrists Diploma in Ocular Therapeutics, College of Optometrists Diploma in Glaucoma, Accredited Slit Lamp examiner under Diabetic Retinal Screening programme, Highly specialised medically necessary contact lens fitting and after care
• The ability to practice at a level comparable to a Specialist Registrar doctor including clinical history taking; ocular examination skills.
• Extensive post registration experience, some of which will be at a senior level within the required specialist area of practice
• Evidence of ongoing continuous professional development
• Knowledge and understanding of relevant NHS policy or project specific policy context.
• Knowledge and experience of adult/child safeguarding.
• Research and audit experience
• Evidence of excellent communication and interpersonal skills including effective report writing
• Effective organisation and time management skills
• Change management skills and involvement in project work
• Excellent IT skills including word-processing, use of spreadsheets and databases
• Able to work independently and across disciplines as a member of a multidisciplinary team
• Full driving licence
• Experience of teaching
• Previous employment in Hospital Eye Service
• Counselling skills

Band 6

• BSc in Optometry plus postgraduate qualification Continuing Education and Training (CET)
• Registered with General Optical Council
• General appearance to be business-like and professional
• Good written and verbal communication skills
• Flexible approach to working patterns
• Ability to work independently and also as part of a multidisciplinary team
• Physical ability to perform all necessary Optometric duties
• Well motivated and enthusiastic
• IT skills including word-processing, use of spreadsheets and databases
• Member of the College of Optometrists
• Comply with annual re-registration requirements by taking ownership of own development, identifying training needs, maintaining CET accreditation, 6-monthly re-accreditation in specialist refraction procedures, updating Personal Development Plan
• Advanced knowledge of legal aspects of Optometry
• Demonstrates Optometric techniques to pre-registration Optometrists, junior medical staff, nurses and support workers
• Communicates effectively with all members of the multi-disciplinary team, requires concise and accurate verbal and written reports
• Communicates condition related information, breaking bad news on a daily basis that has life changing consequences e.g. untreatable sight loss/blindness, loss of driving licence due to sight loss. Patients are frequently elderly.
• Work closely with all members of the multi-disciplinary team to ensure an efficient service and high level of patient care in line with Trust policy
• Acknowledge and accommodate barriers to communication and understanding, works with elderly patients and carers on a daily basis. Patients frequently have other sensory loss and/or special needs
• Liaise with appropriate support services particularly in patients with substantial visual loss.
• Liaise with and give detailed medical information to all members of the Ophthalmology team
• Previous work in hospital eye service
• Experience of teaching
• Previous involvement in clinical/medical audit
• Full clean driving licence

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.