Job summary
We've got an exciting new opportunity for a Lead Optometrist to guide and inspire our teams across South Warwickshire University Foundation Trust (SWFT) and George Eliot Hospital (GEH). This role has been created to strengthen leadership and redesign services so we can keep delivering the very best care for our patients.
We're looking for someone who's:
- Passionate about eye care and ready to lead from the front.
- Innovative and proactive, with a knack for solving problems and improving services.
- Supportive and approachable, helping our team feel valued and empowered.
What you'll be doing - Leading the Optometry department and shaping services for patients in South Warwickshire and Nuneaton.
- Using your clinical expertise to provide specialist care for adults and children.
- Working closely with colleagues and partners to plan and develop services for the future.
- Representing Optometry and Ophthalmology at key meetings across the Trust and the wider Coventry & Warwickshire community.
This is a chance to make a real impact--on patients, on services, and on the people you work with. If you're ready to take the next step and help us build something great, we'd love to hear from you!
Main duties of the job
To take clinical responsibility for, and provide highly specialised care to, a caseload of patients attending ophthalmology clinics with sight threatening acute and chronic conditions using advanced clinical knowledge that is evidence based and individualised to the patient's needs.
About us
Come and join a Trust rated Outstanding by the CQC. South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust have been rated as outstanding following our latest inspection by the CQC and we are recruiting new staff to come and help us improve even further. In addition our staff survey results have placed us 4th in the country for recommended place to work.
We provide services across Warwickshire and beyond ranging from Hospitals in Warwick, Stratford-Upon-Avon, Royal Leamington Spa and Shipston-on Stour to Community Services across the county. We are a progressive, expanding organisation with great ambition around improving quality, integrating pathways and delivering high levels of productivity.Our values can be summed up in one sentence. We are 'Trusted to provide safe, inclusive, effective and compassionate care'. Throughout the recruitment process you will be asked to think about how you demonstrate these values and how they impact on your work. It doesn't matter what role you do, whether it is patient facing or not, we are all working in the same way with our values at the core.
As part of our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion we encourage all applicants to complete a short survey. This can be accessed via the link below:
https://forms.office.com/e/ahWY3eAGM2
We appreciate you completing the survey.
Job description
Job responsibilities
The post holder will display a high profile, be accessible and responsive as a clinical leader with management responsibility for the Optometrists and optometry service delivery in George Eliot, Warwickand Stratford Hospitals.
Displaying excellent leadership skills, the post holder will ensure that the department delivers high-quality patient experience, care and outcomes.
The post holder will make informed decisions within their own specialty and scope of professional practice, involving the patients and public to ensure agreed standards, targets and objectives.
To work in collaboration with the leads within Ophthalmology, operational teams and medical and nursing leads, ensuring the optometry service aligns with the ophthalmology strategy.
Job description
Job responsibilities
The post holder will display a high profile, be accessible and responsive as a clinical leader with management responsibility for the Optometrists and optometry service delivery in George Eliot, Warwickand Stratford Hospitals.
Displaying excellent leadership skills, the post holder will ensure that the department delivers high-quality patient experience, care and outcomes.
The post holder will make informed decisions within their own specialty and scope of professional practice, involving the patients and public to ensure agreed standards, targets and objectives.
To work in collaboration with the leads within Ophthalmology, operational teams and medical and nursing leads, ensuring the optometry service aligns with the ophthalmology strategy.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Registered Optometrist with General Optical Council (GOC)
- BSc in Optometry or equivalent qualification
- Masters degree or equivalent advanced training in a relevant subject
- Independent / non-medical prescriber qualification
- Management qualification completion of management programme
Desirable
- Teaching and assessing qualification
Experience
Essential
- Significant experience at Band 7 or above
- Highly developed Specialist experience across a wide range of Ophthalmic case mix
- Evidence of organisational and leadership skills
- Documented evidence of continuing professional development
- Experience in change management and problem solving
- Working across organisational boundaries
- Team building and staff development
- Experience of clinical leadership and operational management experience
- Experience in budget management
- Portfolio of evidence showing A) Achievements in Specialist practice B) Research & audit experience C) Team leadership experience D) Financial awareness E) Experience of assessing mental capacity F) Experience of service development
Desirable
- Evidence of lecturing / presenting and clinical teaching experience
- Lead in audit or research projects
Skills
Essential
- Detailed knowledge of current best practice in relevant clinical areas
- Knowledge of the principles of clinical governance and its application
- Understand team dynamics with an ability to influence the building of effective relationships between staff, lead and motivate the team
- Highly developed analytical and judgement skills
- Excellent written and oral communication skills
- Negotiation and diplomacy skills
- Ability to work autonomously, plan, organise, prioritise and delegate
- Ability to work under pressure and cope in a stressful environment and with emotional / aggressive patients / carers
- Ability to understand and analyse professional and ethical issues and apply them to service development
Personal Qualities
Essential
- Ability to work autonomously
- Practical and calm under pressure
- Motivated and enthusiastic
- Adaptable and flexible
- Innovate and intuitive
- Able to work as part of a multidisciplinary team
- Ability to manage and lead a team
- Excellent role model
- Able to express self clearly and confidently - verbal and written
- Demonstrates commitment and ability to teach others
- Able to work under pressure and adapt to changing circumstances
- Able to achieve personal objectives
Other Job Requirements
Essential
- Excellent communication skills - written and verbal
- Ability to influence and negotiate at all levels
- Independent means of transport
- Non smoker in work hours
- Flexible to meet the needs of the service
- Aware of current NHS issues and priorities
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Registered Optometrist with General Optical Council (GOC)
- BSc in Optometry or equivalent qualification
- Masters degree or equivalent advanced training in a relevant subject
- Independent / non-medical prescriber qualification
- Management qualification completion of management programme
Desirable
- Teaching and assessing qualification
Experience
Essential
- Significant experience at Band 7 or above
- Highly developed Specialist experience across a wide range of Ophthalmic case mix
- Evidence of organisational and leadership skills
- Documented evidence of continuing professional development
- Experience in change management and problem solving
- Working across organisational boundaries
- Team building and staff development
- Experience of clinical leadership and operational management experience
- Experience in budget management
- Portfolio of evidence showing A) Achievements in Specialist practice B) Research & audit experience C) Team leadership experience D) Financial awareness E) Experience of assessing mental capacity F) Experience of service development
Desirable
- Evidence of lecturing / presenting and clinical teaching experience
- Lead in audit or research projects
Skills
Essential
- Detailed knowledge of current best practice in relevant clinical areas
- Knowledge of the principles of clinical governance and its application
- Understand team dynamics with an ability to influence the building of effective relationships between staff, lead and motivate the team
- Highly developed analytical and judgement skills
- Excellent written and oral communication skills
- Negotiation and diplomacy skills
- Ability to work autonomously, plan, organise, prioritise and delegate
- Ability to work under pressure and cope in a stressful environment and with emotional / aggressive patients / carers
- Ability to understand and analyse professional and ethical issues and apply them to service development
Personal Qualities
Essential
- Ability to work autonomously
- Practical and calm under pressure
- Motivated and enthusiastic
- Adaptable and flexible
- Innovate and intuitive
- Able to work as part of a multidisciplinary team
- Ability to manage and lead a team
- Excellent role model
- Able to express self clearly and confidently - verbal and written
- Demonstrates commitment and ability to teach others
- Able to work under pressure and adapt to changing circumstances
- Able to achieve personal objectives
Other Job Requirements
Essential
- Excellent communication skills - written and verbal
- Ability to influence and negotiate at all levels
- Independent means of transport
- Non smoker in work hours
- Flexible to meet the needs of the service
- Aware of current NHS issues and priorities
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.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Additional information
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.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
