Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Ophthalmology Trust ST2 or equivalent

The closing date is 02 March 2026

Job summary

Working Full time: 40 hours per week

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Speciality Registrar (ST2 or equivalent) to join the department of Ophthalmology. Applicants must have experience within Ophthalmology to the level of ST1 completion or equivalent. The successful candidate will be a full-time appointment in Ophthalmology and this post provides an opportunity to complete Ophthalmology Training through the Portfolio Pathway.

The post is fixed term for 12 months with possible extension based on achieving portfolio competencies. There will be ample opportunity for professional development including ophthalmic surgery.

Main duties of the job

Duties will include participating in general clinics, eye casualty and theatres. There will be the opportunity to tailor the applicant's timetable to meet their requirements. The sessions will be consultant led and supervised. There are opportunities for surgical training. There are regular teaching sessions in medical retina and cornea. There are also opportunities to participate in audit and research projects.

The successful applicant will participate in a 1 in 10 non-resident on-call rota shared between the Countess of Chester Hospital and Arrowe Park Hospital, for which an appropriate banding will be paid. There is also a 1 in 10 shift Saturday/Sunday based at the Countess of Chester only.

About us

The Trust's services are provided from three locations:

o The Countess of Chester Hospital: providing 473 general and acute beds.o Ellesmere Port Hospital: providing 60 beds as a rehabilitation, intermediate and outpatient facility.o Tarporley War Memorial Hospital: a base for community services which serve the local rural population.

The Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust employs 5,964 staff (headcount) to provide care and treatment to a population of over 400,000 people living in Chester and West Cheshire which includes Ellesmere Port and Neston as well as the Deeside area of Flintshire.

The Trust works collaboratively within the wider Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care System. Due to its location on the border with North Wales, the Trust also works closely with the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board.

The Trust treats patients from England and some parts of Wales. During 2024/2025, there were approximately 643,000 patient attendances (inpatient, A&E, outpatient and diagnostic) ranging from a simple outpatient appointment to major cancer surgery.

Details

Date posted

20 February 2026

Pay scheme

Hospital medical and dental staff

Grade

Doctor - other

Salary

£52,656 a year pa

Contract

Fixed term

Duration

12 months

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

210-2026-136-A

Job locations

Countess of Chester Hospital

Liverpool Road

Chester

CH2 1UL


Job description

Job responsibilities

See Job Description for further details.

Recruitment selection processes are based on competence (see Person specification) and values. An applicant guide to help and support you through your recruitment journey can be accessed at the bottom of this page.

If you have a disability that meets the definition set out in the Equality Act 2010, and you can show that you meet the essential criteria described in the person specification for an available position, please answer YES to the question: Do you wish to be considered under the Guaranteed Interview Scheme?

Please inform the team if you have any special support needs to be considered as part of the interview and selection processes.

The trust offers a Guaranteed Interview Scheme to any armed forces community applicants who meet the essential criteria for the post.

If a DBS is required for your role, you are encouraged to enrol for the DBS Update Service. A small annual fee applies whichis payable to the DBS Service.Please note applicants will be required to pay for their DBS check. Costswill be deducted from their salary over the first three months of employment.

New entrants to the NHS will commence on the minimum of the scale stated above.

Applicants requiring sponsorship may wish to determine the likelihood of obtaining sponsorship for this position by assessing themselves against the criteria on the gov.uk website - https://www.gov.uk/check-uk-visa.

The Trust will not sponsor where the starting salary does not meet immigration rules

Applicants are advised to apply early as if a large number of applications are received for this post, we reserve the right to close the vacancy prior to the advertised date.

Good luck with your application.

Job description

Job responsibilities

See Job Description for further details.

Recruitment selection processes are based on competence (see Person specification) and values. An applicant guide to help and support you through your recruitment journey can be accessed at the bottom of this page.

If you have a disability that meets the definition set out in the Equality Act 2010, and you can show that you meet the essential criteria described in the person specification for an available position, please answer YES to the question: Do you wish to be considered under the Guaranteed Interview Scheme?

Please inform the team if you have any special support needs to be considered as part of the interview and selection processes.

The trust offers a Guaranteed Interview Scheme to any armed forces community applicants who meet the essential criteria for the post.

If a DBS is required for your role, you are encouraged to enrol for the DBS Update Service. A small annual fee applies whichis payable to the DBS Service.Please note applicants will be required to pay for their DBS check. Costswill be deducted from their salary over the first three months of employment.

New entrants to the NHS will commence on the minimum of the scale stated above.

Applicants requiring sponsorship may wish to determine the likelihood of obtaining sponsorship for this position by assessing themselves against the criteria on the gov.uk website - https://www.gov.uk/check-uk-visa.

The Trust will not sponsor where the starting salary does not meet immigration rules

Applicants are advised to apply early as if a large number of applications are received for this post, we reserve the right to close the vacancy prior to the advertised date.

Good luck with your application.

Person Specification

Qualifications & Skills

Essential

  • Medical Degree
  • Full Registration with the GMC

Desirable

  • Diploma in Ophthalmology
  • FRCOphth part 1 or equivalent

Clinical Experience and Effectiveness

Essential

  • Experience in Ophthalmology to the level of ST1 completion or equivalent
  • Experience in dealing with large numbers of outpatients

Desirable

  • Wide clinical experience in general ophthalmolog
  • Experience / interest in Teaching

Teaching & Training Experience

Essential

  • Research and evidence base to practice

Desirable

  • Relevant experience in undertaking and organisation of Audit
  • Research and publications relevant to post
Person Specification

Qualifications & Skills

Essential

  • Medical Degree
  • Full Registration with the GMC

Desirable

  • Diploma in Ophthalmology
  • FRCOphth part 1 or equivalent

Clinical Experience and Effectiveness

Essential

  • Experience in Ophthalmology to the level of ST1 completion or equivalent
  • Experience in dealing with large numbers of outpatients

Desirable

  • Wide clinical experience in general ophthalmolog
  • Experience / interest in Teaching

Teaching & Training Experience

Essential

  • Research and evidence base to practice

Desirable

  • Relevant experience in undertaking and organisation of Audit
  • Research and publications relevant to post

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

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).

Employer details

Employer name

Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Countess of Chester Hospital

Liverpool Road

Chester

CH2 1UL


Employer's website

https://www.coch.nhs.uk/working-with-us.aspx (Opens in a new tab)

Employer details

Employer name

Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Countess of Chester Hospital

Liverpool Road

Chester

CH2 1UL


Employer's website

https://www.coch.nhs.uk/working-with-us.aspx (Opens in a new tab)

Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Consultant Ophthalmologist and Clinical Lead

Craig Parkes

coch.ophtsecretaries@nhs.net

01244365000

Details

Date posted

20 February 2026

Pay scheme

Hospital medical and dental staff

Grade

Doctor - other

Salary

£52,656 a year pa

Contract

Fixed term

Duration

12 months

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

210-2026-136-A

Job locations

Countess of Chester Hospital

Liverpool Road

Chester

CH2 1UL


Supporting documents

Privacy notice

Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust's privacy notice (opens in a new tab)