Consultant Optometrist - Contact Lens Service

Job description

Job responsibilities

To be the Lead for the Contact Lens Service.

To take clinical responsibility for all patients being seen within the Contact Lens Service across all sites (currently City Rd, St Georges, Croydon, Ealing and Northwick Park)

To work with the Head of Department to ensure the hospital provides a comprehensive contact lens service including specialist clinics for complex contact lens tertiary referrals, both national and international.

To be responsible for managing the Contact Lens Service clinic staff (approximately 50 sessional optometrists and the optical assistants).

To develop the role of optometrists within the Contact Lens Service in conjunction with the Head of Optometry and Clinical Director of the External Disease Service.

To be responsible for supervising clinical staff, both qualified and pre-registered.

Take responsibility for and develop the contact lens clinic structure, appointments, clinic profiles and booking summaries.

Provide advice on contact lens management to ophthalmic consultants, other ophthalmic colleagues and other hospitals.

To undertake national representation to the College of Optometrists, the British Contact Lens Association and other organisations.

To provide line management for optometry department staff working within the Contact Lens Service.

To ensure the Trusts appraisal system is employed & identify the training and development needs of optometrists and supplementary staff within the Contact Lens Service.

To assist in the recruitment of Optometrists to work in all sites within the Contact Lens Service and participate in recruitment processes within the department.

To manage and develop the contact lens manufacturing department within the Trust, including dealing with business development of the contact lens manufacturing lab.

To manage the contact lens Quality Control and Orders Section.

To manage the contact lens component of the department orders system (Acuitas) and the Contact Lens Clinic database

To manage the correspondence, telephone queries and complaints relating to the Contact Lens Service.

Person Specification

Education/Qualification

Essential

• oRegistration with the General Optical Council
• oRegistered pre-registration Supervisor with College of Optometrists
• oRegistered as an Independent prescriber with College of Optometrists.
• oPost graduate optometric qualifications

Desirable

• oRegistered Examiner with the College of Optometrists.
• oDoctor of Optometry (PhD).
• oPost-graduate Management Qualifications e.g. Management Diploma.
• oFellowship of the College of Optometrists
• oFellowship of the British Contact lens association

Experieince

Essential

• 8 years post registration clinical experience with at least 5 years in a hospital specialist medical contact lens clinic.
• oExperience working with adult patients who are visually impaired & patients with learning disabilities.
• oExperience of managing budgets
• oExperience of managing clinical services
• oExperience of dealing with HR issues (sickness, performance, disciplinary).
• oExperience of recruitment and selection processes
• oTraining & experience of team management.
• oExperience of teaching optometrists & ophthalmologists at undergraduate and post-graduate level and supervision of trainee optometrists.
• oExperience teaching/lecturing on specialist medical contact lenses

Knowledge

Essential

• oAdvanced theoretical & practical knowledge across a comprehensive range of hospital optometry
• oAdvanced theoretical & practical knowledge in the clinical assessment and management of complex contact lens
• oKnowledge and experience to competently undertake highly specialist & advanced clinical extended roles that include tertiary referral cases of rare and complex conditions.
• oDetailed knowledge of the indications and contra-indications of treatment options in medical contact lenses
• oKnowledge of complex ophthalmic surgical techniques

Desirable

• oBroad understanding of the developing roles of the ophthalmic professions, within primary, secondary & tertiary care.

Skills/abilities

Essential

• Comprehensive Slit Lamp Biomicroscopy of Anterior and posterior eye with a range of auxiliary lenses. oThe interpretation of medical imaging including: Topography, OCT and visual fields
• Independently undertake highly specialist advanced clinical roles (working to agreed protocols). To include tertiary referral cases of rare and complex medical conditions.
• Ability to independently assess and make clinical decisions.

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

Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Moorfields City Road

City Road

London

EC1V 2PD

Employer's website

https://www.moorfields.nhs.uk/work-for-us (Opens in a new tab)