Job summary
The UK's largest provincial ophthalmic provider is seeking to appoint a new Consultant Optometrist as Head of Optometry. Manchester Royal Eye Hospital (MREH) is a centre of excellence for ophthalmic care, teaching, and research. The Head of Optometry acts as a senior clinical lead, making a significant contribution internally within Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust and MREH, and also externally, both regionally in Greater Manchester and nationally, demonstrating vision and innovation for eyecare services. The Head of Optometry offers MREH strategic leadership for all optometry services, while playing a significant role in our organisation's responsibilities in transforming eyecare locally, regionally, and nationally, working collaboratively at the interface of all eyecare professions.
Main duties of the job
Responsible for optometry and related staffing and services across MREH's central and community sites, the Head of Optometry will work closely with MREH's Medical Director, the Senior Leadership Team, with senior colleagues in Optometry and other professions, and cross-institutionally with our University of Manchester collaborators. The post holder will provide leadership with a clear patient focus, being accountable for the development and implementation of strategic plans aligned to MREH's wider organisational priorities, while offering innovation for provision of clinical services, teaching and research in collaboration with all relevant stakeholders internally and externally.
About us
MFT is one of the largest NHS Trust In England with a turnover of £2.6bn & is on a different scale than most other NHS Trusts. We're creating an exceptional integrated health & social care system for the 1 million patients who rely on our services every year.
Bringing together 10 hospitals & community services from across Manchester, Trafford & beyond, we champion collaborative working & transformation, encouraging our 28,000 workforce to pursue their most ambitious goals. We set standards that other Trusts seek to emulate so you'll benefit from a scale of opportunity that is nothing short of extraordinary.
We've also created a digitally enabled organisation to improve clinical quality, patient & staff experience, operational effectiveness & driving research, and innovation through the introduction of Hive; our Electronic Patient Record system which launched in September 2022.
We're proud to be a major academic Research Centre & Education provider, providing you with a robust infrastructure to encourage and facilitate high-quality research programmes. What's more, we're excited to be embarking on our Green Plan which sets out how MFT continues to play its part in making healthcare more sustainable.
At MFT, we create and foster a culture of inclusion and belonging, provide equal opportunities for career development that are fair, open, and transparent, protecting your health and wellbeing and shaping the future of our organisation together.
Job description
Job responsibilities
The Head of Optometry at Manchester Royal Eye Hospital has a key role within, and externally to Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, providing professional and clinical leadership for optometry and optometrists, ocularists and dispensing opticians within the Trust, as well as to the wider eye health system locally, regionally and nationally.
- Accountable and responsible for the development of strategic plans for the Optometry Department which are aligned to the Trust strategy and ensure services are progressive, responsive to internal and external demand, are patient focused, safe, efficient and effective
- Provide professional leadership for the Optometry Services, Ocular Prosthetics, and Ophthalmic Dispensing, to the Trust and other external service users
- Accountable and responsible for clinical governance within the Optometry Department and wider optometry related services.
- Accountable and responsible as budget holder for optometry services for procurement and the delivery of income and expenditure targets in areas of responsibility
- Responsible for developing and implementing models of care for optometry services that support delivery of best care aligned with regional (GM) and national transformation and policy agendas and delivering against local and regional population needs
- Responsible for the Optometry Department supporting training and education programmes for MREH, the Trust, with and for external partners and stakeholders, and developing links with appropriate organisations promoting high quality education and training.
- Accountable for the initiation, development and implementation of Research and Development activity
- Accountable for the continuous improvement of all aspects of the Optometry Department and delivery of optometry and related services against agreed standards
Job description
Job responsibilities
The Head of Optometry at Manchester Royal Eye Hospital has a key role within, and externally to Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, providing professional and clinical leadership for optometry and optometrists, ocularists and dispensing opticians within the Trust, as well as to the wider eye health system locally, regionally and nationally.
- Accountable and responsible for the development of strategic plans for the Optometry Department which are aligned to the Trust strategy and ensure services are progressive, responsive to internal and external demand, are patient focused, safe, efficient and effective
- Provide professional leadership for the Optometry Services, Ocular Prosthetics, and Ophthalmic Dispensing, to the Trust and other external service users
- Accountable and responsible for clinical governance within the Optometry Department and wider optometry related services.
- Accountable and responsible as budget holder for optometry services for procurement and the delivery of income and expenditure targets in areas of responsibility
- Responsible for developing and implementing models of care for optometry services that support delivery of best care aligned with regional (GM) and national transformation and policy agendas and delivering against local and regional population needs
- Responsible for the Optometry Department supporting training and education programmes for MREH, the Trust, with and for external partners and stakeholders, and developing links with appropriate organisations promoting high quality education and training.
- Accountable for the initiation, development and implementation of Research and Development activity
- Accountable for the continuous improvement of all aspects of the Optometry Department and delivery of optometry and related services against agreed standards
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- BSc (Hons) Degree in Optometry (or equivalent)
- Registration with the General Optical Council
- Post-graduate qualification in a clinical specialty at masters level or higher (eg College of Optometrists Higher Qualification at Diploma level)
- Postgraduate research qualification or equivalent experience in clinical research or service evaluation.
Desirable
- Post-graduate diploma in independent prescribing leading to specialist registration with the General Optical Council (eg DipTp(IP))
- Doctoral level qualification (eg Professional Doctorate or PhD)
Knowledge
Essential
- Managing a range of staff groups including motivating high value team performance, workforce planning and managing staff using appropriate HR policies.
- Extensive post qualification clinical experience of which a significant part should be within hospital optometry.
- Experience of working across multi-organisational boundaries and in multi-professional and multidisciplinary settings.
- Experience of leading and managing services, including leading service improvement, change management, successful delivery of performance targets and managing budgets.
Desirable
- Experience of delivering cost and productivity savings.
- Experience of delivery of large scale projects.
- Experience of national clinical leadership roles.
- Experience of reporting at executive level meetings.
Skills
Essential
- Ability to lead a large professional team to work effectively in a complex and diverse operational environment and to deliver under pressure, at pace and against tight deadlines.
- Ability to communicate highly complex information to clinical and non-clinical audiences
- Capable of quickly resolving operational issues whilst performing clinical duties.
- Ability to communicate highly complex information to clinical and non-clinical audiences in a range of situations
- Ability to act independently and manage complex services autonomously and to influence others who act in autonomous management positions.
Desirable
- Experience of managing non-pay and procurement
- Experience of identifying and delivering income generation opportunities.
- Experience of delivery of large scale projects.
- Experience of reporting at executive level meetings.
- Experience of leading capacity planning and modelling.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- BSc (Hons) Degree in Optometry (or equivalent)
- Registration with the General Optical Council
- Post-graduate qualification in a clinical specialty at masters level or higher (eg College of Optometrists Higher Qualification at Diploma level)
- Postgraduate research qualification or equivalent experience in clinical research or service evaluation.
Desirable
- Post-graduate diploma in independent prescribing leading to specialist registration with the General Optical Council (eg DipTp(IP))
- Doctoral level qualification (eg Professional Doctorate or PhD)
Knowledge
Essential
- Managing a range of staff groups including motivating high value team performance, workforce planning and managing staff using appropriate HR policies.
- Extensive post qualification clinical experience of which a significant part should be within hospital optometry.
- Experience of working across multi-organisational boundaries and in multi-professional and multidisciplinary settings.
- Experience of leading and managing services, including leading service improvement, change management, successful delivery of performance targets and managing budgets.
Desirable
- Experience of delivering cost and productivity savings.
- Experience of delivery of large scale projects.
- Experience of national clinical leadership roles.
- Experience of reporting at executive level meetings.
Skills
Essential
- Ability to lead a large professional team to work effectively in a complex and diverse operational environment and to deliver under pressure, at pace and against tight deadlines.
- Ability to communicate highly complex information to clinical and non-clinical audiences
- Capable of quickly resolving operational issues whilst performing clinical duties.
- Ability to communicate highly complex information to clinical and non-clinical audiences in a range of situations
- Ability to act independently and manage complex services autonomously and to influence others who act in autonomous management positions.
Desirable
- Experience of managing non-pay and procurement
- Experience of identifying and delivering income generation opportunities.
- Experience of delivery of large scale projects.
- Experience of reporting at executive level meetings.
- Experience of leading capacity planning and modelling.
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).
