Job summary

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust is seeking torecruit a Consultant in Ophthalmology. The post will have a special interest in Vitreo Retinal. The Department of Ophthalmology is based on 4 sites around Worcestershire; Worcestershire Royal Hospital (WRH), Alexandra Hospital Redditch (Alex), Kidderminster Treatment Centre (KTC) and the Princess of Wales Community Hospital (POWCH) in Bromsgrove.

As a Trust we are actively involved in developing thetraining program for students from the Three Counties Medical School based inWorcester which opens in September 2023. We look forward to establishing linkswith the new Medical School in addition to well-established relationships withthe University of Birmingham and the University of Warwick.

As part of the Consultant Advisory Appointment Committee, shortlisted candidates will be asked to provide a 5 minute presentation on the topic: How do you see the VR service in Worcestershire developing over the next 5 years?

Interested candidates are invited to contact Mr Tom Jackson to discussthe opportunity.

Interview date: 19th September 2024

Main duties of the job

The successful candidate is expected to provide Consultant level care & supervision in the Vitreo-retinal service, participate in the Acute Eye Service, deliver high volume cataract surgery and take part in the regional VR on-call at Birmingham & Midland Eye Centre. They will not be on our local on call rota while they are part of the regional on call.

The Ophthalmology department provides a full range of services to the 600 000 population of Worcestershire along with patients from surrounding counties.

The Ophthalmology Department benefits from 3 dedicated theatres and out-patient departments and a full complement of modern equipment, including TOPCON fundus fluorescein imaging system, Spectral Domain OCT technology, Optos camera and laser facilities (SLT, Pascal and YAG). All imaging facilities are networked. We use the OpenEyes electronic patient record.

About us

Our purpose is simple - Putting Patients First. We are looking for exceptional colleagues who can help us achieve this.

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust is a large acute and specialised hospital trust that provides a range of local acute services to the residents of Worcestershire and more specialised services to a larger population in Herefordshire and beyond.

The Trust operates hospital-based services from three sites in Kidderminster, Redditch and Worcester

Our workforce is nearly 6,800 strong, and our caring staff are recognised as providing good and outstanding patient-centred care. You could be one of them.

We are committed to recruiting the best people to work with us to achieve our Vision - working in partnership to provide the best healthcare for our communities, leading and supporting our teams to move 4ward. Our 4ward behaviours, which we ask all staff to demonstrate, underpin our everyday work and remain firmly at the heart of all we do.

Our objectives are simple:

Best services for local people Best experience of care and best outcomes for our patients Best use of resources Best people

Better never stops, and our Clinical Services Strategy provides a clear future vision for our Trust, our hospitals, our services and our role in the wider health and care system.

We are proud to have achieved Timewise accreditation - this means we are committed to embedding flexible working within our organisation as a flex positive employer.

Job description

Job responsibilities

This job description, together with the job plan, will be reviewed annually and agreed with the Clinical Director and Divisional Director, on behalf of the Chief Medical Officer, to ensure that it continually reflects the areas of work, clinical responsibility of the post and purchaser requirements.

A suitably experienced post-holder will be expected to provide a clinical service in the relevant specialty to patients of the Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust and to General Practitioners. The post-holder will be expected to provide a service to patients of the Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, General Practitioners and to attend multi-disciplinary meetings. The successful candidate will be expected to work within multi-disciplinary teams in providing high quality clinical care. It is anticipated work will be undertaken on three sites and closer to the patients home. The Trust is seeking to extend services to GP surgeries/health centres etc and job plans may be revised in due course. The post-holder will provide support to the A&E department and acute medicine to ensure timely appropriate care and patient flow through the hospital. The post-holder will provide consultation and advisory service to clinical colleagues in the Trust and Primary Care. Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

Full GMC Registration with a Licence to practise FRCOphth or equivalent Entry on the GMC Specialist Register in Ophthalmology (or expected within 6 months of interview date) via CCT or CESR (CP) CESR or European Community Rights Success in Intercollegiate Specialty Examination or overseas equivalent

Desirable

Higher degree Post graduate qualification

Experience

Essential

Clinical training and experience equivalent to that required for gaining (UK) CCT in Ophthalmology within 6 months of interview date Ability to offer expert clinical opinion on range of problems both emergency and elective within specialty Ability to take full and independent responsibility for clinical care of patients Expertise in sub-specialty Training selected component (or equivalent) in VR

Desirable

Post CCT VR fellowship of 12 months or more

Management and Administrative Experience

Essential

Ability to organise and prioritise workload effectively Ability to advise on efficient and smooth running of specialist service Ability to organise and manage outpatient priorities Ability to manage and lead the specialty firm and multi-disciplinary team Experience of audit management and conducting clinical audit

Desirable

Ability to manage and lead specialist unit and working parties as appropriate Ability to use the evidence based and clinical audit to support decision making

Teaching Experience

Essential

Ability to teach clinical skills to medical, nursing staff and other disciplines Experience of teaching clinical skills to undergraduates and postgraduates

Desirable

Ability to supervise postgraduate research

Personal Attributes

Essential

Ability to work in a team Enquiring, critical approach to work Ability to communicate effectively with patients, relatives, GPs, nurses and other agencies Commitment to Continuing Medical Education

Desirable

Willingness to undertake additional professional responsibilities at local regional or national levels

Other requirements

Essential

An understanding of the current NHS environment, particularly in relation to reforms, initiatives and issues Able to meet the travel requirements of the job and return to the hospital within 30 minutes when on call

Research Experience

Essential

Ability to apply research outcomes to clinical problems An awareness of current specialty specific developments and initiative

Desirable

Publications in relevant peer- reviewed journals in the last 5 years Evidence of having undertaken original research

---