
Job overview
We are looking for a dynamic and forward-thinking Consultant Ophthalmologist – Medical Retina to complete a supportive team of specialists covering North Cumbria. Voted one of the best places to live in the UK, North Cumbria houses the Lake District, one of the country’s most outstanding places of natural beauty and the region is an attractive, largely rural area with access to good road, rail and air communications. Housing is relatively inexpensive and there are excellent state and private education establishments.
Main duties of the job
Our CEO, Trudie Davies, and Executive Medical Director, Adrian Clements, would love to hear from you to discuss your future career in North Cumbria. To arrange an informal chat, please contact Sally Rushton on [email protected] for Trudie and Julia McClune on [email protected] for Adrian.
We are looking for candidates who are interested in developing innovative ophthalmic practice; helping to bridge the gap between acute hospital care, community and primary care. Our post offers an exciting opportunity for an ophthalmologist to help us develop a ‘whole system’ approach to delivering safe and effective modern eye care.
The successful candidate will join a team of consultant ophthalmologists, with specialist interests, who provide general ophthalmic services across North Cumbria to serve a population of approx. 360,000 with some referrals also coming from part of South West Scotland and West Northumbria
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
JOB DESCRIPTION:
Please see attached job description and person specification for further information regarding the role and the essential and desirable criteria required to be met by applicants.
CERTIFICATE OF SPONSORSHIP
Please note, due to changes implemented by the Government to the UK immigration policy, individuals who require a Health and Care Visa or a Skilled Worker Visa may no longer be eligible for sponsorship where the UKVI salary threshold is not met or if the occupation is not included in the updated Immigration Salary List (ISL). Applicants must check their eligibility to be employed in any role they are interested in applying for, prior to completing an application for employment. Any applicants who do not meet the eligibility criteria will not be progressed. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
If you are applying under the Disability Confident Scheme or Armed Forces Covenant and you meet all the essential criteria for a post, you will be guaranteed an interview.
Relocation assistance may be available for successful applicants moving to the region for certain posts. Please see our Policy for eligible vacancies.
Disclosure and Barring Service:
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.
The cost of the DBS must be met by the successful candidate(s) through salary deduction. DBS charges are as follows if applicable to the post:
Standard Check: £21.50 + Administration cost of £6.50 = £28. Deducted from salary over a 4 month period or a one-off payment.
Enhanced Check: £49.50 + administration cost of £6.50 = £56. Deducted from salary over a 4 month period or a one-off payment.
NCIC can offer successful future employees the following benefits:
27-day holiday scheme rising to 33 after 10 years
Flexible working Scheme
NHS Discounts*
Salary Sacrifice schemes including lease cars and Cycle to Work*
Excellent opportunities for development*
Competitive NHS Pension scheme
Vivup is a free, confidential counselling and information service to assist with personal or work-related problems
*Subject to eligibility
Important Information
Please ensure that you document evidence of meeting all the essential criteria in the supporting information.
If sufficient response is received this post could be closed earlier than the specified closing date, please apply as soon as possible to ensure that your application is considered.
Candidates who have been successfully shortlisted for interview will be asked via an email notification to log on to their Trac account to select an interview time. This will usually be within 2 weeks of the closing date.
Person specification
Teaching
Essential
- Experience of and commitment to teaching undergraduate and postgraduate medical staff
- Ability to teach clinical and personal skills required for Ophthalmic care
Desirable
- Experience of teaching basic clinical skills to undergraduates
- Teaching of non-medical health professionals
- Educational Qualification
Personal Attributes
Essential
- Participation in on call and emergency cover.
Desirable
- Full UK driving licence
Experience and Knowledge
Essential
- High standard of clinical skill and expertise in clinical Ophthalmology
- Clinical Governance
- Ability to offer expert clinical opinion on range of clinical Ophthalmology problems both emergency and elective and in primary care.
- Ability to take full and independent responsibility for liaising with clinical staff for the clinical care of patients.
Desirable
- Experience in High Volume Cataract surgery
Education and Qualifications
Essential
- FRCOphth or equivalent
- Full GMC registration
- Holder of Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT) or within six months of award of CCT or equivalent by date of interview
- Inclusion on the Specialist Registrar in Ophthalmology (or within six months of inclusion on GMC specialist register)
Desirable
- Post CCT fellowship in applicable sub-specialty
Management and Administrative
Essential
- Ability to advise on efficient and smooth running of their chosen subspecialty service.
- Ability to cover on call
Desirable
- Experience of audit management
Communication skills and abilities
Essential
- Empathetic and sensitive approach to patient needs
- Approachable and effective multi-disciplinary team member with excellent interpersonal skills
- Team loyalty
- Positive approach to lessons learnt
- Confident approach without being arrogant
Desirable
- IT Skills / Presentation Skills
Research, Audit and Clinical Governance
Essential
- Experience of, and commitment to, medical audit
Desirable
- Ability to supervise postgraduate research
- Publications in referred journals
Continued Professional / Personal Development
Essential
- Demonstrable evidence of lifelong learning
- Reflective approach to personal development with an ability to acknowledge and effectively manage poor performance
- Participation in appropriate peer review processes
WhatsApp job alerts
Get instant WhatsApp alerts for Consultant Doctor roles in Carlisle
Create your Job Clerk account first. We'll collect your alert preferences during onboarding and help you turn on WhatsApp notifications for matching healthcare roles.
Applying for this NHS job
This advert is for Consultant Ophthalmologist - Medical Retina with North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust in Carlisle, North East and Yorkshire, England. It is listed as a Consultant Medical doctor Ophthalmology role. The advertised salary is £113,565 - £150,569 per annum. The contract type is Permanent. The application deadline is 31 Jul 2026.
Before you apply, compare the job description with the person specification and mirror the employer's essential criteria in your supporting information. Use the vacancy title, employer, location, salary, contract type, closing date and posted date (03 Jul 2026) to decide whether this role fits your current NHS job search. If the employer can close applications early, prepare the application before the stated deadline rather than waiting for the final day.
For more context, review related Job Clerk pages for the same profession, band or location where they exist, then use the application-support guides to tailor your statement and prepare for interview.
