Principal Optometrist

Job overview

We are looking for a highly skilled and motivated optometrist for a principal Optometrist post working within our City Road The post will consist of delivering highly specialist clinical care. Applicants need to have prior experience working in the hospital service and already have the relevant higher qualifications from the College of Optometrists or be working towards them (see Person Specification).

The successful applicants will be joining an enthusiastic and friendly team of consultants, optometrists, orthoptists, ophthalmic nurses and technicians working within the hospital. As well as joining the largest hospital optometry department that delivers sub-speciality care, research and education within the optometry sector. Moorfields provides high quality ophthalmology services across the full range of sub-specialities in hospital and community settings.

There are full and part time vacancies available.

Main duties of the job

To be the lead optometrist in the designated clinic/service for the Optometry Department.

To develop the role of optometrists within the service in conjunction with the Consultant Ophthalmologists within the clinics and the Service Lead and Head of Optometry.

To represent the hospital and the optometric profession in the teaching the management of conditions, by developing UK wide models of eye care.

To have overall responsibility for the clinical care and supervision of patients seen in the clinic.

To undertake highly specialist clinical activity requiring extensive knowledge, experience and expertise in management that includes a high proportion of tertiary referrals.

To have overall responsibility of the clinical supervision of clinical staff; To supervise all patient examinations carried out by the support/resident/placement/new to clinic Optometrist unless/until such time that the support/resident/new to clinic

To provide expert opinion to optometric and non-optometric colleagues on the management of complex cases within the designated Clinics and the Optometry Department.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

To deliver highly specialist clinical patient care requiring extensive knowledge, experience and expertise in management that includes a high proportion of tertiary referrals. This activity requires regular use of a wide range of advanced clinical techniques requiring dexterity, precision and intense concentration; and the judgement, analysis and interpretation of the complex clinical findings with a range of management options.

Patient examinations will be comprehensive and commensurate with clinical experience beyond Masters Level (i.e. College of Optometrists Diploma in Glaucoma, College of Optometrists Diploma in Independent Prescribing). Skills and knowledge are commensurate with those of sub-specialty medical ophthalmology staff.

To make independent, patient-centred clinical decisions on management in the presence of uncertainty (for example where patients are unable to cooperate fully in clinical assessments or the evidence for management options is unclear).

To be autonomously responsible for medical treatment (including prescribing) and management of patients. To recognise when patient clinical findings require Consultant Ophthalmic opinions (eg regarding surgery). To refer patients with ocular comorbidity to other ophthalmological services appropriately.

As Clinic Lead in Optometrist-, to supervise all patient examinations carried out by the support/resident/placement/new to clinic Optometrist unless/until such time that the support/resident/new to clinic Optometrist has attained the appropriate College of Optometrists certificate or completed their competency sign off. To review all prescribing decisions unless the prescribing optometrist has the correct qualifications together with The College of Optometrists Diploma in Independent Prescribing and their scope of practice /area of prescribing is in that service.

To organise the session by reviewing all clinical records at the start of an Optometrist-led clinic to determine necessary additional clinical tests (eg: visual fields, imaging, auto-refraction) utilising the different staff groups efficiently (admin, technical, optometric).

To undertake a comprehensive range of complex optometry services at Moorfields and out-reach clinics. These include refraction (complex, diagnostic and paediatric), low vision clinics (paediatric, complex, employment). The post holder maintains a personal clinical workload within these services.

To refer patients for appropriate appliances (contact lenses, spectacles, low vision aids) and provide appropriate advice to patients on needs, treatment and corrective aids.

Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.