Specialist Optometrist - Bedford (CCS)

Job overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Hospital Optometrist working with Moorfields Eye Hospital, Bedford. The role involves working exclusively within the paediatric community eye service at a number of sites in Bedfordshire, including but not limited to Kempston and Biggleswade.

Main duties of the job

To personally deliver a range of specialised face to face and optometric care and extended role optometric care, clinical audit & teaching.

To support the development of extended roles for optometrists within Moorfields.

In conjunction with the medical staff to support the development of, and to help deliver, shared care for ophthalmic conditions.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

MAIN RESPONSIBILTITES

Leadership

• To personally deliver a range of specialised and extended optometric care, clinical audit and teaching.

Clinical

To provide a wide range of optometric services, which can include:

To work closely with the optometry team to provide a wide range of optometric services, at a hospital or community site, which may include:

• Working in an 'extended role' capacity in a variety of ophthalmology clinics which can include Medical Retina, Glaucoma, Cataract or Acute Services.
• Working in extended role outside ophthalmology clinics, i.e. without medical support in clinic, e.g. Diabetic slit lamp clinics, Children’s Vision Clinics
• Triage of referral letters both routine and urgent and management of shared care cataract referral
• Supervising junior staff in their clinical roles

To undertake specialist clinical activity; this activity requires regular use of a range of advanced clinical techniques requiring dexterity and concentration.

These clinics involve responsibility for clinical decision-making with support from consultants and the provision of specialised diagnosis, management, care and education of patients.

To provide a clinical opinion or obtain a clinical opinion from consultant colleagues to optometric and non-optometric colleagues on the management of patients.

Clinical Governance

• Responsibility in conjunction with the consultants for the systematic and critical analysis of the quality of work carried by optometrists.
• To initiate and participate in clinical audit.
• To help identify and develop service standards and audit for optometrists.
• To personally participate in continuing professional education and development (as required by the General Optical Council and through appraisal as part of role).

Management

• To assist the Lead Optometrist to manage Optometry Services
• To help develop systems, clinical governance, processes, guidelines and training to establish and maintain extended role clinics & shared care services.
• To be able to use appropriate IT including electronic patient records for benchmarking, audit and clinical uses.

Teaching and Development

• Contribute to the delivery of optometric teaching and supervision to other ophthalmic professionals.
• To contribute to clinical research or assessment programmes.
• To present audit/research findings at relevant scientific meetings.
• To contribute to publishing research/audit findings in peer-reviewed journals.
• To support the Clinical Director, the Principal Optometrist & the Head of Optometry in the development and implementation of policies and procedures for Optometrists.
• Research and Development Policy

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.