Job overview

We are looking for an experienced and enthusiastic Advanced Specialist Optometrist to join our Ophthalmology team at Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust.

This is an exciting opportunity to work as part of a multidisciplinary team delivering specialist ophthalmology care, with a particular focus on Paediatric ophthalmology and medical retina. The successful candidate will undertake advanced optometric assessment and management of patients, working closely with consultant ophthalmologists, nursing and allied health professional colleagues to deliver high-quality, efficient and patient-centered care. The role offers an opportunity to contribute to the continued development of extended optometric practice within a busy ophthalmology service, supporting innovative models of care that make best use of clinical skills and improve access for patients.

We are seeking a confident and experienced optometrist with strong specialist clinical skills, excellent communication and a commitment to multidisciplinary working, service improvement and the delivery of high-quality patient care.

Main duties of the job

To provide a high-quality optometry service, as part of a multidisciplinary team – patients being referred from ophthalmologists (including Paediatric ophthalmologists) and orthoptists (via existing departmental guidelines).

 This includes refraction (cycloplegic and non-cycloplegic), fundoscopy (direct and / or indirect, as required) and media checks, on each patient.

 This role requires specialist skills and expertise in the assessment, diagnosis and management of paediatric patients. Such patients may have complex medical and / or ocular diagnoses or vision impairment; or patients may present with challenging behaviour, e.g., uncooperative children, occasionally physically / verbally abusive.   

Working for our organisation

We’re an organisation that is getting better and better and our improvements are driven by a determination to deliver care we’re proud of and our patients are happy with. 

They are benefitting from a new electronic patient record (we were the last acute trust in London to introduce one) and our maternity services have been rated good by the Care Quality Commission. 

We operate from two main sites – KGH in Goodmayes and Queen’s Hospital in Romford. We have two busy emergency departments with more than 346,000 people visiting them last year. We’re campaigning to secure the £35m we need to transform the A&E at Queen’s and get rid of corridor care. 

We’re proud of our regional Neurosciences Centre, Radiotherapy Centre and Hyper Acute Stroke Unit. We’re also part of the North East London Cancer Alliance. 

We run a Women’s Health Hub in Ilford; an Ageing Well Centre in Hornchurch; and Community Diagnostic Centres (CDC) at Barking Community Hospital and at St George’s Health and Wellbeing Hub. These CDCs are open 12 hours a day, 7 days a week.  

The majority of our 8,400 staff – who come from 146 different countries - live in the three diverse London boroughs we serve and are from black, Asian and minority ethnic groups. Many can work flexibly and more than 400 of them are on our Ofsted accredited apprenticeship programmes. We’re proud to be a London Living Wage employer.