Job overview

Fellowship Overview The successful candidate will gain comprehensive exposure to the full spectrum of complex glaucoma, benefiting from extensive, hands-on surgical and medical training. Our state-of-the-art unit is equipped with advanced imaging modalities, including linear ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM) and spectral-domain OCT (SD-OCT).

Clinical & Surgical Exposure We offer cutting-edge therapeutic interventions utilizing the latest laser and surgical techniques. The fellow will gain robust experience in:

·         Laser Procedures: Selective Laser Trabeculoplasty (SLT) and endoscopic cyclodiode.

·         Micro-Invasive Glaucoma Surgery (MIGS): iStent W and infinite, OMNI, iTrack, ELIOS laser, and Preserflo.

·         Major Glaucoma Surgery: Trabeculectomy and aqueous shunt implantation (Paul, Baerveldt, Ahmed, and S-plate).

·         Complex Cataract & Anterior Segment: High-volume complex cataract surgery in angle-closure glaucoma patients, including goniosynechiolysis.

The unit maintains a strong clinical focus on novel MIGS, complex tube surgeries, and advanced paediatric glaucoma.

Research & Innovation Candidates will have the opportunity to engage with our active research portfolio, which includes anterior segment imaging in angle-closure glaucoma and participation in multiple multicentre clinical trials.

Main duties of the job

Candidate Profile This intensive post is ideally suited for senior trainees who are nearing completion of, or have successfully completed, the Higher Specialist Training programme (or equivalent) in Ophthalmology.

As a fellow you will be responsible for the smooth running of your firms. Though this isn’t an exhaustive list, duties include:

-          Participating in specialist clinics and theatres

-          Participation in the Glaucoma Grand Round

-          Organising the theatre list

-          Listing and preparing urgent patients

-          Ensuring patients on the list have been thoroughly worked up and investigations are of adequate quality

-          Advising colleagues on acute pressure management from clinic/ eye cas

-          Managing in-patient glaucoma

On-Call & Retrospective Duties The successful candidate will participate in the following rotas:

·         Evening Eye Casualty: 1:10 rotation (5:00 PM to 8:30 PM).

·         Glaucoma Triaging & Advice: 1:5 rotation.

Working for our organisation

Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust (SWB) serves Birmingham and the Black Country – one of the country’s most culturally diverse areas. It’s a friendly and welcoming place – a place where you can belong, and a place where you can grow.

We care for our patients, we care about our population, and we care about our people.

Our values – Ambition, Respect and Compassion – are at the heart of who we are. They guide us every step of the way; how we work with each other, and how we look after our patients and their families; how we respect and value the rich diversity of our team and our community.

Our Trust has always aspired to be more than a hospital, more than a healthcare provider. Our purpose is to “Improve the Life Chances and Health Outcomes of our Population.” It is what inspires, drives, and unites us every day. It’s what makes us unique.

We want working at SWB to feel like more than just a job. We want our Trust to be a place where you can feel you belong. A place where you feel happy, safe, and rewarded. A place where you can develop your career in whatever way you choose. When we say we’re ‘with you all the way’ we want you to know that we mean it. Visit the SWB website to find out more about our ambitions and people plans.

Multi-site working 

The four partner Trusts of the Black Country Provider Collaborative (Dudley Group NHS FT, Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, Sandwell & West Birmingham NHS Trust, and Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust) are actively working in partnership to deliver a collective vision focused on providing "better, faster and safer care to the population of the Black Country and beyond". 

To support this vision, we are (where appropriate and safe to do so) actively looking at new models of care which:

Against this context, although this post is hosted by Sandwell & West Birmingham NHS Trust, there may be an expectation to work flexibly across the four partner Trusts to better meet patient and service needs.