Job summary
- Main area
- Ophthalmic Health Care Science
- Grade
- Band 7
- Contract
- Fixed term: 12 months (The days that the sessions are worked will be negotiated with the applicant)
- Hours
- Part time - 15 hours per week (The days that these sessions are worked will be negotiated with the applicant.)
- Job ref
- 318-25-T0394
- Employer
- Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Gloucestershire Royal Hospital (The Orchard Centre)
- Town
- Gloucester
- Salary
- £46,148 - £52,809 (pa pro rata if part-time)
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 12/06/2025 23:59
- Interview date
- 10/07/2025
Employer heading
Ophthalmic Healthcare Science Advanced Practitioner, Band 7
Band 7
Join us at an exciting time for Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust! We have an ambitious plan for our journey to Outstanding and are looking for aspirational, committed individuals to join us, making a real difference to both staff and patients.
As a former winner of England for excellence award: Tourism destination of the year, the beautiful city of Gloucester and the scenic regency spa town of Cheltenham are fantastic places to work and live.
As a hospital Trust we are currently involved in over 100 clinical trials and studies, whilst also providing acute elective and specialist services to a population of over 620,000.
By joining Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust new colleagues can look forward to a warm welcome and a future full of opportunities and support.
Job overview
Ophthalmic Healthcare Science Advanced Practitioner, Band 7 (15 hours a week)
There will be a need to work autonomously, managing and the specialist aspects of the Test and Training set with specific responsibility for participants on the Test and Training Quality Assurance tool. The post holder will need to be a good team player but able to take initiative. Able to develop intelligent and innovative initiatives to support the progression of the Test and Training system and its participants.
Additional contract details: The days that the sessions are worked will be negotiated with the applicant
The proposed interview date is: 10th July
Main duties of the job
The purpose of the role is:
1. To manage the specialist aspects of the Test and Training Set for Quality Assurance of Graders in the English Screening Programme
2. To ensure that there is a high-quality grader experience..
3. To provide specialist support in other areas of Ophthalmic Imaging or grading, including Research, Optical Coherence Tomography and in Slit Lamp bio-microscopy surveillance in the diabetic eye screening programme.
4. To provide specialist support for any new courses being developed by the Gloucestershire Retinal Education Group
5. To provide specialist support for the Health Screeners Diploma if required
6. To provide specialist support for any new courses being developed by the Gloucestershire Retinal Education Group
7. To provide specialist support for the Health Screeners Diploma if required
8. To provide specialist support in other areas of Ophthalmic Imaging or grading, including Research, Optical Coherence Tomography and in Slit Lamp bio-microscopy surveillance in the diabetic eye screening programme.
Working for our organisation
Gloucestershire Retinal Education Group (GREG) became established in 2006 with the development of the City and Guilds Level 3 Certificate in Diabetic Retinopathy Screening for the new workforce in the NHS Diabetic Eye Screening Programme. Since then we have implemented monthly test and training sets (TAT) to improve grading quality, and supported a large number of students through various courses, and were finalists in the Royal College of Physician’s international ‘Excellence in Patient Care Awards’ in 2019.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
1. Clinical Responsibilities/Key Responsibilities
The post holder needs to have a high-level understanding of ophthalmic imaging healthcare science activities by having worked as an NHS Ophthalmic Imager for an extensive period of time. They also require management knowledge acquired through training to master’s degree or equivalent level of knowledge.
They need to undertake, screen and interpret highly specialist diagnostic tests, including specialist equipment testing, with interpretation of results, providing advice to patients, and clinical and scientific advice to ophthalmologists and other allied health practitioners.
They need to be able to analyse & interpret the results of imaging; making judgements on a range of complex clinical, non-clinical issues relating to the patients; investigating and resolving complex quality issues.
2. Professional Development, Education and Training
- To manage the specialist aspects of the academic content and teaching of the Test and Training Set for Quality Assurance of Graders in the English Screening Programme
- To contribute to the skills assessment process for participants on the Test and Training Quality Assurance Tool and provide feedback to participants relating to any queries that they might have.
- To ensure that there is a high-quality grader experience and that a culture of continuous improvement is embedded, including management of a small team of staff to support this role.
- To prepare Test sets for the Test and Training Quality Assurance Tool in liaison with the Grading College and responsibility for oversight of the database aspects of the tool in liaison with the software supplier.
- To be responsive to participant feedback, and ensure that feedback to students on changes and improvements to the Test and Training and programmes is timely and effective.
- To provide specialist support for any new courses being developed by the Gloucestershire Retinal Education Group
- To provide specialist support for the Health Screeners Diploma if required
3. Management and Leadership
There will be a need to work autonomously, managing a small team and the specialist aspects of the Test and Training set with specific responsibility for participants on the Test and Training Quality Assurance tool. The post holder will need to be a good team player but able to take initiative. Able to develop intelligent and innovative initiatives to support the progression of the Test and Training system and its participants. The postholder may hold a delegated budget for this area of work, including authorising invoices for supplies & equipment.
The role also involves providing specialist support for the redevelopment and the retendering for the contract for the monthly Test and Training set used by the English NHS Diabetic Eye Screening Programme as a quality assurance tool for their graders.
This will also involve clinical/professional supervision of junior staff, training less experienced staff and providing specialist training to other experienced members of the diabetic eye screening, ophthalmic imaging, and research teams.
4. Research and Development
They will be involved in undertaking grading R&D activities for clinical trials.
5. Communications and Working Relationships
The post holder needs to have the abilities to teach the subject of retinal image grading to a highly specialised level provide feedback and support to participants on the Test and Training system.
In any clinical work they need to communicate about the various tests and other technical information to patients who may have sensory, physical or learning disabilities, relatives & carers; They also need to exchange specialist often complex information with colleagues from own and other disciplines.
In their managerial role they will need to communicate with senior members in NHS England, programme managers and graders with respect to the re-procurement of the Test and Training set and the on-going quality assurance of graders in the English NHS Diabetic Eye Screening Programme.
Contact Details
Prof Peter Scanlon (Professor of Ophthalmology)
0300 422 2851
My PA Liyan on 0300 422 2851 can arrange contact with Prof Scanlon
Person specification
Qualifications, Knowledge and Experience
Essential criteria
- Trained to Masters level or equivalent level of experience
- The post holder needs to have a high-level understanding of ophthalmic imaging healthcare science activities by having worked in the NHS for an extensive period of time with extensive experience as an NHS Ophthalmic Imager.
- The post holder needs to have previous experience of teaching and developing learning material
- They need to be able to undertake highly specialist diagnostic tests in imaging
- They need to be able to analyse & interpret the results of the imaging
Desirable criteria
- Postgraduate qualification in teaching leading to Membership of the Higher Education Academy
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
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.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Prof Peter Scanlon
- Job title
- Professor of Ophthalmology
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 0300 422 2851
- Additional information
My PA Liyan on 03004 222851 can arrange contact with Prof Scanlon
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