Job vacancy: Specialist Optometrist, Band 7, Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Gloucester

Job summary

Main area: Optometry
Grade: NHS AfC: Band 7
Contract: Fixed term: 12 months (0.2 WTE)
Hours: Part time - 7.5 hours per week (The times that these sessions are undertaken can be negotiated with the applicant)
Job ref: 318-25-T0393

Employer: Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type: NHS
Site: The Orchard Centre, Gloucestershire Royal Hospital
Town: Gloucester
Salary: £46,148 - £52,809 (pro rata if part time)
Salary period: Yearly
Closing: 09/06/2025 23:59

Specialist Optometrist, Band 7

NHS AfC: 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.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Responsible for research, audit and optometric related advice and information to the Gloucestershire Diabetic Retinopathy Education and Research Groups and the Gloucestershire Diabetic Eye Screening Programme.

To provide grading support for relevant teams, particularly the digital surveillance team.

To intermittently undertake optometric and grading reviews as part of the Quality Assurance process to a selection of diabetic retinopathy screening programmes. Assist the Gloucestershire Diabetic Retinopathy Education Group to ensure that national standards, performance targets are met. Monitor and advise on the development and implementation of safe systems of work.

To assist with the on-going requirement to provide grading support for diabetic eye screening images and surveillance OCT images for both the Gloucestershire Diabetic Eye Screening Programme and other contracts.

To undertake optometric examinations to support the Gloucestershire Retinal Research Group if there is a shortage of optometrists available on a research day or slit lamp biomicroscopy clinics for the Gloucestershire Diabetic Eye Screening Programme.

To act autonomously and with authority to influence organisations and individuals within and the NHS at every level, to maintain meticulous records. The role involves, assimilating and assessing highly complex information, the review and investigation of working standards, negotiating and mediating with senior professionals including senior managers, Public Health and clinical consultants and skilfully communicating at all levels with members of the public, screeners and administrators and optometry educators.

To lead and support the development of research projects for the Gloucestershire Diabetic Retinopathy Research Group, particularly where there is optometric involvement. The current projects of interest for involvement of this post are:

The development of courses for Community Optometrists to fulfill their Continuous Professional Development requirements and

Assisting with data and image collection for the relevant courses

Develop an ongoing income stream from these courses

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria

Education to master’s degree level in Optometry or a related science, registration with the General Optical Council
Experience working in the NHS in a senior optometric position, and performance management;
An ability to grade imagesets to a high level of sensitivity and specificity including OCT images and the Certificate or Diploma in Diabetic Retinopathy Screening,
Experience of community optometry services at community and corporate body level preferred
Extensive knowledge and experience of all aspects of diabetic retinopathy disease sufficient to enable post holder to make accurate diagnosis both of the presence of disease and the level and adjudicate on differences of opinion between other graders.
A developed and highly specialized knowledge of the complex components of diabetic retinopathy, age related macular degeneration, other retinal diseases and glaucoma.

Desirable criteria

A developed and demonstrable understanding of public health/ quality assurance
Effective presentations to groups in order to lead change and development of national protocols.

The health and wellbeing of our staff and patients remains the priority of the Trust. Vaccination remains the best chance we have of conquering COVID and the Trust encourages everyone to take up this offer.

Please note, this vacancy may close as soon as sufficient applications have been received, so please apply as soon as possible if you are interested. The Recruitment Team are unable to accept any applications after the position has closed on NHS Jobs.

Committed to safeguarding our community

If applicable for the post, all successful candidates will be required to pay for their own Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. The cost will be £29 (standard checks) or £46 (enhanced checks), and will be recovered through two instalments from the candidate's salary. Please contact [email protected] for further information.

The Trust is a safeguarding employer committed to the safeguarding and promotion of welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The Trust is committed to safe recruitment practices to protect children and vulnerable adults, and any appointment will be subject to satisfactory clearance. As part of the organisation's commitment to Safer Recruitment, candidates may request copies of relevant policies and procedures by contacting the Recruitment Team at [email protected]

Committed to supporting service personnel

As part of our commitment to support Service Personnel, Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, in collaboration with the Career Transition Partnership, offer a Guaranteed Interview Scheme for all qualifying Service and Ex-Service Personnel. To qualify for a guaranteed interview, candidates must meet the essential criteria for the post and be either a current member of the Armed Forces, or be within the two year period of resettlement. If this applies to you please email the job reference number and your AR number to the Recruitment Team at [email protected]

Follow us on Twitter: @GHNHSFTCareers

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.

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name: Prof Peter Scanlon
Job title: Professor of Ophthalmology
Email address: [email protected]
Telephone number: 03004222851
Additional information: Professor Scanlon's PA Liyan on 03004 222851 can arrange a discussion with Prof Scanlon.

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