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Job summary

Main area
Optometry
Grade
Band 7
Contract
Permanent
Hours
Part time - 22.5 hours per week (NA)
Job ref
273-DN-7900994
Employer
Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Moorfields Eye Clinic at Bedford Hospital
Town
Bedford
Salary
£49,387 - £56,515 pro rata
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
21/04/2026 23:59

Employer heading

NHS

Specialist Optometrist - Bedford

Band 7

YOU MAKE US MORE

Join Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

At Moorfields, people’s sight matters—and so do the people who make it possible.

For over 200 years, Moorfields has been at the forefront of ophthalmic care, research, and education. With more than 2,300 dedicated team members and over 700,000 patients seen annually across our City Road site and 22 networked sites, we are proud to be a global centre of excellence.

We're also a vibrant community where kindness, equity and excellence shape every aspect of our work. Whether it’s pioneering research through our partnership with UCL Institute of Ophthalmology and Moorfields Biomedical Research Centre or training the next generation of global eye care leaders, we’re united by one mission—delivering world-class eye health, sustainably and at scale.

And we’re just getting started.

From 2027, we’ll move to our brand-new Oriel site in St Pancras, Camden—a state-of-the-art centre that will unite eye care, research, and education under one roof. This groundbreaking facility, developed in partnership with UCL Institute of Ophthalmology and Moorfields Eye Charity, will enable transformative innovation and collaboration like never before.

Could you be part of this future? Make us more.

Job overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Hospital Optometrist working with Moorfields Eye Hospital, Bedford. The role involves working within the intra-vitreal injection and contact lens clinics at Moorfields Bedford, and the paediatric community eye service at the Liverpool Road Health Centre, Luton. 

Main duties of the job

Working autonomously in an orthoptist and optometrist led children's eye clinic based in the community. 

To personally deliver a range of specialised face to face and optometric care and extended role optometric care in intra-vitreal injection and contact lens clinics.

To support the development of extended roles for optometrists within Moorfields, and participate in clinical audit & teaching where appropriate. 
In conjunction with the medical staff to support the development of, and to help deliver, shared care for ophthalmic conditions.

Working for our organisation

This post is based at two sites - Bedford Hospital and the Liverpool Road health centre (which is associated with our Bedford site). 

At Moorfields, we provide more than just an excellent career and great colleagues to work with.  We also offer:

Opportunity to join the NHS Pension Scheme
Free 24/7 independent counselling service
Learning and development opportunities
Easy and quick transport links
A range of attractive benefits and discounts
Access to Blue Light Card and other NHS Discount Schemes
Free Pilates classes
Full support and training to develop your skills
Flexible working friendly organisation

And so much more!  To see the full range of benefits we offer please see our Moorfields benefits document.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

To work in an intra-vitreal injection service with Consultant support, and an optometrist led contact lens service. This role also includes working with the community-based orthoptic team to deliver a children's eye service. 

To personally deliver a range of specialised 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.

 MAIN RESPONSIBILTITES

1. Leadership

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

2. Clinical

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

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

a) Working in an 'extended role' capacity in a variety of ophthalmology clinics which could include Medical Retina, Glaucoma, Cataract, External, Adnexal, Paediatric or Acute Services. 

c) Working in extended role outside ophthalmology clinics, i.e. without medical support in clinic, e.g. Diabetic slit lamp clinics, Children’s Vision Clinics.

d) Triage of referral letters both routine and urgent and management of shared care cataract referrals

e) 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.

 

3. 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).

 

4. Management

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.

 

 5. Teaching and Development 

Contribute to the delivery of optometric teaching and supervision to other ophthalmic professionals.

 

6.    Research and Development

 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.

 

7.    Policy

To support the Clinical Director, the Principal Optometrist & the Head of Optometry in the development and implementation of policies and procedures for Optometrists.

Person specification

GOC Registration

Essential criteria
  • GOC Registration
  • BSc. (Hons) Optometry & MCOptom or equivalent.
Desirable criteria
  • Specialist Higher Qualifications/ Diploma in Optometry

BSc(Hons) Optometry or equival

Essential criteria
  • BSc(Hons) Optometry or equivalent
Desirable criteria
  • FCOptom, MSc or equivalent specialist higher qualifications
  • Independent Prescribing

Post-qualification experience

Essential criteria
  • Experience working in a multidisciplinary team.
Desirable criteria
  • Experience of managing complex patients

Clinical governance

Desirable criteria
  • Knowledge and experience of clinical governance

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Capital Nurse, LondonVeteran AwareApprenticeships logoNo smoking policyPositive about disabled peoplePathway to excellenceCare quality commission - GoodMindful employer.  Being positive about mental health.Disability confident committedRNIBArmed Forces Covenant

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
Aneela Raja
Job title
Lead Optometrist
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
01234795789
Additional information

Typically available to take calls on Monday mornings and Wednesday afternoons. If you would like to speak outside of these hours, kindly email me and we can arrange this. 

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