Job summary
- Main area
- Specialist Optometrist, Glaucoma
- Grade
- Band 7
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Part time - 19.5 hours per week (scope for extra bank sessions)
- Job ref
- 343-7385980-FM-SC-Z
- Employer
- Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- St Helier Hospital
- Town
- Sutton
- Salary
- £53,751 - £60,651 pa incl HCAS Outer pro rata
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 22/08/2025 23:59
Employer heading
Specialist Optometrist
Band 7
At Epsom and St Helier Hospitals, above all we value respect. We put respect at the heart of all we do, by living up to our shared behaviours of kindness, professionalism, positivity and teamwork. This enables us to provide great patient care and make ESTH a great place to work. When you sign up to work with us, you sign up to this and we welcome applicants who share our values.
Job overview
The Band 7 Glaucoma Specialist Optometrist will play a vital role in delivering timely, sight-saving care for patients with ocular hypertension, glaucoma suspects, and stable glaucoma. As an autonomous clinician within the multidisciplinary ophthalmology team, they will independently manage a defined caseload, reducing pressure on consultant-led clinics and increasing service capacity. The role includes advanced clinical decision-making, diagnostic assessment, treatment initiation (including prescribing where qualified), and safe discharge of appropriate patients to community care. This supports earlier intervention and helps prevent irreversible vision loss. The post directly contributes to maintaining income through delivery of high-volume, specialist activity and ensures compliance with NICE and RCOphth standards. Working within robust clinical governance frameworks, the optometrist will also lead on service development, supervise junior staff, and contribute to quality improvement and education. Their expertise and leadership are critical to sustaining a safe, efficient, and patient-centred glaucoma service in line with statutory and regulatory requirements.
Main duties of the job
- Conduct independent, evidence-based assessments of patients with glaucoma, ocular hypertension, or those under surveillance. This includes history-taking, slit-lamp exams, applanation tonometry, gonioscopy (if competent), optic nerve evaluation, OCT interpretation, and visual field analysis to inform diagnosis and management.
- Make autonomous decisions on initiating, adjusting, or stopping treatment, including prescribing topical IOP-lowering medication where qualified. Discharge appropriate patients to community care following clinical protocols, with clear safety-netting.
- Identify high-risk or complex patients requiring consultant or surgical input and escalate promptly for MDT review.
- Provide clear, accessible explanations of diagnoses and management plans. Promote shared decision-making and educate patients on adherence, symptom awareness, and the importance of follow-up.
- Maintain accurate, timely documentation that meets Trust, legal, and professional standards to ensure safe, continuous care.
Working for our organisation
The Ophthalmology team consists of 128 members of staff consisting off: Consultants, Doctors, Optometrists, Orthoptists, Nurses, Ophthalmic Technicians, HCA's, Reception and Admin staff. The department is split across two sites; St Helier Hospital and Epsom General Hospital. The department also holds an emergency eye service at the St Helier which is both a referral and walk in service. The team works cohesively and with respect to deliver high quality patient centred care.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
This specialist autonomous role is for a highly experienced ophthalmic nurse or optometrist within the multidisciplinary glaucoma team. The postholder independently manages patients with ocular hypertension, glaucoma suspects, and stable glaucoma under defined governance and protocols. Responsibilities include advanced clinical assessments, treatment initiation (including prescribing where qualified), and safe discharge to community care. The role demands expert knowledge of glaucoma management aligned with NICE and RCOphth guidelines. Additionally, the postholder contributes to clinical leadership by supporting service development, quality improvement, education, and supervision of junior staff. A strong focus on patient-centred care, professional development, and service innovation is essential.
Key duties include advanced assessments (history, slit-lamp, tonometry, gonioscopy, OCT, visual fields), autonomous clinical decisions on therapy management and discharge, risk stratification with timely escalation, clear patient communication and education, and accurate clinical documentation complying with Trust and regulatory standards.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Registered Nurse (NMC) or Optometrist (GOC) - CPD in glaucoma or ophthalmic diagnostics
Desirable criteria
- Independent Prescriber (V300 or IP) - Glaucoma specific postgraduate qualification
Experience
Essential criteria
- Post- registration experience
- Experience working in glaucoma or general ophthalmology clinic setting
- Experience of independent patient assessment and decision making
Desirable criteria
- Experience in virtual clinics or community triage
- Audit or service improvement work
- Performing or to be trained in laser SLT
Knowledge
Essential criteria
- NICE guidance and RCOphth standards for glaucoma management
- Understanding of glaucoma medications and patient adherence issues
- Familiarity with community referral pathways and shared care models
Desirable criteria
- Knowledge of EMR systems(e.g., Medisoft, OpenEyes)
Skills
Essential criteria
- Excellent clinical judgement and patient counselling skills
- Good written documentation and IT skills
- Able to work independently and collaboratively in a multi professional setting
Desirable criteria
- Mentorship or teaching of peers/students
Your application: Please ensure that you have read the job description and person specification and that your supporting statement reflects these, as your application will be assessed and scored against these criteria.
References: You will be required to provide 3 years of employment/educational history. We do not accept references from personal email addresses such as Hotmail, Gmail etc. therefore please ensure you are providing professional working email addresses within your application form. If you are unable to provide professional email addresses and are invited to an interview, please ensure you advise the interviewers of this - otherwise, this may delay your pre-employment checks.
Closing date: In order to streamline recruitment within our Trust, we reserve the right to expire vacancies prior to the advertised closing date once we have received a sufficient number of applications.
Shortlisting: You will only be contacted via e-mail/SMS by the SWL Recruitment Hub if you are successfully shortlisted for this post. Please ensure that you check your Trac registered e-mail regularly.
DBS: We are committed to safeguarding children and adults who are at risk of abuse. As such, if this post will have access to children or vulnerable adults, you will be required to undertake an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check. However, all employees have a responsibility for safeguarding children and vulnerable adults in the course of their duties and for ensuring that they are aware of the specific duties relating to their role.
Telephone: 02082963786
Text: 07501066267
Email: [email protected]. Employer certification / accreditation badges
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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
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Arinder Channa
- Job title
- Head of Orthoptics and Optometry
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 07982812560
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