Job summary
Band 7 Advanced Nurse Practitioner - Eye Casualty/Ophthalmology

PLEASE NOTE: Sponsorship is not normally available for this vacancy - applicants must have the right-to-work in the UK for this role by their proposed start date.

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Band 7 Advanced Nurse Practitioner to work within our Ophthalmology department.

The successful candidate will be responsible for assessing the patients at the first point of contact within Eye Casualty, providing autonomous practice which demonstrates high level of accountability at an advanced clinical level, delivering high-quality direct patient care, and providing treatment based on advanced clinical skills assessment and non-medical prescribing.

The successful candidate will also support the Age-related Macular Degeneration, considering the role as an injector and also supporting clinical reviewing.

The Advanced Nurse Practitioner should continuously seek to develop and implement improvement, meet key performance indicators, quality and safety standards relevant to the service.

Main duties of the job

• Practise autonomously with a high level of accountability, delivering advanced clinical care and making complex decisions based on expert assessment, diagnostic reasoning and clinical management skills.
• Work in partnership with patients, families and carers, undertaking comprehensive history taking, holistic assessment, risk identification, mental health assessment, and the requesting, performance and interpretation of diagnostic investigations to determine health and care needs.
• Assess, diagnose and manage patients with a wide range of ophthalmic conditions, developing and implementing treatment plans within agreed protocols and scope of practice.
• Independently assess and manage patients attending AMD and Medical Retina services, interpreting OCT and retinal imaging, monitoring disease progression, determining treatment requirements in line with established pathways, providing patient education, and escalating complex cases where necessary.
• Independently assess, diagnose and treat patients presenting to Eye Casualty with urgent and emergency ophthalmic conditions. Prioritise care according to clinical need, initiate appropriate investigations and treatment, arrange follow up, and refer sight-threatening or complex presentations to medical staff.
• Practise as a Non-Medical Independent Prescriber, prescribing and monitoring treatments safely within professional standards, current legislation, local policies and Patient Group Directions (PGDs).

About us
Reading sits on the River Thames and is served by great road and rail links to London, Oxford, and Southampton. With excellent leisure and shopping facilities, and a thriving cultural scene, Reading is a wonderful place to live, work, and play and provides excellent facilities for families, including some of the best state and private schools in the UK.

The CQC rated the care provided by the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust as Good.

Our Trust "CARE" values: Compassionate, Aspirational, Resourceful, Excellent, reflect the type of Trust we aspire to be and you can join our dedicated and talented staff to make this happen.

Details
Date posted: 17 October 2026
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 7
Salary: £49,387 to £56,515 a year per annum
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Full-time
Reference number: 193-8267134PCG

Person Specification
Education, Qualifications and Training

• Essential: Registered Nurse Adult (NMC)
• Essential: Specialist post-graduate education/qualifications relevant to Ophthalmology
• Essential: Demonstrable evidence of ability to study at Level 7 (either previous Level 6 or level 7 study)
• Essential: Mentoring, Facilitating Workplace Learning or Clinical Supervision Qualification
• Essential: Hold History Taking and Clinical Assessment module
• Desirable: Completed or completing Level 7 MSc, relevant to clinical area or speciality, or willing to undertake
• Desirable: Hold or able to undertake and register with professional regulatory body (NMC) as an Independent/Supplementary Prescriber
• Desirable: Leadership course/qualification

Experience

• Essential: Significant post-registration clinical experience with evidence of sustained professional development and a minimum of 3 years experience within Ophthalmology
• Essential: Proven evidence of management ability and leadership
• Desirable: Evidence of existing clinical skills / procedures as per job description
• Desirable: Experience of Change Management
• Desirable: Post-registration clinical experience in Emergency Eye Care

Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website.

Employer details
Employer name: Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust
Address: Royal Berkshire Hospital, Craven Road, Reading, RG1 5AN, United Kingdom
Employer's website: https://www.royalberkshire.nhs.uk/

For questions about the job, contact: Matron Head and Neck, Rafael Fernandes, rafael.fernandes@nhs.net, 01183228086

Applicants should apply through our website.