Job summary
An exciting opportunity has arisen for Corneal & External Eye Disease Fellow in The Department of Ophthalmology based at the Royal Victoria Infirmary.

This is a fixed term post for 12 months.

The appointment is suitable for ophthalmologists who are at, or near, the end of their periods of Higher Surgical Training and who wish to secure further training and experience in cornea and external eye diseases with a view to practising at consultant level in these subspecialties.

Main duties of the job
The posts are aimed at ophthalmologists who are at, or near, the end of training, and who wish to secure further advances subspecialty training in cornea and external eye diseases including surgery with a view to practising in the subspecialty at Consultant level. It provides extensive on-the-job training in the assessment, management (including surgery) and follow-up of patients with medical and surgical corneal/external eye diseases.

About us
As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us and for our patients, and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement. If it works for the service, we will do our best to make it work for you.

With around 2 million contacts with patients every year, we deliver care from:

• Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI)
• Freeman Hospital
• Newcastle Dental Hospital
• Cramlington Manor Walks
• Urgent treatment centres
• Newcastle Fertility Centre
• Northern Centre for Cancer Care, North Cumbria
• Northern Genetics Service

These include a range of flagship services which deliver cutting-edge care (supported by state-of-the-art diagnostic services in both radiology and pathology) and are a catalyst for innovation to support pioneering clinical practice in the NHS.

We also have offices at Regent Point in Gosforth and community sites.

Please see attached information on what Staff Benefits we have to offer at our Trust under 'Documents to download' or 'Supporting documents'.

For further information on The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust please visit: Careers \| Newcastle Hospitals \| NHS \| Newcastle Hospitals and Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Job responsibilities
The training supervisors would be Mr Ahmed Ragab Hussien, Mr Jaswant Sandhu, Mrs Ashwini Ranganath and Mr Vishal Vohra to whom the appointee would be directly responsible in all clinical matters. In addition to, Professor Francisco Figueiredo Consultant Cornea surgeon, and Senior Clinical Lecturer who led the cornea service in Newcastle for many years and currently leading many research projects in the department.

Fellows work under the supervision of the subspecialty-trained Consultants. Fellows have clinical and surgical duties as directed by the Consultants. The fellowship introduces the trainees to all aspects of diseases of the anterior segment of the eye, with the objective to further develop their skills in examination, diagnosis, treatment, and surgical procedures. With increasing experience through the year, the post holder can expect to perform corneal surgery procedures (i.e., DSAEK, DMEK, PKP, DALK, complex cataract surgery, amniotic membrane transplantation, collagen crosslinking among other ocular surface and anterior segment surgeries) as first surgeon, and directly assisted by the Consultant.

Person Specification
Education and Qualifications

• Primary Medical Qualification.
• Full GMC registration
• FRCOphth, FRCS(Ed) (Ophth) or equivalent

Desirable

• Higher degrees including MSc, PhD or MD (where research thesis not part of first medical degree)

Clinical Skills and Knowledge

• Evidence of skills and knowledge at least to the level expected of a senior UK ophthalmology trainee
• Wide experience in surgical ophthalmology to the level of a senior UK ophthalmology trainee who has completed core training, in particular with documented competence in phacoemulsification cataract surgery.

Desirable

• Wide ophthalmology experience. Previous experience in cornea and external eye diseases (clinical and surgical).
• Evidence of some higher-level skills in corneal and external diseases disease assessment and treatment.
• Evidence of special interest in medical and surgical corneal diseases and their management.

Maintaining Clinical Competence

• Evidence of appropriate documented progression through training
• Evidence of attendance at formal CPD activities.

Desirable

• Evidence of active role in CPD activities

Teaching

• Experience of supervising junior staff.
• Ability to teach clinical skills.

Desirable

• Evidence of active effective role as a teacher of medical trainees and/or paramedical staff.

Clinical Governance, Audit and Research

• Demonstrates understanding of research including awareness of ethical issues
• Demonstrates understanding of the basic principles of audit, clinical risk management, evidence based practice, patient safety and clinical quality improvement initiatives.
• Evidence of active participation in personal and departmental audit to at least the level expected of a senior UK ophthalmology trainee
• Evidence of understanding of the principles of research to at least the level expected of a senior UK ophthalmology trainee

Desirable

• Evidence of active participation in ophthalmic research, ideally in the field of cornea and external eye diseases. Evidence of relevant academic publications.
• Demonstrates an understanding of clinical governance.

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.

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website.

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement.

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