Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon interest in Cataract & Anterior Segment

at  Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust

This is a new substantive post to replace a highly successful locum consultant role, which has been split between oversight of our pioneering bespoke high volume cataract suite, and the establishment of the region’s first keratoconus treatment service.
BHT took a proactive approach to managing cataract patients in 2017, which has resulted in a standalone high volume cataract hub, treating 4000 patients a year, while maintaining a complex cataract service within the main eye department. BHT provides trainees with more cataract surgery opportunities than any other Trust.
As the role, and our department, continues to develop we aim to refine the provision of urgent eye care so that patients are streamed to sub-speciality experts at their first appointment.
The successful applicant will therefore be expected to deliver acute anterior segment clinics for our busy eye casualty service, will require experience in operational and strategic responsibility for a high-volume cataract suite, expertise in cataract surgery and training within such an environment with the necessary skills to manage complex cases and post-cataract refractive issues, and will be able to demonstrate experience in the delivery of a diagnostic and therapeutic keratoconus service.
Planned AAC Interview Date is Friday 14 June 2024

Management and development of the Specialist Cataract service, including commissioning and work with ICB, delivery and oversight of cataract clinics and surgery, and management of complex cataract cases
Delivery of acute anterior segment clinics as part of our Urgent care service
Delivery and oversight of the keratoconus service.
Clinical and other administration as required by agreement
General Ophthalmology responsibilities, including on call and care of inpatients
Teaching and training of Oxford deanery trainees, junior staff and undergraduates
Active involvement in Research and Clinical Governance
What does Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust offer you?
As part of our BHT family, you’ll benefit from learning and development opportunities to support your career progression.
We offer flexible and agile working opportunities, alongside your NHS benefits of generous annual leave entitlement, pension and access to NHS discount schemes.
We provide a range of health and wellbeing services to promote a healthy, happy workforce.
Why work for us?
We’re committed to promoting inclusion and making sure all colleagues feel they belong. We encourage new colleagues from a diverse range of backgrounds to apply.
As an employer, we aim to create a workplace where differences are valued and colleagues treat one another with dignity and respect.
Greater diversity within our BHT family improves positive outcomes for the people and communities we serve.
What do we stand for?
Our vision is to provide outstanding care, support healthy communities and be a great place to work.
Our mission is to provide personal and compassionate care every time.
Our CARE values are collaborate, aspire, respect and enable.
The Ophthalmic unit serves a population of around 1 million people mainly from Aylesbury Vale in Buckinghamshire, but including parts of Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Oxfordshire.
The unit is run from a purpose-built new building (the Mandeville Wing) which opened 12 years ago as well as sites at Wycombe and Amersham hospitals nearby. They are fully equipped with modern out-patient facilities including clinic rooms, Orthoptic and Optometric departments, visual fields, Argon, YAG and SLT lasers, Electro-diagnostics and a fully linked imaging suite which has anterior and posterior segment imaging including OCT, Fundus photography, Fluorescein and ICG angiography and auto-fluorescence imaging as well as Wavefront analysis.
A 24-hour emergency clinic sees around 15,000 patients per year. The main hospital sites house MRI, CT and Ultra-sound imaging.
The Consultant body covers most sub-specialty areas with little need for onward referral except in complex tertiary cases for which links with Oxford and Moorfields are readily available.
The unit sees around 50,000 out-patients per year at Stoke Mandeville site and a further 24,000 at Wycombe and Amersham sites.
There are around 6,400 operations per year in three dedicated eye theatres, and a separate cataract theatre unit for appropriate high-volume surgery. Most surgery is day-cases, but some inpatient cases are performed.
The delivery unit has a General Manager, Service Manager and an accountant and is part of the Surgical Directorate.
Regular weekly teaching is held in conjunction with the Oxford Eye Hospital and research and audit projects are actively encouraged.
Microsurgical skills teaching and training is a strength of the unit and as well as having a well-established skills centre which has just been updated and the unit has an EyeSi surgical simulator.
The trust supports remote working where possible and appropriate e.g. for meetings, SPA and DCC admin activities.
Time off in lieu will be supported, e.g. such as with unforeseen emergency work overnight.
If mentoring is required, this is something that the department will actively support and facilitate.
Eight medical secretaries and one support secretary work within the department and support the consultants. Remote working is well-supported by the Trust