Lead Ophthalmic Nurse – Ophthalmology Centre

Our new Ophthalmology Centre is a flagship development within the Welbeck network, purpose‑built to set a new benchmark for specialist day‑case eye care. Designed from the ground up, it brings together state‑of‑the‑art technology, beautifully considered clinical spaces, and a calm, modern environment that supports both exceptional care and exceptional teamwork.

As part of the launch team, you will help shape the culture, embed best practice, and play a meaningful role in creating a Centre that patients trust and colleagues are proud to be part of.

As the Lead Ophthalmic Nurse, you will provide clinical leadership across outpatient, diagnostic, and day‑case treatment pathways. You will act as a clinical expert, ensuring that high quality, patient‑centred ophthalmic care is consistently delivered while supporting the development, competence and wellbeing of our nursing, HCA, and technician teams.

This is a hands‑on leadership role, combining direct clinical practice with responsibility for team management, service coordination, rota planning, governance, and the continuous enhancement of patient experience. You will work closely with consultants, the Centre Manager, and the wider multidisciplinary team to maintain safe, efficient, and exemplary standards of care.

• Provide day‑to‑day clinical leadership across outpatient, diagnostic, imaging and treatment areas

• Lead, support and develop nursing, HCA and technician teams, including one‑to‑ones and performance reviews

• Deliver advanced ophthalmic nursing care, including assessments such as visual acuity, history‑taking and IOP measurement (as trained and competent)

• Support consultants during clinics and ophthalmic procedures, ensuring excellent standards of care

• Oversee pre‑ and post‑operative care for day‑case patients

• Ensure adherence to governance, safeguarding, documentation and information‑management requirements

• Promote a strong safety culture, ensuring incident reporting, infection‑prevention, and health & safety compliance

• Participate in MDT meetings and contribute to clinical pathway, policy and SOP development

• Support service evaluation, audits and quality‑improvement initiatives

• Contribute to operational efficiency, including rota management, stock control and patient flow

For a copy of the full job description and the person specification details click here

You will be an experienced ophthalmic nurse with the confidence to lead others, influence best practice, and set consistently high standards of patient care. You combine expert clinical knowledge with a calm, compassionate approach, and you are someone colleagues naturally turn to for guidance and support.

You will enjoy working in a developing service where you can shape processes, nurture a positive team culture, and contribute to the evolution of a new Centre. You will be comfortable balancing hands‑on clinical work with leadership responsibilities, and you take pride in delivering safe, efficient and personalised ophthalmic care.

You will be someone who:

• Brings significant ophthalmic nursing experience and clinical credibility

• Leads by example, supporting and developing colleagues at all levels

• Communicates clearly, confidently and kindly with patients and teams

• Works well under pressure and maintains a steady, reassuring presence

• Is committed to governance, safety, and continuous improvement

• Has strong organisational skills and an eye for operational detail

• Is motivated by delivering excellent patient experiences and service outcomes

These are our new careers pages. Until they are connected to our new wider platform, please visit our existing pages here and here for more information about us.

For this role, there will potentially be four stages;

• Stage 1 - Shortlisting (based on your application)

• Stage 2 - Screening Calls

• Stage 3 - interview

We aim to complete these as soon as possible after the closing date for applications.

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At Welbeck, we believe exceptional care starts with inclusive teams. We are committed to creating a workplace where difference is valued and excellence is expected; where people feel respected, and everyone is supported to do their very best. We welcome applications from all backgrounds and experiences and appoint on merit, recognising that diverse perspectives strengthen clinical quality, leadership, operational delivery and patient care.