Trust Doctor in Vitreo Retina

We are looking for a dedicated and approachable Trust Doctor to join our team in VR services within Leeds. This position would suit a post-CCT doctor who has demonstrable interest in VR with prior training in higher specialty VR surgery. Competence in cataract surgery is also desirable.

The post holder will be expected to contribute to outpatient clinics, virtual review pathways, acute services and cover theatre lists, with opportunities to further develop experience depending on service needs and individual capability. There will also be opportunities to participate in teaching, audit, quality improvement and clinical research within a large tertiary teaching hospital environment.

Please note this role will have limited theatre exposure and will not have regular allocated sessions.

• Outpatient VR clinics
• Virtual review pathways
• Acute ophthalmology services
• Limited theatre lists (service-dependent)

While theatre exposure is limited and there are no regular allocated theatre sessions, there are opportunities to develop your experience in line with service needs and individual capability.

The VR department in Leeds is predominantly based at St James Hospital this is where the clinic/virtual clinics are undertaken. Surgery and Acute Services also take place at St James Hospital.

The department has well-established virtual clinic pathways, with imaging-led review supported by multimodal retinal imaging. These services support efficient, high-volume care while maintaining patient safety and clinical excellence.

The department prides itself on being supportive, collaborative and education-focused, with strong links to regional training programmes and multidisciplinary teams, including specialist nurses, optometrists, imaging technicians and clinical scientists.

Leeds Teaching Hospitals is committed to our process of redeploying 'at risk' members of our existing workforce to new roles. As such, all our job adverts are subject to this policy and we reserve the right to close, delay or remove adverts while this process is completed. If you do experience a delay in the shortlisting stage of the recruitment cycle, please bear with us while this process is completed, and contact the named contact if you have any questions.

About the Role

We are seeking a highly motivated ophthalmologist with a strong interest in Vitreoretinal (VR) ophthalmology to join our tertiary service in Leeds. This post would suit a post-CCT doctor or an employed consultant wishing to expand their VR experience.

The successful candidate will deliver high-quality adult ophthalmology and subspecialty VR care across outpatient, acute and theatre settings, while contributing to teaching, research and service development.

• FRCOphth (or equivalent)
• Full GMC registration with licence to practise at start date
• Minimum 36 months experience post full GMC registration
• Evidence of Foundation Competencies in line with GMC standards
• Demonstrable motivation for VR subspecialty practice

• Assessment, diagnosis and management of retinal conditions including:
  Retinal detachment, Diabetic retinopathy, Retinal vascular occlusions, AMD, Macular holes, Epiretinal membranes, Vitreous haemorrhage
• Experience managing acute VR presentations
• Peri- and post-operative care of VR surgical patients (including pars plana vitrectomy and retinal detachment surgery)
• Retinal laser procedures
• Intravitreal injection therapy
• Experience interpreting OCT, OCT‑A, fundus photography, widefield imaging and angiography

• Experience in virtual medical retina clinics and imaging-led surveillance pathways.

• Deliver high standards of care in theatre, inpatient, day case and outpatient settings
• Manage acute referrals and emergency presentations
• Contribute to departmental meetings and service development
• Participate in quality improvement, audit, research and teaching
• Contribute to on-call and general ophthalmology cover as required

The post holder will initially be supported but is expected to work at post-CCT/Trust Grade level with increasing autonomy.

Work in accordance with GMC Good Medical Practice
Maintain CPD and complete mandatory training
Comply with Trust policies including Health & Safety, Infection Control, Equality & Diversity and Confidentiality standards
Engage with patient and public involvement initiatives

• 12-month locum contract
• Whole-time post
• 3 months notice period
• Subject to satisfactory DBS clearance

We are committed to being:
Patient-centred | Collaborative | Fair | Accountable | Empowered

If you are passionate about vitreoretinal care and wish to contribute to a leading tertiary ophthalmology service, we welcome your application.

• 36 months experience after full GMC registration or equivalent experience if from overseas, and evidence of achievement of foundation…