The Ophthalmology service prides itself on delivering high-quality, accessible and patient-centred eye care through a virtual hospital model. The post holder will work closely with clinical, nursing, diagnostic, administrative and digital colleagues to deliver safe, effective ophthalmic assessment, advice, treatment planning and follow-up for patients using remote consultation, digital diagnostics and virtual care pathways.
Integral to the responsibilities of the post are the following requirements:
- To provide a first-class consultant-led virtual ophthalmology service to patients through remote assessment, digital review and virtual hospital pathways
- To review ophthalmic images, investigations and clinical information remotely, including OCT, fundus photography, visual fields and other diagnostic outputs where appropriate
- To provide virtual consultations, diagnosis, advice and guidance, treatment planning, onward referral and follow-up care for patients on agreed ophthalmology pathways
- To participate in clinical governance, audit, education, training and service improvement within the virtual Ophthalmology service, including digital pathway quality, safety and productivity
- To take part in professional development, appraisal and departmental service development activity
The post holder will work with consultant colleagues and the wider multidisciplinary team to provide high-quality ophthalmology services through a virtual hospital environment. A formal job plan will be agreed with the appropriate Clinical Lead or Clinical Director at commencement, reflecting service requirements, virtual clinical activity, pathway demand and the post holder’s specialist expertise.
The role will include consultant-level responsibility for remote triage, virtual outpatient review, digital diagnostic interpretation, treatment planning, advice and guidance, patient communication and follow-up care. The post holder will support pathways such as glaucoma monitoring, medical retina review, cataract assessment, post-operative follow-up, urgent eye advice and other agreed virtual ophthalmology services, depending on service need and clinical competence.
The post holder will use virtual hospital systems to review referrals, investigation results, images and patient-reported information, ensuring timely clinical decisions, appropriate escalation, onward referral or discharge. Where patients require face-to-face review, diagnostics, procedures or surgery, the post holder will ensure clear handover into the appropriate physical care pathway.
The post holder may contribute to the assessment of urgent or priority ophthalmic cases within the virtual hospital model, supporting safe remote decision-making, risk stratification and escalation for presentations such as sudden visual loss, suspected retinal pathology, ocular inflammation, post-operative concerns and other urgent eye conditions.
The post holder will contribute to the supervision, support and teaching of junior medical staff, clinical colleagues, image graders, optometrists, nurses and administrative teams involved in virtual ophthalmology pathways, promoting high standards of clinical practice, documentation, digital safety and patient experience.
The virtual Ophthalmology service supports ongoing professional development, mandatory training, appraisal and continuous improvement. The post holder will be expected to participate in relevant teaching, audit, governance, pathway review, digital transformation and service development activity in line with Trust and virtual hospital requirements.
The Ideal CandidateApplicants must hold valid General Medical Council registration and a licence to practise.
Applicants must have the right to work in the UK.
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