Advance Medical Retina Specialist

NHS; Colchester; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A reputable NHS trust in Colchester is looking for an Advanced Medical Retina Specialist to enhance patient care in their Ophthalmology Department. This role involves delivering expert assessment, diagnosis, and treatment for retinal diseases while collaborating with a team of specialists. Candidates should possess a relevant degree, clinical experience, and advanced skills in patient management. This position offers opportunities for continuous development, flexible work options, and a supportive environment for career progression.

Benefits

Generous pension scheme

27 days annual leave

NHS discounts

Qualifications

• Proven expert in clinical decision-making with advanced assessment and treatment skills.
• Significant experience in ophthalmology, preferably in a specialist role.
• Ability to manage complex patient presentations and make evidence-based judgments.

Responsibilities

• Provide extended specialist role services in treating retinal diseases.
• Conduct assessments using advanced clinical techniques.
• Formulate and manage patient treatment plans autonomously.

Skills

High-level decision-making

Advanced diagnostic skills

Clinical assessment skills

Patient management

Education

BSc Hons Optometry or Nursing Masters level

GOC or NMC registration

Postgraduate qualification in relevant sub-specialist practice

Tools

IT skills (Word, Excel, Outlook)

Job description

East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust

Advance Medical Retina Specialist

The closing date is 28 December 2025

East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a passionate, forward‑thinking Advanced Retina Specialist to join our dynamic and expanding Ophthalmology Department.

This is a fantastic opportunity to work at one of the largest and most innovative NHS Trusts in the region, delivering high‑quality care to a diverse patient population.

At ESNEFT, we pride ourselves on clinical excellence, collaborative teamwork and continuous development. You’ll be part of a supportive, multidisciplinary service that encourages autonomy, advanced practice and expanded clinical skills.

As an Advanced Retina Specialist you will play a pivotal role in delivering expert assessment, diagnosis, treatment and management of patients with retinal disease. Working closely with consultants and the wider ophthalmic team you will contribute to high‑impact clinical pathways and help shape modern retina services.

Main duties of the job

• To provide a range of extended specialist role services.
• Working as an autonomous registered practitioner with significant experience in an ophthalmology extended role providing high quality, individualised clinical management for patients with retinal diseases using advanced clinical assessment and diagnostic reasoning skills to determine and initiate changes to treatment as necessary.
• Act as a specialist clinical expert in direct contact care, able to make high‑level skills decisions, informed by advanced history taking, diagnostic, assessment and treatment skills. To be responsible and accountable for own decisions, actions and omissions at this level of practice.
• To appropriately assess, examine, investigate, diagnose and treat patients resulting in the safe management of patients, autonomously formulate appropriate management plans for patients.
• Demonstrate a critical understanding of own level of responsibility and autonomy and the limits of own competence and professional scope of practice, including when working with complexity, risk, uncertainty and incomplete information.

About us

We are ESNEFT and we provide hospital and community health services to almost one million people across east Suffolk and north Essex. Our dedicated staff deliver care from acute hospitals in Colchester and Ipswich, community hospitals, surgeries, community clinics and in patients’ own homes.

We are one of the largest NHS organisations in England, employing more than 12,000 staff.

We pride ourselves on supporting our staff. We offer a wide range of training and development opportunities, as well as flexible working options.

Along with supporting you to achieve your career goals we offer a generous pension scheme, unsocial hours payments (where applicable), 27 days annual leave on commencement (pro rata) and access to a range of NHS discounts. Our Staff Health and Wellbeing programme offer a variety of services.

Our philosophy is that Time Matters to everyone. Across the Trust, we concentrate on improving the things we do and removing those which cause time delays for our staff and patients.

We are investing in our commitment to Time Matters with a partnership with leading electronic patient record (EPR) supplier Epic. This digital transformation will bring what’s widely regarded as the world’s best EPR system to ESNEFT, transforming life in hospital for staff and patients.

If you are passionate about patient care and want to develop your skills and knowledge, then we want to hear from you.

Find out about living and working here – www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkPu7HphU8A

Job responsibilities

For full details of the responsibilities and duties of this role please see the attached job description.

Person Specification

Experience

• Act as a specialist clinical expert in direct contact care, able to make high‑level skills decisions, informed by advanced diagnostic, assessment and treatment skills.
• Demonstrate the enhanced dexterity required to initiate, evaluate and modify a range of interventions.
• Significant experience working with HES.

Qualifications

• BSc Hons Optometry or Nursing Masters level or above.
• GOC or NMC registration.
• Professional post‑graduate specialist qualification(s), at Masters level or above, relevant to sub‑specialist practice (e.g. College of Optometrists Dip Glaucoma; Dip CL).
• Evidence of published research and ongoing involvement in AHP research.
• Postgraduate masters (or higher) level clinical research experience relevant to sub‑specialist practice.
• Masters in Advanced Practice or Masters level award.

Knowledge

• Demonstrate a critical understanding of own level of responsibility, including when working with complexity, risk, uncertainty and incomplete information.
• Able to manage differentiated and undifferentiated presentations and complex situations to make evidence‑based judgments.
• Critically appraise and synthesise the outcome of relevant research, evaluation and audit.
• Demonstrate an understanding of research and evidence‑based practice.
• Enhanced IT skills – working knowledge of software packages such as Word, Excel and Outlook.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

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.

East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust