Clinical Nurse Specialist

Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust; Greater London; On-site; GBP 85,000 - 105,000; Full time

Job summary

Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust seeks an experienced clinician to lead urgent ophthalmic care within the Rapid Access Eye Clinic in London. The post combines leadership with a clinical commitment, supporting a multidisciplinary team of nurses, optometrists and ophthalmic clinicians to deliver safe, effective, patient-focused care.

The role includes face-to-face and telephone triage, autonomous treatment within protocols, service improvement and governance.

Qualifications

• Leadership of clinical teams
• Experience in urgent ophthalmic care
• Independent Non-Medical Prescriber (preferred)

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop the Rapid Access Eye Clinic team
• Oversee triage (face-to-face and telephone) and patient management
• Ensure governance, audit and quality improvement in service delivery
• Collaborate with Clinical Lead to provide safe, effective patient care

Job description

Based within our busy Rapid Access Eye Clinic, you will play a key role in delivering high-quality, timely care to patients presenting with urgent eye conditions. The service operates Monday to Friday and accepts patients through walk-in attendance, referrals from local community services, and our dedicated telephone triage line.

As part of a well-established multidisciplinary team, you will work alongside experienced nurses, optometrists, and ophthalmic clinicians to assess, manage, and support patients requiring urgent ophthalmic care. The clinic sees approximately 17,000 patient attendances each year, providing a fast-paced and rewarding environment in which to develop and utilise advanced clinical skills.

This is an excellent opportunity for a motivated and experienced practitioner who is passionate about delivering outstanding patient care and contributing to the ongoing development of a dynamic urgent care service.

The post holder will provide clinical and operational leadership within the Rapid Access Eye Clinic, working closely with the Clinical Lead to deliver a safe, effective, and patient-focused service. They will lead and support a team of experienced ophthalmic nurses and optometrists, promoting high standards of care, professional development, and continuous service improvement.

The role combines leadership with a significant clinical commitment, requiring the post holder to work across all areas of the service. Responsibilities include face-to-face and telephone triage, assessment and management of patients presenting with urgent ophthalmic conditions, and the autonomous treatment and discharge of patients within agreed protocols. Appropriate referral to medical colleagues and other services will be undertaken when necessary.

The post holder will support effective patient flow, workforce management, and service delivery to ensure patient needs are met efficiently. They will contribute to clinical governance, audit, quality improvement initiatives, and the implementation of evidence-based practice.

Working collaboratively within the multidisciplinary ophthalmology team, the post holder will act as an expert practitioner and professional role model. Ideally, they will be an Independent Non-Medical Prescriber, enabling the timely assessment, treatment, and management of a wide range of urgent eye conditions for the approximately 17,000 patients seen by the service each year.

We provide specialist surgical and medical ophthalmology services for our local communities and are the tertiary referral centre for many specialties within the clinical group.

We are passionate about constantly improving our service and delivering high quality care to our patients. We have a significant focus on patient experience and want to improve further the engagement from patients to improve the service. We are looking for a committed individual with excellent organisational and interpersonal skills, who have a genuine interest in working within in our Rapid Access Eye Clinic.

We are dedicated to training and developing our staff, so the successful candidate will get the opportunity to work alongside a well-established team in nurse led services. Ophthalmology has over 200 colleagues who all work closely with one another to ensure the smooth day to day running of the service and engage in transformation projects to improve patient and staff experience. We have a number of social events throughout the year to bring everyone together and celebrate our diverse team.

For further details / informal visits contact: Name: Yasmin Stuart Job title: Matron Email address: [e-mail] Telephone number: 07912474640