Locum Consultant Paediatric Ophthalmic Surgeon

Merseywestlancs; Ormskirk; Remote; GBP 114,000 - 151,000; Full time

Job summary

Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is seeking a Locum Consultant Ophthalmologist with a special interest in Paediatric Ophthalmology and Adult Strabismus to join our service across Southport and Ormskirk Hospitals. This fixed-term 12-month post offers 10 clinical sessions per week plus on-call duties and a chance to develop a thriving paediatric practice including ROP screening.

You will deliver high-quality consultant-led care in paediatric and general ophthalmology,

Qualifications

• MB ChB or evidence of equivalent qualification.
• Full GMC registration and licensed to practice.
• Entered on the Specialist Register (or eligible within six months).
• FRCOphth or equivalent.
• CCT in Ophthalmology.
• Evidence of thorough and broad training and experience in all aspects of general Ophthalmology.
• Competent in Surgical and Medical Paediatric ophthalmology and ROP Screening.
• Competent in adult cataract surgery including training Juniors.
• Able to take responsibility for delivering Paediatric ophthalmology service without direct supervision.

Responsibilities

• Deliver consultant-led care in Paediatric Ophthalmology, including ROP screening and paediatric clinics/surgery.
• Manage Adult Strabismus and General Ophthalmology, with optional Adult Cataract Surgery.
• Participate in the 1:4 on-call rota, non-resident, evenings/weekends.
• Contribute to teaching, supervision of junior staff and involvement in audit and regional teaching programmes.

Skills

Ophthalmology

Pediatrics ophthalmology

ROP screening

Adult strabismus

Education

MB ChB

GMC registration

FRCOphth

CCT in Ophthalmology

Job description

We want talented and enthusiastic people from all backgrounds to join #TeamMWL, with us you can learn, grow and develop yourself and your career, realising your true ambitions and aspirations.

Whatever you’re looking for in your career, you’ll find it here at MWL.

Locum Consultant Paediatric Ophthalmic Surgeon

NHS Medical & Dental: Locum Consultant

Main area Ophthalmology Grade NHS Medical & Dental: Locum Consultant Contract Fixed term: 12 months (Locum) Hours Full time - 10 sessions per week (plus on call) Job ref 409-S7909564-A

Site Ormskirk Hospital Town Ormskirk Salary £113,565 - £150,569 per annum (plus on call) Salary period Yearly Closing 06/12/2026 23:59

Job overview

Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is seeking an enthusiastic and skilled Locum Consultant Ophthalmologist with a special interest in Paediatric Ophthalmology and Adult Strabismus to join our expanding service across Southport and Ormskirk Hospitals.

This is a new locum consultant post replacing an established Associate Specialist to continue to the delivery of a high‑performing, patient‑centred department.

This opportunity offers the successful candidate a chance to develop a thriving paediatric practice, including ROP screening, alongside delivering adult strabismus and general ophthalmology care, with the option to undertake adult cataract surgery. The successful candidate will be required to join the Trusts general on-call service.

Main duties of the job

You will deliver high‑quality consultant-led care in: Paediatric Ophthalmology – including ROP screening, paediatric clinics and surgery Adult Strabismus General Ophthalmology Adult Cataract Surgery (optional) Participation in the 1:4 consultant on-call rota (non-resident; 5pm–9pm weekdays, 9am–9pm weekends).

The job plan comprises 10 PAs, including theatre, clinics, ROP activity, SPA time and supporting activities. Final job plan will be agreed with the Clinical Director upon appointment.

You will contribute to national clinical standards, CG, audit, teaching, and supervision of junior staff, with opportunities to participate in research and regional teaching programmes. You will provide consultant leadership and oversight to the orthoptic service within the S&O footprint,

Working for our organisation

Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust serves a population of over 600,000 with a workforce of over 10,500 dedicated and skilled staff across 21 sites.

Our services:

Acute Care

Providing emergency and maternity services at Whiston, Southport and Ormskirk hospitals, and medical and surgical specialties across all our sites.

Primary Care

Providing primary care services at Marshalls Cross Medical Centre situated in St Helens Hospital.

Community Services

Providing adult community services for St Helens and a wheelchair service in Chorley, South Ribble, and West Lancashire. Our inpatient unit at Newton Community Hospital is where patients needing acute hospital beds can continue rehabilitation. We also provide urgent care at our Urgent Treatment Centre located in St Helens town centre.

Specialist Regional Services

We provide the Mersey Regional Burns & Plastic Surgery Unit at Whiston Hospital and the Spinal Injuries Unit at Southport Hospital to more than 4 million people across the whole of Merseyside, West Lancashire, Cheshire, Isle of Man and North Wales.

Achievements:

• Rated Outstanding by CQC Inspection August 2018
• Top 100 places to work in the NHS (NHS Employers & Health Service Journal)
• National Preceptorship Accreditation (2023) for Nursing & AHP Preceptorship Programme.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please ensure you have read through the attached Job Description and Person Specification before submitting your application.

Shortlisting date: from w/c 7th December 2026

Interview date: TBC

Person specification

Values

• We are kind
• We are open
• We are inclusive

Qualifications

• MB ChB or evidence of equivalent qualification
• Full registration with the General Medical Council (GMC), and licenced to practice
• Entered on the Specialist Register (or eligible for registration within six months of interview)
• FRCOphth or equivalent
• CCT in Ophthalmology
• Evidence of thorough and broad training and experience in all aspects of general Ophthalmology
• Competent in Surgical and Medical Paediatric ophthalmology and ROP Screening
• Competent in adult cataract surgery including training Juniors
• Able to take responsibility for delivering Paediatric ophthalmology service without direct supervision

Knowledge

• Knowledge and experience of Ophthalmology
• Broad range of IT skills
• Knowledge of evidence-based practice
• Understanding of clinical governance and the individual responsibilities it implies
• Knowledge of the principles of clinical audit and evidence of participation
• Participation in continuing professional development (CPD) scheme and, where relevant, evidence of participation
• Interest in teaching medical, nursing, and other groups of staff
• Experience of supervising trainee doctors, clinically and surgically
• Experience of teaching clinical skills to undergraduate medical students
• Experience of clinical or lab-based research with publications in peer reviewed journals
• Publication of audit results
• Ability to supervise research

Skills

• Ability to communicate effectively with clinical colleagues, colleagues in Ophthalmology, other specialties and support staff
• Good knowledge of, and ability to use, spoken and written English
• Ability to present effectively to an audience, using a variety of methods and to respond to questions
• Ability to develop effective working relationships on an individual and multi-disciplinary basis with all levels of staff
• Ability to be a flexible team member
• Ability to cope with and effectively organize the workload of a consultant
• Ability to practise independently as a consultant
• Ability to take responsibility and show evidence of leadershipAbility to help manage and lead the department balancing departmental and personal objectives
• Ability to demonstrate a commitment to work within Trust policies as guided by the Clinical Director
• Have a commitment to CME / CPD

Thank you for considering an application to work for Mersey West Lancashire NHS Trust. MWL is an exciting and forward-thinking NHS Trust who are one of the best places to work for in England.

Given sometimes we receive a high volume of applications to work for us, please be aware, that we may close a vacancy earlier than stated should a sufficient number of applications be received from which a shortlist can be confirmed. Therefore, you are advised to apply at your earliest convenience.

The Trust may contact you during the recruitment process for your feedback on your experience. We always aim for continuous improvement in our practice.

The Trust operates anonymous shortlisting where no personal information about you, including your name or personal details are shared with the recruiting manager. No equality information is shared at any time during the recruitment process with the recruiting manager or other people involved in the decision-making process.

Equality monitoring information you provide is used in the following situations: to review our recruitment practices; where a job is limited to a specific person to verify their eligibility to apply; and to offer disability reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process.
Certificate of Sponsorship

eVisa Update
For successful candidates on selected work and study visa routes, who have completed and paid for their applications will no longer receive a visa vignette in passport as evidence of their permission to enter the UK.
Instead, you will be issued with an eVisa only, which is accessed by creating a UKVI account.
Before travelling to the UK, we advise applicants to:

• Understand how to generate an eVisa share code

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

If this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service. Costs are deducted from salary following appointment.

If you have not already done so, you are therefore encouraged to enrol for the DBS Update Service to which a small annual fee of £13 per year applies.

Flexible Working

• All employees have the right to request flexible working from day one of employment.
• There is no limit on the number of requests they can make.
• Employees have the right to make requests, have them considered, regardless of the reason.

At Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, we will consider requests for flexible working. We would also encourage you to also discuss flexible working options at interview stage.

Working for Team MWL

Staff recognition is especially important to us; as well as performance reviews and appraisals, we recognise staff through Employee of the month. 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.

The Trust is a non-smoking across all our sites. Failure to follow this rule could lead to disciplinary action. For more information, see the Smoke Free NHS website.

You will be expected to undertake the Trusts' commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults.

You must ensure that your application, including personal statements and behaviour examples, are truthful and factually accurate. Please note plagiarism can include presenting the ideas and experience of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own.

The Trust will not accept applications which are found to be AI generated and will check all applications against AI detection software.

Good luck with your application. We hope to welcome you to Team MWL very soon.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.