Optometrist Specialist | East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust

East Kent Hospitals NHS Trust; Canterbury; On-site; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A regional healthcare provider in Canterbury is seeking a compassionate individual for an extended clinical role within their Optometric Services Team. The candidate will manage triage and conduct assessments in the urgent eye service among other responsibilities. Training will be provided for various roles including paediatric refractions and possible glaucoma service involvement. This position is critical to enhancing patient care in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• Experience in managing patient consultations.
• Knowledge of ophthalmic conditions and treatments.
• Willingness to undergo training in glaucoma services.

Responsibilities

• Triage and manage patients in the urgent eye service.
• Conduct paediatric cycloplegic refraction.
• Assist in training of staff and clinical audits.

Skills

Compassionate patient care

Clinical assessment

Triage skills

Optometric examination

Job description

Are you passionate about patient care? Do you want to expand your clinical knowledge and experience? Do you want to work with a fantastic multi-disciplinary team? We are looking for an enthusiastic, motivated and compassionate individual to work in an extended clinical role in our Optometric Services Team within Ophthalmology in East Kent.

The post will involve triage and managing patients in the urgent eye service, paediatric refractions, specialist contact lens fitting, virtual glaucoma review and much more. Our clinics generally run Monday to Friday between 8am and 6pm.

The specific extended roles we are currently recruiting are:

• Acute eye referral triage/advice and assessment of patients as part of the Urgent Eye Service team at the William Harvey Hospital, Ashford (training will be provided for this role)
• Paediatric cycloplegic refraction and fundus examination at William Harvey Hospital in Ashford and Royal Victoria Hospital in Folkestone with autonomous clinical management plan.
• Possible training in the glaucoma service including face to face independent optometrist clinics and virtual review.
• Optometric examination of patients enrolled with clinical trials at EKHUFT
• Assist in the training of Ophthalmic Technicians and other staff as necessary
• Assist in the collection of data for Clinical Audit, when requested

We are one of the largest hospital trusts in England, with five hospitals and community clinics serving a local population of around 800,000 people. Our vision is 'great healthcare from great people'. Everything we do is guided by our values: 'People feel cared for, safe, respected and confident that we are making a difference’. We have a new way of working at East Kent Hospitals, called 'We care'. It's about empowering frontline staff to lead improvements day-to-day. We're looking for compassionate people to be part of our improvement journey for the patients, families and carers we care for every day.

Please note that this advert closes on Friday 10 Oct 2025. For further information, please refer to the full Job Description and Person Specification.