Vitreoretinal Fellow in Ophthalmology

Employer heading Vitreoretinal Fellow in Ophthalmology Fellow ST3-8 Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is one of the busiest and largest NHS hospital trusts in the country. We have around 16,000 staff and an annual budget of £1.7 billion. With strong history of providing high quality care, clinical excellence, research and innovation regionally, nationally and internationally, we’re in the top five providers of specialised health services in the country. As well as providing a wide range of hospital and community services, we support people with a range of rare and complex medical, surgical and neurological conditions, cancers and genetic orders. We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and recognise the benefit in providing an inclusive environment. We value and respect the diversity of our employees and aim to recruit a workforce which reflects the communities we serve, and is equipped to deliver the best service to our patients. We welcome all applications irrespective of people’s race, disability, sex, sexual orientation, religion or belief, age, gender identity, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity and in particular those from under- represented groups. Newcastle Hospitals are proud to be one of the exemplar organisations across the NHS on sustainability, with a long history of delivering Sustainable Healthcare in Newcastle (Shine) and the first healthcare organisation in the world to declare a climate emergency. Our strategy includes commitments to being Net Zero by 2030, for our direct carbon footprint, and Net Zero by 2040 for our footprint plus. Delivering these ambitions will not be possible without the help, support and action of every single member of our team. Job Overview We are delighted to be able to offer opportunities for highly motivated ambitious individuals to join a well-integrated team within the Department of Ophthalmology, in the post of Vitreoretinal Fellow. The post is available from November 2026 for 12 months. This post will be of interest to those who are looking to gain further experience in all areas of vitreoretinal and cataract surgery, including complex cases, advanced techniques and the use of the 3D viewing system. Candidates seeking CESR are welcome to apply and discuss their requirements. In addition to the challenges of the role, we can offer you a commitment to teaching, education, research and audit. Main duties of the job For an informal discussion and further information regarding the opportunity please contact: Mr. Sandro Di Simplicio, Consultant Vitreoretinal Surgeon via email at sandro.disimplicio@nhs.net Working for our organisation As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us and for our patients, and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement. If it works for the service, we will do our best to make it work for you. With around 2 million contacts with patients every year, we deliver care from: Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI) Freeman Hospital Newcastle Dental Hospital Cramlington Manor Walks Urgent treatment centres Newcastle Fertility Centre Northern Centre for Cancer Care, North Cumbria Northern Genetics Service These include a range of flagship services which deliver cutting-edge care (supported by state-of-the-art diagnostic services in both radiology and pathology) and are a catalyst for innovation to support pioneering clinical practice in the NHS. We also have offices at Regent Point in Gosforth and community sites. Please see attached information on what Staff Benefits we have to offer at our Trust under ‘Documents to download’ or ‘Supporting documents’. For further information on The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust please visit: Careers | Newcastle Hospitals | NHS | Newcastle Hospitals and Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Detailed Job Description And Main Responsibilities The timetable involves all aspects of surgical retina with general medical retina, AMD and diabetic clinics. There is one general session and four to five theatre lists. There may be flexibility in some of the sessions to cover a specific training need if required. VR on call commitment 1:2 (weekdays) and 1:4 roughly (week-ends), but no general on call. Person specification Education And Qualifications Essential criteria Primary Medical Qualification. Full GMC registration. Desirable criteria MD/PhD or equivalent. Completion of core ophthalmology training. Clinical Skills and Knowledge Essential criteria Good history & examination skills. Ability to formulate a working diagnosis and order appropriate investigations. Independent cataract surgery with more than 300 procedures done, able to perform independent laser for retinopexy. Desirable criteria More than 3 years’ experience of ophthalmology. Previous NHS experience. Previous experience of surgical retina. Maintaining Clinical Competence Essential criteria Written evidence of satisfactory training to date e.g. workplace assessments. Teaching Essential criteria Experience of teaching undergraduate medical students & Foundation Doctors. Clinical Governance, Audit and Research Essential criteria Completed audit. Understanding of research principles. Desirable criteria Evidence of research projects. Important note on completion of reference section of Application Form All references from current and previous employers will be sought and must cover a minimum of 3 years employment. Therefore, when completing the reference section of your application form, please give the address, telephone number and work email address of each of your current/previous line managers that cover 3 years employment. Failure to complete this section may result in your application not being processed. Please note it is a requirement of The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust that all successful candidates who require a DBS for the post they have been offered pay for their DBS certificate. The method of payment is a salary deduction from your first month’s pay. Candidates who are shortlisted for interview will be contacted by e-mail. You should check your SPAM folders as well as your inbox. If you have not been contacted within 4 weeks of the closing date you should assume your application has been unsuccessful. Employer certification / accreditation badges Applicant requirements 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. Documents to download Job description (PDF, 692.0KB) Newcastle Staff Benefits (PDF, 274.4KB) Behaviour and Civility Charter (PDF, 93.8KB) Apply online now Further details / informal visits contact Name Victoria Cowan Job title HR Advisor Email address victoria.cowan2@nhs.net