Job overview

This is an exciting and rare opportunity to join a thriving, and expanding, paediatric ophthalmology department in a prestigious children’s hospital in the United Kingdom.  This new, additional post is timed with an increase in theatre capacity of an additional 5 theatre sessions per week, requiring consultant leadership.

Our department is on a growth-trajectory which we are seeing very clearly in a number of areas: demand for our training positions, increased referrals for patient care, increased complexity of the case-mix. We have benefitted from trust investment in our out-patient area and theatre capacity, and anticipate this continuing over the medium term. 

This post is for a full time substantive consultant paediatric ophthalmologist.  The candidate will have a skill set to support the existing team. Birmingham Women’s & Children’s Hospital provides a wide range of regional, specialist and sub-specialist services for the locality, region and country and we are looking for the suitable individual to be able to support our current service and provide resilience, and provide high quality care for the children in our service. There is a readiness to support the appropriate individual after appointment with additional training if required so that the individual will practice independently and as a peer within our team.

We are able to support the new consultant with appropriate orthoptic, optometry, fellow and administrative support.

This new post is for an additional substantive consultant paediatric ophthalmologist with a skill set to complement the existing team. Our theatre capacity is expanding and we are in a position to support additional theatre and clinical activity.

We are looking for a colleague to add vivacity, resilience and bring new perspectives to further enhance children’s eye care at Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospital.

The department comprises four full-time consultants, one part-time and a number of visiting consultants who deliver the full range of children’s eye care services. Supra-regional ophthalmic services include complex paediatric cataract, glaucoma, oculoplastics, neuro-ophthalmology, medical and surgical retina, retinopathy of prematurity, genetic eye disease, uveitis, and one of two national retinoblastoma treatment services. We contribute to many multidisciplinary supra-regional services including craniofacial, metabolic, Bardet-Biedl, Behcet’s, Von Hippel Lindau and epidermolysis bullosa.  We have a thriving international fellowship programme with four post-CCT fellows and two deanery trainees. Our orthoptic and optometry departments are also expanding in staff numbers, and reaching beyond our footprint and into the community. They work innovatively, contributing high levels of expertise in both core and extended roles.

For further information or to arrange an informal visit please contact Miss Sally Painter (Clinical Lead), Mr M V Parulekar, Mr S Gurney, or Mr J Abbott; Consultant Ophthalmologists on (+44) 0121 333 9464, or Katerina Mappouras, Head Orthoptist.

Main duties of the job

There are core clinical responsibilities and duties which will be expected to be fulfilled following appointment including:

·         Shared core clinical activities: triaging referrals, liaising with colleagues around the trust, communicating with families, GPs, social services. Managing out-patient clinics, in-patient review clinics and operating lists in conjunction with administrative team.

·         Delivery of the following services: secondary care ophthalmology, strabismus service, paediatric cataract, non-complex paediatric oculoplastics, retinopathy of prematurity screening and treatments

·         Working collaboratively with administrative team to deliver high quality care.

·         Supervision of resident and fellow doctors in clinic, in theatre and in the delivery of care for inpatients.

·         Full participation in processes which will steer the future direction of the department including attendance at departmental meetings, clinical governance events, ‘away days’, GP-educational events etc.

·         Cover for colleagues in their absence, with reciprocal cover in return.

·         Deliver education for deanery and post-CCT fellows including in-post and patient-centred education, didactic teaching and appraisal/assessment of trainees as guided by West Midlands School of ophthalmology and BWCH Fellowship Director.

·         Continued professional development with attendance at conferences, research meetings and independent learning.

Working for our organisation

Birmingham Women's and Children's NHS Foundation Trust is the first of its type in the UK. Our Trust was formed in February 2017 to drive forward our commitment to provide the highest quality, world-class physical and mental health care for our women, children and families. Uniting our hospitals means more seamless care; more investment to make greater advances in our specialist treatment and world-leading neo-natal and fetal work. Importantly, it also gives us a greater voice in shaping the future of family-centred care.

Birmingham Children's Hospital is a UK leading specialist paediatric centre with an international reputation in several areas.

Birmingham Women's Hospital is one of two dedicated women's hospitals in the UK, with the busiest single site maternity unit, delivering more than 8,200 babies a year offering a full range of gynaecological, maternity and neonatal care. 

Parkview Clinic is a Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service Mental Health (CAMHS) facility in Moseley, for young people aged 11-18 years who require admission due to significant psychiatric difficulties.

Our Trust is committed to creating the best place to work. We believe in promoting and enhancing inclusion, diversity and equality and encourage applications from all areas of the community, who meet the criteria for the role, regardless of age, gender identity, disability, race, religion or sexual orientation.