About this role
Job summary
This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced and motivated Advanced Nurse Practitioner to join the Ophthalmology service at Whipps Cross Hospital as Clinical Nurse Lead within the Eye Treatment Centre. The service includes a busy and dynamic Eye Casualty, delivering urgent and emergency ophthalmic care to a diverse patient population.
The post holder will play a pivotal role in delivering and leading high-quality, patient-centred care within the Eye Casualty Department. You will provide expert autonomous assessment, diagnosis and treatment for a wide range of urgent ophthalmic conditions, while improving patient flow across the service.
You will work closely with the Matron, Senior Nurse, Consultants, and multidisciplinary teams to ensure safe, effective, and compassionate care. You will lead the casualty nursing and ENP team day-to-day, supporting staff development, service improvement, and maintaining high standards of clinical practice.
This role offers an excellent opportunity for an advanced practitioner with significant ophthalmology experience to further develop leadership skills while continuing hands-on clinical practice.
Main duties of the job
The Lead Advanced Nurse Practitioner (ANP) provides expert, autonomous clinical assessment, diagnosis and treatment for patients presenting with urgent and emergency ophthalmic conditions at the Eye Treatment Centre. The role strengthens same-day access to specialist care, improves patient flow, and ensures timely, safe and compassionate treatment in line with Barts Health's WeCare values.
The postholder will use advanced clinical skills, specialist ophthalmic knowledge and independent prescribing to deliver high-quality patient-centred care, while contributing to service improvement, education, workforce development and leadership across the ophthalmology emergency pathway.
In addition to advanced clinical practice, the postholder will provide nursing leadership within the Eye Casualty team. This includes day-to-day staff coordination, visible leadership, contribution to rostering, staff supervision, and promoting a positive, safe and compassionate working environment. The ANP will act as the senior clinical nurse in the department, working closely with the Senior Nurse and Matron to support staff wellbeing, team performance and continuous improvement of care standards.
About us
Barts Health is one of the largest NHS trusts in the country, and one of Britain's leading healthcare providers.
Our vision is to be a high-performing group of NHS hospitals, renowned for excellence and innovation, and providing safe and compassionate care to our patients in east London and beyond. That means being a provider of excellent patient safety, known for delivering consistently high standards of harm-free care and always caring for patients in the right place at the right time. It also means being an outstanding place to work, in which our WeCare values and behaviours are visible to all and guide us in how we work together.
We strive to live by our WeCare values and are committed to promoting inclusion, where every staff member has a sense of belonging. We value our differences and fully advocate, cultivate and support an inclusive working environment.
Job description Job responsibilities
The full job description provides an overview of the key tasks and responsibilities of the role, and the person specification outlines the qualifications, skills, experience, and knowledge required. For both documents, please view the attachment/s below.
Person Specification
Qualifications Essential
oRegistered Nurse (NMC) oMaster's level qualification in Advanced Clinical Practice or working towards completion oRecognised ophthalmic qualification oEvidence of substantial ongoing professional development relevant to ophthalmology or emergency care oTeaching, mentorship or assessor qualification
Desirable
oLeadership or management qualification oPost-qualification modules in Ophthalmology ED, Cornea or Oculoplastics oCompletion of OPT Level 1-2 or equivalent ophthalmic competencies oAdditional specialist training (clinical or educational)
Experience Essential
oSignificant post-registration experience in ophthalmology, urgent care or emergency care settings oAutonomous clinical practice experience at an advanced level oSkilled in slit-lamp anterior and posterior segment examination oCompetent in intraocular pressure assessment (e.g., Goldmann, iCare, Tonopen) oExperience managing and discharging ophthalmic emergency, corneal or oculoplastic presentations independently oExperience interpreting ophthalmic investigations (OCT, topography, visual fields) oExperience teaching, supervising or supporting junior staff or learners oExperience contributing to audit, research, quality improvement or service evaluation oExperience working effectively within multidisciplinary teams
Desirable
oExperience in ophthalmology subspecialties (cornea, oculoplastics, emergency ophthalmology) oExperience undertaking minor ophthalmic procedures (e.g., lid procedures, corneal FB removal) oExperience contributing to pathway redesign or service development oExperience in research or academic activity
Knowledge Essential
oAdvanced knowledge of ophthalmic emergency conditions and their management oUnderstanding of investigation pathways (OCT, UBM, IOP measurement, imaging) oUnderstanding of investigation pathways (OCT, UBM, IOP measurement, imaging) oUnderstanding of relevant national ophthalmology standards (RCOphth, NICE, NHSE urgent eye care guidance) oKnowledge of NMC Code and professional accountability
Desirable
oKnowledge of service improvement methodology (e.g., QI tools, PDSA cycles) oUnderstanding of digital ophthalmology systems (Medisoft, OCT platforms, imaging software) oFamiliarity with Trust-level quality and safety frameworks
Skills Essential
oAdvanced ophthalmic clinical examination skills (slit-lamp, tonometry, fundoscopy) oAbility to triage, prioritise and make autonomous high-level clinical decisions oSkilled in performing and interpreting ophthalmic investigations oStrong written and verbal communication skills oAbility to lead and motivate nursing staff in a busy emergency environment oEffective negotiation, conflict resolution and influencing skills oStrong organisational and decision-making abilities oCompetent IT skills, including EPR systems and Microsoft Office 365 oAbility to work independently, using advanced clinical judgement oEvidence of reflective practice and commitment to lifelong learning
Desirable
oCompetency in advanced ophthalmic procedures (e.g., minor lid surgery, Botox, cross-linking) oStrong data analysis or audit interpretation skills oAdvanced presentation or teaching skills
People and people development Essential
oAbility to support, guide and develop nursing staff within a clinical setting oAbility to provide constructive feedback and support performance improvement oDemonstrated ability to motivate and act as a role model oAbility to promote effective teamwork and a positive team culture oConfident in supporting induction, supervision and competency assessment oAbility to support staff wellbeing in a busy emergency environment
Desirable
oExperience delivering clinical supervision oExperience contributing to staff retention or workforce development initiatives
Other Essential
oAbility to work under pressure while maintaining professionalism and resilience oAbility to adapt to rapidly changing clinical demands oExcellent interpersonal skills enabling effective conflict management oHigh-level verbal and written communication oMeets occupational health requirements for clinical practice oAbility to travel to other Trust sites if required
Desirable
oAbility to network across regional ophthalmology or emergency care forums oExperience representing a service at internal or external meetings
Disclosure and Barring Service Check This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Certificate of Sponsorship Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Employer details Employer name Barts Health NHS Trust
Address Whipps Cross University Hospital
London
E11 1NR
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.bartshealth.nhs.uk (Opens in a new tab)