Band 6 Nurse Acute Eye Service in Carshalton

Main area Ophthalmology Grade Band 6 Contract Permanent Hours Part time - 30 hours per week (No weekends/BH or nights.) Job ref 343-8175273-RB-SK

Site St Helier Town Carshalton Salary £45,953 - £54,254 pa Inclusive of HCAS Salary period Yearly Closing 18/08/2026 23:59

At Epsom and St Helier Hospitals, above all we value respect. We put respect at the heart of all we do, by living up to our shared behaviours of kindness, professionalism, positivity and teamwork. This enables us to provide great patient care and make ESTH a great place to work. When you sign up to work with us, you sign up to this and we welcome applicants who share our values.

Job overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Nurse Clinical Specialist in the Acute Eye Service to join the Eye Unit Outpatients team at St Helier Hospital.

Experience in ophthalmic nursing is essential due to the nature of the role.

The successful candidate will need to be enthusiastic, self-motivated and have good communication skills and will work together to the Band 8 AES AP nurse and band 5 AES nurse to provide excellent care for patients presenting with acute eye problems.

The post holder will ensure provision of and be accountable for, the delivery of an efficient, high quality and caring clinical service across Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust, which meets service and client requirements and encompasses a wide range of specialist expertise and client groups.

If providing excellent nursing care and getting the basics right are important to you, this could be the ideal role for you!

Main duties of the job

• Responsible for supervising and coordinating junior members of staff
• Expected to partake in clinical activity such as: Acute Eye Service triage, telephone triage, coordinating care and working together with the AES clinicians
• Expected to oversee the clinical activity in the AES in absence of the department manager
• Expected to ensure that nursing care is patient focused and that patient dignity and privacy are maintained at all times
• Taking an active role in maintaining effective communication with all disciplines, patients and relatives

Specific ophthalmic nursing duties will include:

• Visual Acuity including distant (all types) and near vision test
• Good knowledge of anatomy and physiology of globe and surrounding structures
• Patient education specific to compliance issues i.e. drop / ointment instillation and pre-op preparation in specific clinics
• Care of ophthalmic instruments and sterilisation issues
• Working in the clean rooms assisting clinicians with intravitreal injections and minor operations such as removal of chalazions- desirable
• Autorefraction and Focimetry
• Ocular hygiene and post-operative first dressings
• Ocular swab
• History taking and triage

Working for our organisation

St George’s, Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals and Health Group cares for a population of four million people in South West London and North East Surrey. Our sites include St George’s Hospital, one of 11 major trauma centres in the UK and the largest healthcare provider and major teaching hospital in the area; St Helier Hospital, home to the South West Thames Renal and Transplantation Unit and Queen Mary's Hospital for Children; and Epsom Hospital, home to the South West London Elective Orthopaedic Centre (SWLEOC).

After years of collaboration, our two Trusts became a hospitals group in 2021. While remaining as two separate Trusts, being a hospitals group will help us to collaborate more closely on research, and the development, education, and training of our 17,000-strong workforce.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please refer to attached job description, and person specification, for a full list of the main duties.

Person specification

Qualifications

• Registered General Nurse
• Evidence of CPD in Ophthalmology or acute eye service
• Post-graduate Ophthalmic Qualification

Experience

• Extensive experience - registration experience in Ophthalmology or Acute Eye Service

Knowledge

• Strong knowledge of Ophthalmic Anatomy, conditions, and treatment
• Competent in slit lamp examination, visual acuity and IOP measurement

Skills

• Good verbal and written skills
• Interpersonal & communication skills

management

• Understanding of the principles of working within a team

Safeguarding and DBS Checks
We are committed to safeguarding children and vulnerable adults. For roles with direct access to these groups, an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check will be required. All staff are expected to understand and uphold their safeguarding responsibilities as part of their role.

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.

Application numbers

This vacancy may have an application cap.