Scrub Nurse in Newcastle upon Tyne

Newmedica is one of the leading providers of NHS ophthalmology services in England, delivering outpatient appointments, diagnostic testing and eye surgery to change lives through better sight and eye health.

We’re proud to have been certified as a Great Place to Work for the third year running and listed among the UK’s top 30 Best Workplaces™ for 2026 recognition that reflects how colleagues feel about working here.

Our Purpose is to change lives through better sight and eye health, and our Vision is to end avoidable sight loss in every community we serve; we live our values every day; Commercial, Courageous, Compassion, Collaborative and Curious.

Role overview

We are looking for a new Scrub Nurse / Practitioner to join our Newcastle site. Scrub Nurses /Practitioners are an integral part of our theatre teams and will undertake a variety of duties. You’ll be setting the theatre up ready to accommodate patients. We can typically see a high volume of patients each day in our high-volume cataract surgery provision, so you’ll thrive working in an efficient and fast-paced environment.

This is a bank, zero hour contract role.

You’ll provide a competent scrub provision, supporting the surgeon through the daily theatre list, anticipating any potential problems and resolving these. At the end of the day, you’ll help clean down the theatre and in all you do you’ll ensure the highest standards are met in terms of patient safety, clinical compliance and hygiene levels.

Aside from providing Scrub services in the theatre, you'll also undertake medicine management and audit duties as well as maintaining accurate patient records. You'll manage clinical waste and ensure the correct disposal procedures are implemented. The thought of eye surgery can be a daunting prospect for patients to deal with, so our Scrub Nurses need to be empathetic and friendly and able to put patients at ease and help them feel comfortable during their time in surgery.

What skills and experience do I need?

You need to be a fully qualified Registered Nurse or Operating Department Practitioner and need a current registration with the NMC or HCPC.

In an ideal world you will already have ophthalmic experience in a theatre setting. If not in most cases we can teach this, as long as you already have extensive theatre scrub experience. The ideal candidate will have the ability to set up for vitrectomy surgery, have a full understanding of Phaco Instrumentation and have a working knowledge of Biometry/Lens bank/Implants.

Alongside the mandatory qualifications the following things will be advantageous:

• Previous hospital eye service or private eye clinic experience
• Knowledge of clinical practice and aware of current developments in Optometry
• Capable of working in a fast paced, high-volume theatre setting
• Experience of supporting the surgeon during theatre - problem solving and issue resolution
• The training and coaching of others
• The desire for and commitment to continuous professional development
• A competent user of computer systems and programmes
• An excellent grasp of the English language both verbally and in written format
• A good team player - happy to jump in and support others when required

What we’re offering

• A salary of £250 per day
• An environment where you're learning and development is supported through a range of various learning tools and courses.
• Working with a friendly multi-disciplinary team passionate about improving the lives of our patients
• A bright, spacious and modern working environment, built to the highest standards