Specialist Doctor - Ophthalmology (1 year fixed term)

Specialist Doctor - Ophthalmology (1 year fixed term)

Specialist Doctor

Main area Ophthalmology Grade Specialist Doctor Contract 1 year (1 year fixed term post) Hours Full time - 10 sessions per week (Plus on-call) Job ref 426-491-26MP

Site The Queen Elizabeth Hospital Town King's Lynn Salary £104,401 - £115,341 plus on call Salary period Yearly Closing 07/10/2026 23:59

Job overview

An opportunity has arisen for a Specialist Doctor to join our Ophthalmology team.

We work in a friendly team atmosphere with a diverse population in North West Norfolk. We are a team that listens and works together to achieve excellence for our patients.

If you feel that you want to be part of this exciting department, with additional flexibility of developing and incorporating services within the existing infrastructure then come and join us!

Main duties of the job

Provide high-quality ophthalmology services across outpatient, surgical, and emergency care settings, delivering safe and effective patient-centred care.

Assess, diagnose, and manage patients presenting with a broad range of ophthalmic conditions in accordance with national and local clinical guidelines.

Undertake outpatient clinics, IVT's, laser clinics

Participate fully in the departmental 1st on call rota, including emergency and urgent ophthalmology services as required.

Working for our organisation

The Queen Elizabeth Hospital King’s Lynn NHS Foundation Trust provides acute, specialist, maternity and community services for around 375,000 people across West and North Norfolk, North Cambs and South Lincs. We are united in delivering safe, high‑quality and compassionate care.
Each year, our teams support tens of thousands of patients, including over 94,000 Emergency Department attendances, more than 25,000 day‑case procedures, nearly 32,000 elective and non‑elective inpatients, and over 1,700 births across 22 wards and around 500 beds.
As part of the Norfolk and Waveney University Hospitals Group, we work closely with partner hospitals to share expertise, innovate and create new opportunities for collaboration, learning and career development.
We are helping shape the future of local healthcare, with plans for new state‑of‑the‑art hospitals in King’s Lynn and Gorleston through the Government’s New Hospital Programme, and ongoing digital investment such as implementing an electronic patient record.
The QEH holds teaching hospital status and is research active, recruiting more than 1,800 participants to NIHR portfolio studies last year. Rated ‘Good’ by the CQC in Caring, Well‑Led and Effective, with Maternity Services also rated ‘Good’, and with around 4,000 staff and volunteers, we offer a strong community ethos and a focus on learning, wellbeing and development. The QEH is a place where your contribution matters — and where you can help shape the future of healthcare.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

For further information and details of this post, please refer to the Job Description and Person Specification.

Person specification

Qualifications

• MBBS or equivalent medical qualification.
• FRCOphth or equivalent

Entry Criteria

• Full Registration and a licence to practise with the General Medical Council.
• Completed a minimum of 12 years’ medical work (either continuous period or in aggregate) since obtaining a primary medical qualification of which a minimum of six years should have been in Ophthalmology in the Specialty Doctor and/or closed SAS grades. Equivalent years’ experience in a relevant specialty from other medical grades including from overseas will also be accepted
• Able to deal with Ophthalmic emergencies
• Competence in pre-operative and post-operative management of general surgical patients.

Professional Values & Behaviours, Skills and Knowledge

• Practises with the professional values and behaviours expected of all doctors as set out in GMC Good Medical Practice and the Generic Professional Capabilities Framework
• Demonstrates the underpinning subject-specific competences i.e., knowledge, skills and behaviours relevant to the role setting and scope.

Applications are welcome from anyone who meets the criteria specified in the person specification regardless of age, gender, disability, race, ethnicity, religion, belief, sexual orientation or other personal circumstances. Only those applicants who demonstrate in the application form how they meet the criteria in the person specification will be shortlisted for interview. We not only recruit employees based on their qualifications and experience, but we also recruit individuals who possess and can demonstrate the behaviours which underpin our core values (attached).

By applying for this post, you are agreeing to the transfer of information in the application form to Trac jobs & if you are offered a job your personal information will be transferred into the NHS Electronic Staff Records (ESR) system. Please check your email account including your junk folder, regularly for communication regarding this vacancy.

We offer our staff a wide range of benefits and support including:

• Flexible working opportunities
• Free counselling service
• Access to Stream - an app-based service that provides instant earned wage access*
• Support and advice for staff affected by either Perimenopause or Menopause
• Opportunity to join our Staff Networks which include Armed Forces, REACH (Race, Ethnicity and Culture Heritage), Disability and LGBTQ+ networks.

We are committed to being a menopause friendly employer.

Please note due to high volume of applications for some posts, this post may close before the displayed closing date. We recommend that you apply for this role asap.

Certificates of Sponsorship / Visa and Immigration

Although the salary for Band 3+posts is expected to meet the applicable UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) salary threshold from December 2026 and maytherefore be eligible for Skilled Worker visa sponsorship, (subject to the immigration rules in force at the time of application) applicants are responsible for checking their own eligibility against the relevant immigration requirements. The availability of sponsorship and any visa application remain subject to UKVI rules and approval. If you are not eligible, any offer of employment already made may be withdrawn.

Please note that all Nursing and Healthcare Assistant (HCA) vacancies require a face-to-face interview.

If you require sponsorship to work in this role including where you are currently sponsored, and wish to change employer, please review the Skilled Worker visa eligibility criteria before applying. Further information is available on the Government website: https://www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa/your-job.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Applications

We encourage applicants to ensure that applications accurately reflect their own skills, experience, achievements and motivations. While AI and other digital tools can support drafting and proofreading, applications should be written in a way that genuinely represents the individual applicant.

During our assessment process, we are looking to understand your personal knowledge, experience and suitability for the role. Applications that relyon AI-generated content may not provide an accurate reflection of your capabilities and could make it more difficult for us to assess your suitability fairly or accurately during the interview process.

We encourage candidates to take the time to prepare accurate applications using their own examples and experiences, enabling a fair and transparent recruitment process for all applicants.

Important Notice for Applicants

The Queen Elizabeth Hospital King's Lynn NHS Foundation Trust is committed to safe and fair recruitment practices. We do not charge any fees for applications, recruitment processes, sponsorship arrangements or offers of employment. All vacancies are advertised through our official recruitment channels and all recruitment communications will come from authorised Trust representatives using official contact details. If you are asked to make a payment, provide banking information, or have concerns about the authenticity of a recruitment communication, please contact our Recruitment Team for verification before taking any action.

For Overseas Applicants

Please be aware that fraudulent organisations and individuals sometimes falsely claim to represent NHS employers. The Trust will never request payment for employment opportunities, Certificates of Sponsorship, recruitment administration, or visa support. Applicants should only rely on information published on the Trust's official website and recruitment systems.

The Trust reserves the right to review applications from former employees and may take previous employment history into account as part of the selection process.

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.