Locum Consultant Ophthalmologist Special Interest in Cataract Surgery

King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Locum Consultant Ophthalmologist Special Interest in Cataract Surgery

The closing date is 16 April 2026

King's College Hospital's Queen Mary's Hospital Sidcup (QMS) and Princess Royal Farnborough sites, with potential work at other King's sites as appropriate.

Contract: Fixed term, full-time, clinical post for one year (extendable by mutual agreement).

This is a replacement locum consultant post. The remit of the postholder will be to work within the multi-disciplinary team providing and further developing care for cataract and general ophthalmology patients and to develop ophthalmic services to the Trust's cataract patients. In addition, the individual will be required to play an active role in the general workload of the Care Group while having a significant commitment to teaching and training of junior staff.

Main duties of the job

To provide consultant support focusing on delivering high volume cataract surgery. There may be a requirement to work at any of the Trust's sites depending on clinical and service need.

There is no fixed job plan as the post holder will be expected to cover vacancies in the cataract service due to annual and study leave. Depending on the demands of the service the post holder may be required to cover the emergency service or other clinical sessions as appropriate. There will be an average of eight clinical sessions per week, with the remainder being allocated for supporting professional and/or other activities. Currently there is no on call commitment.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide consultant support focusing on high volume cataract surgery.
• Play an active role in the general workload of the department.
• Significant commitment to teaching and training junior staff.
• Collaborate with service leadership and local clinical commissioning groups to develop and improve pathways for cataract surgery.
• Streamline processes to maximise theatre efficiency for ophthalmic surgery at Queen Mary's and Princess Royal University Hospitals.

Additional Information:

• No fixed job plan; expected to cover vacancies in the cataract service due to annual and study leave.
• May be required to cover the emergency service or other clinical sessions as needed.
• Average of eight clinical sessions per week, with remaining time allocated for supporting professional and/or other activities.

About us

King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is one of the UK's largest and busiest teaching trusts, with a turnover of £1.8bn per annum. We provide services across five hospitals in South East London and Kent: King's College Hospital, the Princess Royal University Hospital, Orpington Hospital, Queen Mary's Hospital Sidcup, and Beckenham Beacon. We employ nearly 14,000 staff who together treat over 1.5 million patients every year. Our teams are nationally and internationally recognised for work in liver disease and transplantation, neurosciences, cardiac, haematology oncology, fetal medicine, stroke, major trauma, and emergency medicine.

Job responsibilities

KEY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Provide a service for ophthalmology patients across all sites, including all aspects of treatment and relevant management duties for proper functioning of the department.
2. Share responsibility with other consultants for providing 24/7 cover for the unit on a rota basis, covering colleagues' annual leave and short term sickness.
3. Provide clinical supervision of junior medical staff as a shared responsibility with other consultant colleagues.
4. Carry out teaching, examination and accreditation duties as required and contribute to CPD and clinical governance initiatives.
5. Maintain outpatient clinic commitments in peripheral hospitals as agreed with the divisional management team.
6. Contribute to departmental research interests in accordance with the Trust's R&D framework.
7. Participate in audit programmes, morbidity and mortality, clinical governance programmes, and learning from deaths.
8. Take an active role in the formulation, implementation and monitoring of department/division business plans, including service developments with internal and external agencies.
9. Conduct all activities within the contracted level of service and operating plan for the service(s).
10. Exercise professional leadership for all staff working in the specialty, fostering and developing projects and ensuring continued professional education and appropriate training.
11. Work with clinical and professional colleagues to maintain staff productivity and job satisfaction, including involvement in the appraisal process for peers and/or junior colleagues.
12. Undertake divisional management duties as agreed with the divisional/departmental manager or clinical director.
13. Adhere to all Trust infection prevention and control policies, including hand hygiene, personal hygiene, environmental and food hygiene.
14. Prepare for and undertake protective interventions consistent with evidence based practice and patient safety standards.

Applicants must be fully registered with the GMC, hold a licence to practice, and be on the specialist register, or be within six months of attaining CCT or equivalent to be eligible for interview.

The postholder will have regular contact with vulnerable adults and/or children (0 18 years), so this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975; a Disclosure and Barring Service check is required.

Contact for further information or informal visits

Person Specification - Qualifications

• FRCOphth / MRCOphth or equivalent
• Other higher degree or diploma (e.g., MD or PhD)

Registration

• Full registration with GMC
• Name on GMC Ophthalmology Specialist Register on date of taking up appointment
• At interview, applicants must be within six months of CCT or must have fully completed CESR application and be fully registered; applications not meeting these criteria will not be considered.

Training and Experience

• Wide experience across all aspects of ophthalmology, culminating in award of Certificate of Completion of Training by GMC or Certificate of Eligibility for Specialty Registration (CESR) by GMC.
• Competence in performing high volume and complex cataract surgery.

Administration

• Experience in day to day organisation of ophthalmology services in a busy teaching hospital.
• Familiarity with information technology and general computer skills.
• Familiarity with current structure of the UK National Health Service and recent initiatives and changes.

Management and Leadership

• Capability to demonstrate leadership within multi disciplinary teams.
• Management course and/or qualification.

Audit and Quality Improvement

• Thorough understanding of medical audit principles; must have undertaken and completed audit projects.
• Audit publications.

Research and Publications

• Experience of clinical research.
• Publication of relevant review articles or case reports.
• Relevant research experience in one or more aspects of ophthalmology.

Teaching

• Experience of undergraduate and postgraduate teaching and exam preparation.
• Teaching skills course/qualification.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and will require a Disclosure and Barring Service check to check for previous criminal convictions.

£109,725 to £145,478 a year, excluding London Zone Allowance.