Job Advert
NHS HIGHLAND / NHS ORKNEY / NHS WESTERN ISLES
Raigmore Hospital, Inverness / Balfour Hospital, Kirkwall / Western Isles Hospital, Stornoway
Global Citizen Consultant General Ophthalmologist
Ref: MS12021954
Applications are sought for a Consultant post in General Ophthalmology with an interest in Global Health, and remote and rural working. The post will be split between Raigmore Hospital (Inverness), Balfour Hospital (Kirkwall, Orkney), Western Isles Hospital (Stornoway, Isle of Lewis), and one or more overseas postings. It is assumed that Raigmore Hospital will be the base unit for the purposes of travel.
Successful applicants will be able to live and travel in a beautiful part of Scotland, and contribute to the growth of the local community. You will be supported to thrive as a clinician, and you will benefit from preservation of pension, and the security of being an employee with access to appraisal and revalidation support. The overseas activity will be captured in your Job Plan alongside work in NHS Scotland. You will have the support of the Global Health Academy, which can identify projects for you to join overseas, or can assist in travel and visa arrangements for self-directed projects. The Global Health Academy has substantial experience in managing health partnership programmes including; preparation for work abroad, travel and work risk analysis, assessment and mitigation strategies and support, specialist support service with insurance, health and safety policies and safeguards, safeguarding policies, information security policy, alongside support when working within one of the main University Global Health Academy global programmes.
Opportunities for developing shared research between hospitals and rural populations and across LMIs, and/or to engage in online global health teaching and research programmes is also supported and encouraged. By taking up this opportunity, you can help improve access to health both locally and globally. You will also have opportunities to benefit from the training, support, networks and professional development available through the NHS and the Global Health Academy.
The NHS Scotland units include some of the most beautiful countryside in the country, as well as world-class facilities. Orkney was voted the happiest place to live in the UK. It offers low pollution, low crime, excellent leisure facilities, unique wildlife and amazing scenery. Orkney lies off the northern coast of Scotland, between John O'Groats and the Shetland Isles. The total population is approximately 22,000 with most people living on the main island. Kirkwall, the capital, with a population of 7,500, it is the administrative centre of Orkney, and has a good mix of shops, supermarkets and businesses. Access to the islands is by both air and ferry. Kirkwall has several flights a day connecting to the mainland. Homes are very affordable, the island has good coverage with high speed broadband, and there is very little traffic.
The Western Isles are located 40 miles off the north west coast of Scotland, and are 130 miles long from the Butt of Lewis in the north to the Isle of Barra in the south. The population of the Western Isles is approximately 26,500, and the islands are famed for their staggering beauty. There is easy access to the mainland by air and ferry, with regular flights between Stornoway and Glasgow, Edinburgh and Inverness.
NHS Highland offers many positive lifestyle opportunities, combining the benefits of rural living (including; snow sports, hill walking, kayaking and cycling), with those of city life in Inverness, which provides access to good shops, restaurants and theatres. Transport connections are excellent with a mainline railway station (including the Highland Sleeper service to London Euston), and the recently expanded Inverness Airport offering direct flights to a number of key destinations, including; London (Heathrow, Gatwick and Luton), Amsterdam (Schiphol), Manchester, Bristol, Birmingham, Dublin, Belfast City, and many of the Scottish islands. NHS Highland care for a population of 320,000, and the main hub, Raigmore Hospital (463 beds), covers the majority of medical and surgical specialties and is the cancer treatment centre for the Highlands and Western Isles. It is a training hospital for nursing, midwifery, pharmacy and medical students in association with the universities of Stirling, Aberdeen and Dundee.
Exciting plans have recently been approved for a purpose-built Elective Care Centre in Inverness, due for completion in Autumn 2022. This will provide a completely new facility for the management of ophthalmic and orthopaedic patients, and is located on the Inverness Campus, a 5.5 hectare site shared with the University of the Highlands and Islands, and a designated enterprise area for life sciences. The new unit will double the physical size of the department, and ensure world-class facilities and adequate capacity is available for the population of the north west of Scotland for at least 15 years.
The job is advertised on a 10 PA basis, though applications for part time/flexible working will be considered. The details of the rota can be adapted to suit the applicant, and sessions will be annualised. By way of guidance the following is offered as an example of the annual Job Plan;
NHS Highland 16 weeks (4 clinics, 3 theatres, 3 administrative/SPA) per week
NHS Orkney 12 weeks (3 clinics, 2 theatres, 3 administrative/SPA, 2 travel) per week
NHS Western Isles 4 weeks (3 clinics, 2 theatres, 3 administrative/SPA, 2 travel) per week
Overseas 10 weeks
A job pack for this post can be accessed at https://apply.jobs.scot.nhs.uk/
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Closing date for completed applications: 2nd June 2020
For useful information on the Highlands please go to www.enterprisinghighland.com