Vitreo-Retinal Surgical Fellowship
Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS TrustHere at Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust we’re committed to recruiting and supporting a diverse workforce and we welcome applications from all parts of the community. We are committed to having a team that is made up of diverse skills, experiences and abilities whilst employing people to our organisation who meet our Trust values of ambition, respect and compassion. With the opening of our new hospital, Midland Metropolitan University Hospital, it’s the coming together of expertise from every corner of our organisation and a show of our commitment to provide better healthcare and create more jobs and so much more. We at the Trust actively encourage Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) and disabled applicants, as well as members of the armed forces community and value the positive impact that difference has on our teams. We are committed to equality and diversity within our workforce.
Job overview
The trust is looking to appoint to 2 Vitreo Retinal Fellow posts.
One post starting from February 2026 for a period of 12 months.
One post starting from August 2026 for a period of 12 months.
This is a clinical fellowship with the Vitreo-retinal Consultants Mr AK Tyagi, Mr A Sharma, Mr KS Lett, Mr A Mitra and Mr. S Ch’ng. It is suitable for post CCT UK trainees or suitably qualified overseas trainees offering opportunities to gain extensive sub-specialty experience in Vitreo-retinal surgery.
Any candidate who, for personal reasons, is unable to work full-time will be eligible to be considered for the post. For further information regarding the trust, please visit our website at www.swbh.nhs.uk
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The post is designed to provide comprehensive training in Vitreo-Retinal surgery and comprises specialist Vitreo-Retinal clinics and theatre sessions under supervision of the VR Consultants. The post holder will be one of three trainees undergoing higher sub-speciality training in Vitreo-Retinal surgery. As experience is gained, increasing responsibility is given so that some Vitreo-Retinal surgery is carried out unsupervised and in an emergency setting out of hours by the trainee (although there is always a Vitreo-Retinal Consultant available for advice). The post holder along with the other VR Fellows is expected to receive and coordinate referrals from referring hospitals and provide weekend on call cover for emergency VR cases, along with the Consultant. The post holder will rotate between firms during the course of the year.
Working for our organisation
Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust (SWB) serves Birmingham and the Black Country – one of the country’s most culturally diverse areas. It’s a friendly and welcoming place – a place where you can belong, and a place where you can grow.
We care for our patients, we care about our population, and we care about our people.
Our values – Ambition, Respect and Compassion – are at the heart of who we are. They guide us every step of the way; how we work with each other, and how we look after our patients and their families; how we respect and value the rich diversity of our team and our community.
Our Trust has always aspired to be more than a hospital, more than a healthcare provider. Our purpose is to “Improve the Life Chances and Health Outcomes of our Population.” It is what inspires, drives, and unites us every day. It’s what makes us unique.
We want working at SWB to feel like more than just a job. We want our Trust to be a place where you can feel you belong. A place where you feel happy, safe, and rewarded. A place where you can develop your career in whatever way you choose. When we say we’re ‘with you all the way’ we want you to know that we mean it. Visit the SWB website to find out more about our ambitions and people plans.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
For more information on the job role and responsibilities, please refer to the Job Description attached.
Multi-site working
The four partner Trusts of the Black Country Provider Collaborative (Dudley Group NHS FT, Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, Sandwell & West Birmingham NHS Trust, and Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust) are actively working in partnership to deliver a collective vision focused on providing "better, faster and safer care to the population of the Black Country and beyond".
To support this vision, we are (where appropriate and safe to do so) actively looking at new models of care which:
· Better protect elective / planned care service delivery across the system by organising on a 'hot and cold' arrangement
· Consider the optimal use of resources through consolidation and specialisation, and
· Seek to reduce unwarranted variance, level up / standardise care through a 'Networked Service Solution' approach across the four sites
Against this context, although this post is hosted by Sandwell & West Birmingham NHS Trust, there may be an expectation to work flexibly across the four partner Trusts to better meet patient and service needs.
As a major employer in the Black Country and West Birmingham region we are committed to supporting all employees to achieve a healthy work life balance. We want the Black Country and West Birmingham region to be the best place to work and as such will consider all requests to work flexibly taking into account personal and individual circumstances alongside the needs of the service. We encourage all prospective applicants to discuss their individual circumstances with the Recruiting Manager as part of the on-boarding process.
Healthcare services have a significant impact on the environment. We are committed to embedding sustainable practices. We expect all colleagues to support the delivery of our Green Strategic Plan and to drive positive changes in their department by joining our Green Impact programme.