Ophthalmology Failsafe Officer (XN04)

Be part of something that truly matters. Join one of the UK's largest and most forward-thinking NHS Trusts in a role where your attention to detail directly protects patients and saves sight.

Based at the renowned St James's University Hospital, the Ophthalmology Failsafe Officer is a pivotal position within our Ophthalmology Service one that sits at the heart of patient safety.

This isn't just an administrative role. You'll work shoulder-to-shoulder with clinicians, operational managers and multidisciplinary teams to monitor critical care pathways, identify gaps before they become risks, and take decisive action that makes a real difference to real people. Your contributions will directly shape quality improvement, service efficiency, and compliance with national standards.

You'll thrive here if you are:

• Highly organised, methodical and detail-driven
• Confident analysing data and navigating patient tracking systems
• Proactive, solutions-focused and calm under pressure
• A skilled communicator who builds trust across diverse teams
• Genuinely passionate about patient safety and continuous improvement

If precision is your strength and purpose is your motivator, we'd love to hear from you. Help us ensure every ophthalmology patient receives the timely, safe care they deserve.

Main duties of the job

As an Ophthalmology Failsafe Officer, you'll be embedded within the Ophthalmology administrative and operational team, collaborating daily with consultants, clinical nurse specialists, service managers, booking teams and data analysts. Far from working in isolation, you'll be a central connector across the service bridging clinical and operational functions to keep pathways moving safely and efficiently.

What You'll Be Doing

• Proactively monitoring Patient Tracking Lists (PTLs) and failsafe reports across key services including medical retina and glaucoma
• Identifying patients who are overdue or at risk of delay and taking swift, decisive action to resolve concerns before they escalte
• Liaising with clinical and booking teams to secure appropriate follow-up appointments or escalating issues through the right channels
• Maintaining meticulous records and upholding data quality across multiple systems
• Supporting audits, performance reporting and service improvement initiatives
• Playing an active role in developing and refining failsafe processes to strengthen the service over time

This is a fast paced, high volume role that demands focus, resilience and strong organisational skills. You'll regularly review large patient cohorts, manage complex caseloads and work to clear backlogs within agreed timeframes. Meeting turnaround targets is essential but so is the knowledge that every patient you track and rebook is one step closer to receiving the care they need.

About us

Our Ophthalmology Service is part of one of the largest and most respected acute Trusts in the UK, delivering specialist eye care to a diverse and growing population across Leeds and the wider region. Based primarily at St James's University Hospital, our department supports high volume, high impact services including medical retina, glaucoma, and urgent eye care.

We are a close knit, supportive team made up of consultants, specialist nurses, optometrists, technicians, administrative colleagues and operational managers. While our workload is fast paced and clinically significant, our culture is collaborative, respectful and improvement focused. We take pride in working together to solve problems, protect patient safety and continuously strengthen our pathways.

Job responsibilities

This is more than an administrative post; it is a patient safety critical position where your work has a direct impact on protecting patients' sight.

Make a Measurable Difference

You will play a central role in ensuring no patient is lost to follow up across high risk ophthalmology pathways, particularly within medical retina and glaucoma services. By proactively identifying delays and resolving pathway gaps, you will directly contribute to safer care and improved outcomes.

Beat the Heart of Service Improvement

This role is embedded within our failsafe and patient tracking workflows, contributing to ongoing pathway redesign, backlog reduction and quality improvement projects. You will work alongside senior operational managers, consultants and service leads, giving you real visibility and influence within the department.

Work Within a Leading Teaching Trust

• Consultants and Clinical Leads in specialist ophthalmology services
• Operational Service Managers and CSU leadership teams
• Booking, data and performance teams
• Regional referral pathways and external providers where required

This exposure provides excellent insight into large scale NHS service delivery and governance.

Develop Specialist Knowledge

• High risk ophthalmology pathways
• National access and waiting time standards
• Data validation, reporting and governance processes

Qualifications and Experience Skills & Behaviours

• Flexible working attitude
• Clear and effective communication
• Ability to self reflect, carry out tasks of own job and identify what you need to learn to do the current job better
• Evidence of ability to manage stressful situations including distressed patients and relatives
• Flexible approach to the planning and coordination of patient pathways to ensure maximum use of clinical time
• Can work under pressure

Experience

• Previous experience of working in a customer/patient focused environment, ideally within the NHS in a similar setting
• Highly developed written and verbal communication skills, with experience of dealing with patient queries, concerns and anxiety in a reassuring manner
• Experience of managing/co ordinating patient pathways
• Understanding and practice of the principles of confidentiality at all times
• Knowledge of national targets with respect to Ophthalmology patient pathways
• Have a sound understanding of NHS wide initiatives and experience of responding positively to ensure local implementation
• Previous experience of working within the NHS

Qualifications

• NVQ level 3 within healthcare or equivalent experience
• Excellent word processing skills / qualifications (ECDL or equivalent)
• Demonstrable evidence of further (relevant) academic qualifications
• GCSE or equivalent demonstrating competency in literacy

Other Criteria

• Data analysis and production of reports against performance targets
• IT literate, working knowledge of Microsoft Office including Excel

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.