2015 entry at ST1 only
University of Manchester
Last updated: 7th October 2015
NIHR Academic Clinical Fellowship (ACF) in Ophthalmology, North Western Deanery
Objectives:
Research
Clinical
The clinical training objectives for each 6-month period are preset by each of the Subspecialty Training Units in the Manchester Royal Eye Hospital (MREH), Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (CMFT) and by the DGH-based units on the regional rotation under the auspices of the STC in Ophthalmology. A 6-monthly recurrent planning procedure is informed by yearly ARCP assessments; this process ensures that each trainee successfully accomplishes the acquisition of knowledge, skills and a caring approach as required by the College curriculum in each of the major ophthalmic subspecialties.
Academic environment
There is a Centre for Ophthalmology and Vision Research at the University of Manchester (led by Prof Paul Bishop) and ophthalmology is a priority research theme of the Manchester Biomedical Research Centre at CMFT. Prof Bishop is the academic lead for the ACF Programme in Ophthalmology. The programme is strongly linked with other researchers in the university such as Prof Rob Lucas (visual neurosciences), Prof David Henson (vision sciences), Prof Graeme Black (ophthalmic genetics) and Prof Garth Cooper (Centre for Advanced Discovery and Experimental Therapeutics). In addition, patient based research programmes are ongoing at MREH in glaucoma, paediatrics, medical retina led by consultants including Prof. Chris Lloyd, Prof Paul Stanga and Mr Tariq Aslam.
Clinical Environment
MREH is second largest eye hospital in UK (after Moorfields) and is now housed in a fabulous new building which opened in 2009. With the exception of intraocular malignancy, MREH provides high quality specialist services in all the ophthalmic subspecialties and therefore attracts tertiary referrals from throughout the north of England and beyond. With a large number of SpRs on the HST programme in MREH at any one time, problems of cross-cover and excessive on-call for the academic clinical fellows do not arise.
Protection of time for academic training
The higher specialist training programme in Ophthalmology in the North Western Deanery is one of the largest in the UK and is constantly "tuned" by the Programme Director to ensure that the individual training needs of all participants are met through a "pick-and-mix" approach to allocations to Subspecialty Training Units in MREH and to DGH-based units. The training programme thus maps to the curriculum, not to the service. During the past 15 years, MREH (where most of the Fellows' clinical training will be undertaken) has become accustomed to awarding in-service training the same priority as clinical service while having the flexibility of programming to accommodate trainees with special needs such as academic trainees. The latest report of inspection by the Training Committee of the Royal College of Ophthalmologists stated that "the organisation of the training programme (in MREH) is exemplary" in attaining such flexibility. Several of the Consultant Ophthalmologists to the Royal Eye Hospital were formerly employed as Clinical Lecturers either in Manchester or elsewhere, and the academic ethos and aspirations of Ophthalmology in Manchester are shared in full by the senior clinicians in the hospital. This will ensure that the hospital facilitates, as far as possible, the academic and clinical development of the ACF.
Academic Lead: Paul Bishop
Training Programme Director: Jane Ashworth
Recruitment Helpdesk: Helpdesk.Recruitment@pat.nhs.uk or 0161 604 5553
Applicants wishing to find out more about the relevant clinical training programme(s), should go to the Specialties Schools page and click on the link(s) for the relevant clinical training programme(s).