North/ East / West Rotation
There are over 40 ophthalmology trainees in the North Yorkshire and the Humber rotation. Each hospital placement typically lasts 6 or 12 months. By the end of training (completion of CCT), each trainee can expect to have worked in most of the 8 hospitals listed below. The College Tutor is listed for each unit and is the first point of contact when you are allocated to a new rotation (emails may be found for many on the NHSmail directory, otherwise contact the School support team for this information).
Location:
Bradford Royal Infirmary: Duckworth Lane, Bradford BD9 6RJ
St Luke's Hospital: Little Horton Lane, Bradford, BD5 0NA
Switchboard: 01274 542200
Parking: Parking is by permit (monthly salary deduction), in allocated staff parking spaces. Your Bradford parking pass should also cover parking at Airedale if you are rostered for a session there.
Eye Department: The department has 16 consultants working across several subspecialties. This is a busy department serving a diverse population, and you will encounter and manage a wide range of pathologies in your day-to-day work. The department has good research connections, with Prof Faruque Ghanchi leading the Ophthalmology research team of the Bradford Institute for Health & Research, and Bradford has recently become one of 5 NIHR recruitment centres for research. The department also houses the only digital Navilas retinal laser in the region, for retinal photocoagulation procedures. Medical retina services are located at St Luke's Hospital.
Trainee sub-specialties: Cornea, glaucoma, paediatrics & strabismus, oculoplastics, vitreo-retinal, medical retina, uveitis.
For cataract surgery training, ST1-2 trainees placed at Bradford may have a timetabled session at Airedale Hospital.
Contacts:
College Tutor: Mr Paul Brogden
Rota coordinator: Caroline Mort
This placement is spread across two sites, at Halifax and Huddersfield.
Locations:
Calderdale Royal Hospital: Salterhebble, Halifax, West Yorkshire, HX3 0PW
Huddersfield Royal Infirmary: Acre Street, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, HD3 3EA (Outpatients is in Acre Mill across the road)
Both Hospitals are easy to get to quickly from the M62 junction 24 “Ainley top”. From the roundabout head onto the A629 dual carriageway bypass to Halifax which takes you past Calderdale Royal or head down Halifax road into Huddersfield for Huddersfield hospital.
Driving journey time is approximately 30 minutes from Leeds. Calderdale Royal Hospital is a 10 minute walk from Halifax train station. Huddersfield is a slightly longer 40 minute walk from Huddersfield train station or an easy bus ride.
Switchboard:
Halifax 01422 357171
Huddersfield 01484 342000
Parking: Parking is plentiful at Huddersfield with lots of free street parking available nearby and spaces in the hospital car parks. Halifax is more challenging with very limited nearby pay and display street parking. Hospital parking is very limited at CRH and you need to arrive before 0800 to get a spot.
Eye Department: There are currently 15 consultants, 3 specialty doctors, 3 trust grade doctors, 4 specialist trainees and a FY2 working in the team. There are also 2 advanced nurse practitioners, and a range of staff nurses, health care assistants, orthoptists and optometrists. Subspecialties include medical retina, vitreoretinal surgery, oculoplastics, cornea, strabismus, paediatrics and glaucoma. There is one operating theatre at Calderdale and one at Huddersfield for ophthalmology cases with dedicated theatre staff.
Trainee Subspecialties: Cornea, Oculoplastics, medical retina, strabismus, paediatrics, vitreoretinal.
Contacts:
Educational Supervisor and Clinical Lead: Karnesh Patel
Department Manager: Louise Corp
Location: Lancaster Park Road, Harrogate HG2 7SX.
The Hospital is easily accessible from the A1 and A61 by car, and is well signposted once you enter Harrogate. The hospital is a 20 minute walk from the main train station, and a similar distance from Starbeck station (which may be easier if travelling from York). The train journey time is just under 30 minutes from Leeds and from York.
Switchboard: 01423885959
Parking: There are two small car parks (Heatherdene and The Briary) on the hospital grounds, with barrier access. Pre-paid swipe cards for these can be applied for at the General Office (01423 553313). The car parks tend to fill up quickly most mornings. Alternatively there is street parking in nearby residential areas (make sure to check your are not parking in resident-permit zones).
Eye Department: There are 6 consultants and 1 associate specialist in the department specialising in Glaucoma, Medical Retina, Paediatric/Strabismus, Cataract, as well as 2 specialty trainees, 5 SAS doctors, 4 advanced nurse practitioners and 2 advanced ophthalmic practitioners.
Trainee sub-specialties: Glaucoma, medical retina, cataract
Contacts:
College Tutor and Educational Supervisor: Mrs Sarah MacKenzie
Rota Coordinator: Mr Tony Burton (Associate Specialist in Ophthalmology)
Service Manager: Sharon Bilbrough
Location: Hull and East Yorkshire Eye Hospital, Fountain Street, Kingston upon Hull, East Yorkshire HU3 2JZ
The hospital is easily accessible via the M62 and A63. Hull train station is less than a 10 minute walk from the Eye Hospital.
Switchboard: 01482 875875
Parking: On site private parking available directly opposite the hospital for a daily fee (payable via pay by phone app). Trust parking is available less than 10mins walk from the eye hospital for a monthly deduction from salary.
Eye hospital: The Trust's Ophthalmology department is housed in a modernised eye hospital with a purpose-built outpatient clinic, dedicated ophthalmic theatres, and an ophthalmic ward with 24-hour specialty nursing support. The department has 17 consultants specialising in cornea, glaucoma, paediatric/strabismus, oculoplastics/orbit, vitreoretinal surgery, medical retina, and uveitis. There is acess to on demand imaging OCT, Optos, FFA and orthoptic assessment. The ophthalmology rotation in Hull offers many learning opportunities. In addition to regional teaching, there is weekly lunchtime departmental teaching. The department also hosts the regional ophthalmic laser training course several times a year. Finally, on the top floor above the Eye Hospital you will find the Hull Institute of Learning and Simulation (HILS). A new fully equipped ophthalmology wet-lab, designed by Mr James Innes (recently retired consultant ophthalmologist and educator) is housed in the Stephen Foster room within HILS, offering regular training courses as well as a space for self-directed practice sessions.
Trainee sub-specialties: Cornea, cataract, oculoplastics, paediatric ophthalmology and strabismus, medical retina, vitreoretinal
Contacts:
College Tutor: Ms Seema Arora
Service manager: Tom Foulds
Rota co-ordinator: Current senior registrar on the placement
Main Location: St James’s hospital, Beckett St, Leeds LS9 7TF
Trainees are usually based at St James’s hospital (SJUH) where the main outpatients is. Easily accessible from the M62 by car and Leeds train station is approximately 30mins walk from St James’s hospital. Depending on your rotation you may attend clinics or theatre sessions at Wharfedale hospital, Chapel Allerton and Seacroft hospital. On call Ophthalmologist may need to attend Leeds General Infirmary (LGI) – shuttle bus available within hours.
Switchboard: 0113 2433144
Parking: Parking available across all sites – apply for permit during induction to cover all sites (swipe card access at SJUH, LGI)
Eye department SJUH: Ophthalmology outpatients is based in Chancellors wing of St James' University Hospital. The department runs clinics in cornea, neuro-ophthalmology, uveitis, oculoplastics, medical retina and vitreo-retinal. Sessions can be very busy although there is clinical exposure to a wide range of pathological conditions. The department is supported by an in-house optometry team. Adjacent to the clinic is St James' Laser Vision which is a private facility that also runs NHS lists for corneal laser-assisted procedures, and there are opportunities to observe and learn about these. The department has a skilled team of ophthalmic imaging technicians, allowing access to on-demand OCT scans and retinal and slit-lamp photography. Paediatric Ophthalmology and Orthoptics are based in the pink Multi-Specialty Oupatients building which is a 5 minute walk from the main department. The paediatric ophthalmology team also provides a weekly outreach ward round at Leeds Children's Hospital (at Leeds General Infirmary) for paediatric inpatients, which is an excellent opportunity for subspecialty learning.
Most subspecialty and cataract surgery takes place in Chancellors Wing theatres at SJUH. Paediatric lists take place at Leeds General Infirmary. There are also adult cataract and basic oculoplastic lists at Wharfedale.
Leeds also has one of the 3 EyeSi virtual reality cataract surgery simulators in the region, and trainees can book practice sessions. See Simulation section.
Trainee sub-specialties: Cornea, glaucoma, neuro-ophthalmology, uveitis, paediatrics, vitreo-retinal disorders, oculoplastics, medical retina
Contacts:
Training Programme Director: Devina Gogi
College tutor: Simon Kolb
Service manager: Daniel Wignall
This is a rotation in general ophthalmology, usually for trainees at ST1 and ST2 level, and is spread over 3 sites.
Locations:
- Pinderfields General Hospital (PGH): Aberford Road, Wakefeld, WF1 4DG. This is the primary site, running the majority of clinics and the acute service. The outpatient clinics are located in The Eye Centre (separate building but on site), and the Ophthalmology theatre is in Adult Day Case on Level D
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Pontefract General Infirmary (PGI): Friarwood Ln, Pontefract, WF8 1PL. Outpatient clinics are on Floor B, first floor clinics. Theatres are on level D.
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Dewsbury and District Hospital (DDH): Halifax Rd, Dewsbury, WF13 4HS. Outpatient clinics at at the Blue desk on the ground floor. Surgery takes place in the Boothroyd Centre (adults and paediatrics).
Each hospital an be reached within 20-40 minutes from Leeds if traffic is good, but expect significant delays during rush hour (largely avoided with an 8am start time). Road connections are reasonable with the M1 and M62 and a shuttle bus moves between all 3 sites and is free for staff.
Switchboard: 01924 541000.
Parking: Each hospital has on site staff parking, the cost of which can be deducted from your monthly income if desired. There are limited spaces at Pinderfields, especially after 8am. However, given the early session start times this is not usually an issue.
Eye Department: There are 7 consultants, 3 associate specialists and 6 staff grades in addition to the trainee on placement. Specialties present include medical retina, cornea, glaucoma, oculoplastics, paediatrics/strabismus and neuro-ophthalmology. Emergency vitreoretinal cases are referred to Leeds.
Acute clinics and on-call commitments are based out of Pinderfields and patients attending the A&E departments in either of the other hospitals can be transferred over for assessment/admission if needed. There is a nearby on-call room only a few minutes’ walk away from the hospital. It is very basic but can be used free of charge during the 24hr on-calls if you live too far away to go home.
Contacts:
College Tutor: Mr Narendra Dhingra
Clinical Lead: Mr Atul Varma
Patient Services Manager: Mrs Sue Barron
This is a small district general hospital in the seaside town of Scarborough. The hospital is part of York Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. The Ophthalmology rotation here is typically 6 months long.
Location: Woodlands Drive, Scarborough YO12 6QL. Driving journey time from Leeds is just over 2 hours, and from York approximately 1 hour. The Scarborough train station is a 30 minute walk from the hospital. There is a dedicated bus service from the station to the Hospital.
Switchboard: 01723 368111
Eye Department: The Ophthalmology Department is small with 3 consultants. There is one ophthalmology trainee placed here every 6 months. Training clinics are mostly in general ophthalmology and cataract. On-call work is done from York Hospital (the Scarborough trainee is on the York rota).
Contacts:
Educational Supervisor: Mr Jan van der Hoek
Location: Wigginton Road, York YO31 8HE. The hospital is accessible by car from the Ring Road from the north or through the town from the south. Journey times can be long due to traffic at peak hours. The train station is a 10 minute walk from the hospital and there are regular trains from Manchester (via Huddersfield and Leeds) and from Hull.
Switchboard: 01904 631313
Parking: On-site parking is very limited. Aim to arrive early to guarantee yourself a space. Parking costs £2/day with a staff permit. Alternatively there are non-restricted parking spaces in residential areas within 5 minutes walking distance from the hospital.
Eye Department: The department has 17 consultants and 3 SAS doctors, in addition to rotating trainees. Specialties for training include medical and surgical retina, medical ophthalmology (neuro-ophthalmology and uveitis), paediatric ophthalmology and strabismus, glaucoma and oculoplastics. Consultants also do urgent referrals clinics alongside trainees. On-call shifts include nursing support, and York covers referrals from Scarborough overnight and Harrogate from Saturday nights to Monday mornings. The on-call rota is coordinated by a nominated registrar every rotation.
York Hospital houses one of the 3 EyeSi virtual reality cataract surgery simulators in the region. See the York section on the Simulation page for details of how to book a session.
Contacts:
College Tutor: Mr Steven Naylor
Patient Services Manager: Hazel Flint