Working for us

Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT)

Our ENT and head and neck unit at the Freeman Hospital is the second largest in the country providing services across the North of England.

We see 51,000 new patients each year. Inpatient care is provided on a 39-bedded adult ward where a full range of general and more complex ENT conditions are treated, including major procedures for the treatment of Head and Neck cancers.

Our outpatient department runs from Monday to Friday and an emergency clinic alongside general ENT clinics. In line with ‘care closer to home’ our consultants and nurses provide several outreach clinics in Health Centres and neighbouring hospitals in the surrounding areas. Highly specialised audiology, speech therapy and dietetic teams support us.

The department has the largest Bone Anchored Hearing Aid (BAHA) programme in Europe.

Day shift operates 8am until 5pm.

Ward 10 – ENT

Ward 10 is an adult ear, nose and throat surgical ward, which looks after people who need surgery including procedures on the tonsils, sinuses, upper airways and inner ears.

Day shift operates from 7.30am until 08.00pm and night shift from 7.30pm until 8.00am

Plastic surgery

A large regional centre providing surgical and non-surgical plastic and reconstructive treatments in the key specialty areas of hands, breast reconstruction, head and neck cancers, skin cancers and laser. We act as regional centres for specially commissioned burn and cleft lip and palate services.

We run both elective and emergency services for both adults and children and our trauma service in particular deals with large daily numbers of onward referrals primarily from Emergency Department.

We operate a varying shift pattern that includes 12-hour shifts.

Ward 37 RVI

Ward 37 is our specialist burns unit. It is an adult ward which provides care for people who require constructive surgery and other types of treatment for injuries resulting from burns.

Day shift operates from 7.30am until 7.45pm and night shift from 7.30pm until 7.45am

Ward 39 RVI

Ward 39 cares for patients requiring some types of plastic surgery.

Day shifts operate from 8.00am until 3.45pm and 7.00am until 5.00pm

Ward 47 RVI

Ward 47 cares for patients who need plastic and reconstructive surgery.

Day shift operates from 7.15am until 8.30pm and night shift 8.00pm until 7.43am

Park Suite

Day shift operates from 7.15am until 8.30pm and night shift from 8.00pm until 7.43am.

Plastic outpatients department

Day shift operates from 8.00am until 5.00pm.

Ophthalmology

A large regional centre providing both surgical and non-surgical treatments for the vast majority of Ophthalmic conditions in both adults and children.

A significant area of the work is occupied with cataract surgery, however we do provide services in other key specialties; diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, neuro-ophthalmic disease, corneal disease.

We treat both elective and emergency patients being home to the Eye Emergency department.

Ophthalmology outpatient department

In the Eye Outpatient Department we care for patients with a wide variety of chronic and acute eye conditions. We have approximately 130,000 outpatient attendances per year. In addition to ophthalmologist and nurse-led clinics we have orthoptic clinics (children’s eye clinic); optometry clinics (opticians); visual fields clinics; medical photography clinics; laser clinics, and an eye clinic liaison officer service. The department also has a dedicated children’s area which provides a friendly and safe environment staffed by specially trained paediatric and nursery nurses. This broad spectrum of clinics and services provides nurses with many opportunities to learn and develop their ophthalmic skills.

Eye Emergency Department (EED)

The Eye Emergency Department is based in the Ophthalmology Outpatient Department, and is our dedicated consultant-led unit for eye injuries and other urgent cases. We see approximately 21,000 patients every year.

Nurses working in the EED are involved with triaging, assessing and treating patients alongside medical staff, providing a vast range of experiences and opportunities to learn.

Department opening times are 8.30am to 4.30pm, Monday to Friday and Saturday 8.30am to midday. Closed on Sunday.

Shift start at 7.45am until 4.30pm with a late shift finishing at 6:00pm

Ward 20 RVI (inpatient)

Ophthalmology and maxillofacial inpatient ward for adults who require surgery and for those who have eye conditions or problems requiring admission. The staff on Ward 20 also provide care for a small number of patients who are having other types of more general surgery.

Ward 20 has 22 beds and there is a 12 bed day case unit attached caring for maxillofacial, ophthalmic and orthopaedic patients.

Day shifts operates from 7.45am until 8.45pm and night shift from 8.00pm until 7.30am.

Ward 21 RVI / CAV (Pre-assessment and Day Case)

Our new bespoke day case cataract unit at the Campus for Aging and Vitality (CAV) is an integrated cataract service to transform and streamline one of the busiest centres in the UK – caring for over 8,500 patients per year.

There will be scope to rotate between the RVI pre-assessment clinics and into theatres at CAV.

Shift operates from 7.30am until 6:00pm.

Dermatology

One of the largest centres in the country providing a regional service from Berwick and Northumberland and west to Hexham.

We have a large nurse-led phototherapy department which provides more than 23,000 treatments per year. We also provide a range of specialist services including paediatrics, severe psoriasis and dermatology surgery which provides a regional Mohs service for the treatment of skin cancers.

The department has a wide range of nurse-led services including eczema, psoriasis and minor surgery.

The department provides extensive outreach clinics across Northumberland and has services based in South Tyneside delivering Community Dermatology closer to home.

We operate a varying shift pattern that includes 12 hour shifts.

Ward 5 RVI

Day shift operates from 7.15am until 8.30pm and night shift from 8.00pm until 7.30am.

Dermatology outpatient department

Day shift operates from 8.30am until 5.00pm.

Staff Groups

We have the following staff working within the departments, Matron, Sister / Charge Nurse, Clinical Educator, Nurse Specialists, Outreach, Staff Nurses, Assistant Practitioners, Healthcare Assistants, Ward Clerks and Housekeeper.

Staff Training

We provide a preceptorship package that gives staff excellent structured preceptorship supported within supernumerary practice.

Regular study and learning opportunities working with Clinical Educators in the clinical area.
Friendly and supportive workplace (Clinical supervision in operation).
Ongoing access to affiliated university courses and in house study days