Exeter specialist appointed on national programme

An eye specialist from the Royal Devon hospital has been appointed as a clinical lead for ophthalmology on a national NHS programme.

Dr Liz Wilkinson is a consultant ophthalmologist at the Royal Devon and Trust Clinical Director for the Centre of Excellence for Eyes (CEE) at the Nightingale, Exeter. 

Her new quality improvement programme is Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT), which is part of an aligned set of programmes within NHS England (NHSE). 

Liz, who has been at the Trust for 12 years, was formerly the NHSE Clinical Lead in Ophthalmology for the South West and NHS Devon Integrated Care Board.

Having completed an MA in Medicine at the University of Cambridge, she also undertook law studies before undergoing physician training at St Thomas’s Hospital. 

Liz was the second female President of Ophthalmology at the Royal Society of Medicine and is the immediate past president of the British Association of Retinal Screening.

More recently, she was a driving force behind the opening of the South Molton Eye Centre.

Liz will continue her role at the Royal Devon while also taking on her new position with GIRFT.

Liz said: “I am delighted to have been appointed. We will be focussing on the strategy for ophthalmology in England, and this will give the Trust a leading role in improving eye care in Devon.

“The Trust and patients across Devon will also gain from being so closely involved with GIRFT and seeing how other Trusts implement best practice and innovative care. The work we are doing with the Centre of Excellence for Eyes at the Nightingale already reflects how we are working towards that.”

Liz joins consultant ophthalmologists Lydia Chang and Jon Bhargava to lead GIRFT’s ophthalmology efforts, bringing expertise in medical retina and leadership. 

They will support trusts to improve outpatient and inpatient care, including expanding capacity for complex cataract surgeries. 

Professor Tim Briggs, GIRFT Chair and National Director for Clinical Improvement and Elective Recovery for NHS England, added: “Cataract surgery is the single most common surgical procedure in the NHS, so it is vital that GIRFT’s work to free up capacity continues at pace, enabling more patients to be seen and treated effectively and in a timely way.

“Liz has a wealth of leadership and transformational experience from her years at the Centre of Excellence for Eyes, and I look forward to seeing how her expertise and knowledge can be shared with trusts to support elective recovery nationally.”