Working for a community independent means you work in a practice that generally offers primary care to patients. It will usually be a single practice, owner-managed, but it could be part of a small regional group or chain of perhaps two or three practices.

• Owner – the proprietor of the business. This can sometimes be a partnership
• Manager – usually the owner but in a small chain the manager would oversee the practice
• Supervisor – supervises pre-registration trainees (this role may be undertaken by the manager)
• Specialist role – the manager, or other members of staff, might offer community services, for example children’s eye care, contact lens care or low vision specialism.

Since the independent practice will have a smaller team than a community multiple, the job role might also include: day-to-day business management; finance; marketing; and human resources.

Some independent practices will see opportunities to get involved in new services or ways of delivering services, such as community based secondary care and shared care schemes. These might include running glaucoma or macular clinics where patients can be managed in the community, with liaison and information shared with the local hospital eye service.

You might also be able to extend your community eye care practice by developing particular clinical skills, such as paediatric eye care. Often independent practitioners will have gained this skill in the hospital eye service and have the confidence to manage children in practice.