Specialist Orthoptist

Job summary

We are looking to hire a Specialist Orthoptist to join our team here at Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. This is a part-time position, working 26.5 hours per week.

You will work closely with other Orthoptists and Health Care Professionals in order to deliver and develop a comprehensive range of core orthoptic services to the highest standards of quality and care.

Work as an autonomous practitioner in providing orthoptic assessment, diagnosis and management of patients of all ages, and those who have varying communication skills.

There will opportunity and support for professional and career development within the hospital setting.

Main duties of the job

• To provide autonomous Orthoptic management of all types of ocular motility defects and be responsible for managing specialised and complex patients
• To use specialist orthoptic skills to diagnose and treat all conditions as necessary using advanced clinical reasoning and evidence based practice
• To be responsible as an autonomous practitioner for the evaluation of visual acuity and visual fields referred from specialist services. This includes visual acuity of babies, infants and children with strabismus and amblyopia, congenital or developmental abnormalities, genetic referrals, adults referred from Endocrine, Neurology and Maxillo-Facial clinics, children and adults with significant learning difficulties as well as acute ocular motility defects in both children and adults
• To provide teaching and supervision of Pre-registered Opticians and Medical students

About us

Interviews have provisionally been scheduled to take place on the 7th September, this is subject to change

Please submit your application as soon as possible, as we reserve the right to close adverts once sufficient applications have been received.

We recognise that AI tools can support application writing; however, candidates are asked to keep their use to a minimum. Responses should reflect your own experience, skills and knowledge, as over-reliance on AI-generated content may result in generic answers that do not accurately represent your abilities.

University Hospitals of Northamptonshire (UHN) brings together Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust. As a group, we are committed to improving services for our communities through collaboration, modernising care delivery and striving for excellence. Working together enables us to share expertise, strengthen services and create greater opportunities, and there may be a requirement to work across sites depending on service needs.

Our Excellence Values are Compassion, Accountability, Respect, Integrity and Courage. UHN welcomes applications from all backgrounds and is committed to an inclusive working environment. We are proud signatories of the Armed Forces Covenant and hold the Gold Award under the Employer Recognition Scheme. Candidates who identify as members of the Armed Forces community and meet the essential criteria will be guaranteed an interview.

Job responsibilities

For futher information regarding the role responsibilites and duties please refer to the job description and person specification attached.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential

• To possess a Bachelor of Science in Orthoptics BSc(Orth), BMedSci (Orthoptics) and/or a diploma from the British Orthoptic Council (DBO)
• To be registered with the Health Care Professions Council (HCPC)
• Evidence of continuous professional development

Knowledge & Experience

Essential

• Experience of clinical orthoptics
• An understanding of ophthalmology and other conditions which affect the eyes, e.g. cataract, glaucoma, thyroid disease, diabetes, stroke and hypertension
• An understanding of visual development and how it can be affected by developmental delay
• An understanding and ability to use computers
• An ability to examine, diagnose and treat Orthoptic patients of all ages (including a large proportion of children), requiring significant manual dexterity and speed to ensure accurate results, especially in young infants
• An ability to work alone, and unsupervised when required, reporting to the Paediatric or other Consultant Ophthalmologist when require

Desirable

• An interest in acquiring advanced understanding of ophthalmology and Orthoptics in order to expand the Orthoptic role
• Specialist skills including visual field assessment including Goldman visual fields once competencies attained

Skills

Essential

• To have at least one year experience in all aspects of clinical Orthoptics involving investigation, diagnosis, management and treatment
• Full range of IT skills inc Computer skills using a keyboard and mouse
• Excellent communication skills used across the organisation and with a wide range of staff at differing levels of responsibility and with different professional backgrounds
• Able to demonstrate behaviours that meet the Trust Values

Desirable

• Previous experience of specialist visual fields is beneficial, but training will be given if needed.

Key Competencies/ Personal Qualities & Attributes

Essential

• Ability to maintain clear and accurate patient records
• Demonstrate resilience when working under pressure whilst continuing to deliver results
• Demonstrates evidence of ability to educate others
• Ability to travel between the Kettering and peripheral hospital sites