Optometrist - Huntingdon

Job description

Job responsibilities

To undertake a range of optometry services at Hinchingbrooke Hospital. These include but are not limited to supporting the intravitreal service with the medical retina team, conducting pre and post operative cataract assessments and aiding with Glaucoma management clinics. It is anticipated that some of these responsibilities could be carried out remotely to allow for working from home.

The job will require the ability to carry out clinical examination and understand clinical signs, as well as interpretation of OCT scans and other ophthalmic measurements to arrive at appropriate management decisions, and where suitable assessing a refraction to achieve best corrected visual acuity.

To take responsibility for clinical decision-making with support from consultants andto provide specialised diagnosis, management, care, and education of patients.

To provide clinical opinion (or obtain clinical opinion from ophthalmologists) to optometric and non-optometric colleagues on the management of cases within the ophthalmology department.To support the optometry service with the triaging of emergency and routine referrals.

To offer support to nursing staff and healthcare assistants in the ophthalmology department, actively contributing to their training, education, and continuing feedback.

To work to protocols set for each role. May be required to comment on / implement policies or propose policy changes to own areas of work.To ensure contemporaneous records are kept for all patients seen in clinic and letters of communication are sent to other healthcare professionals where appropriate.

To be able to use appropriate IT, including Open Eyes or equivalent electronic patient records for benchmarking, audit and clinical uses.

Responsibility, in conjunction with ophthalmology colleagues, for the systematic and critical analysis of the quality of work carried by optometrists in the shared care services, including initiation and participation in clinical audit.

To personally participate in continuing professional education and development (as required by the General Optical Council).

To contribute to the delivery of optometric teaching and supervision to other ophthalmic professionals.

To support and contribute to clinical research or assessment programs if required.

To present audit/research findings at relevant scientific meetings if required.

Contribute to publishing research/audit findings in peer-reviewed journals if required

To comply with the roles and responsibilities as defined in the Trusts Health & Safety.

Please refer to the job description and person specification for more information regarding the role.

Person Specification

Essential and Desirable

Essential

• Bsc (Hons) Optometry & MCOptom or equivalent
• Registration with the General Optical Council
• Minimum 2 years post registration with GOC
• Working in a multidisciplinary team
• Cataract pre and post operative assessment
• Broad understanding of the developing roles of the ophthalmic professions, within primary, secondary & tertiary care
• Some knowledge and experience of governance issues, in particular clinical audit
• General ophthalmic knowledge and understanding of ocular disease and management
• Knowledge of vulnerable adult and child protection issues
• Ability to independently undertake specialist extended clinical roles (working to agreed protocols)
• Ability to independently assess and make clinical decisions
• Ability to effectively communicate complex information in a range of situations e.g. clinical info to patients, audit presentations
• Good written and verbal communication skills in respect of presentations and teaching etc
• Slit lamp biomicroscopy of anterior and posterior eye with lenses
• Contact tonometry
• Interpretation of visual fields
• Interpretation of other specialist diagnostic results such as OCT
• Good planning and organisational skills
• Awareness and respect for colleagues, patients and relatives cultural, religious and emotional needs and beliefs
• Good previous attendance record
• Professional appearance and behaviour

Desirable

• MSc or PhD in Optometry or equivalent post graduate experience
• City & Guilds in Diabetic Retinopathy Screening
• Postgraduate Diplomas in Optometry
• Hospital experience
• Diabetic retinopathy screening
• Other extended roles within optometry
• Teaching
• Team management
• Development of protocols or competencies
• Research
• Understanding of NHS structure and commissioning of services
• Gonioscopy & pachymetry

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details

Employer name

North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Hinchingbrooke Hospital

Parkway

Huntingdon

PE29 6NT

Employer's website

https://www.nwangliaft.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)