Job summary
Orthoptist - Band 5 28.5 hours Temporary initially to 30/9/24
We are looking for an enthusiastic, well motivated Orthoptist to join our team of seven Orthoptists, one field technician, four Optometrists and Ophthalmology . The position is based at Tameside General Hospital but the post holder will be expected to undertake community clinics throughout the whole of Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care Organisation.
A diploma or degree in Orthoptics and registration with the HCPC is essential.
Main duties of the job
To provide high quality, comprehensive Orthoptic services for Tameside & Glossop Integrated Care Foundation Trust both in a hospital setting and in the community. Assessing, determining clinical diagnosis, treating and managing clients referred to the service and providing specialist advice.
To participate in the District Visual Screening Programme delivered in school reception class.
To provide specialist Orthoptic advice to patients and a wide range of Health Professionals
To demonstrate Orthoptics to other health professionals
About us
Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust serves a community of 250,000 people across Tameside & Glossop. We provide a range of services both within the hospital and across our community for both adults and children.Our vision is to improve health outcomes for our population and influence wider determinants of health through collaboration with our health & care partners.
We have a clear set of values & behaviours which we expect all of our staff to demonstrate:
- Safety
- Care
- Respect
- Communication
- Learning
We believe that the best organisations are those that reflect the communities they serve. We are therefore seeking to improve the diversity of our workforce to make it truly representative of our local population.
We actively encourage applications irrespective of race, age, disability, sex, gender reassignment, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, religion or belief, marriage & civil partnership, or pregnancy or maternity. Recognising those communities that are underrepresented within our workforce, we would particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian & minority ethnic candidates, LGBTQ+& Disabled people.
Benefits include; flexible working, 27-33 days annual leave plus bank holidays, sick pay, NHS Pension Scheme, free eye tests and health checks, gym discount, free bicycle loan scheme, salary sacrifice car scheme, support with stress, bereavement, relationships, finance, and much more.
Job description
Job responsibilities
MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES:
- To be an autonomous practitioner working independently and unsupervised making clinical decisions about care management, onward referral and timely/appropriate discharge within the policies and procedures of the department, the trust and the code of practice and ethical guidelines of the professional body.
- To assess visual fields when necessary, using the Humphrey Visual Field Analyser being able to choose the appropriate test for each individual, interpreting the test results and explaining findings to patients.
- To assess patients when necessary, using the Zeiss Ciruss 5000 OCT
- Report to the Orthoptic Team Leader on all matters relating to the Orthoptic and Optometry service. Clinical accountability is to the referring Medical Practitioner, and at visual screening sessions to the Community Consultant Paediatrician.
- Responsible for the instillation of eye drops for diagnostic and treatment purposes in accordance with departmental Patient Group Directives.
- Responsible for ensuring compliance with all Trust and department policies and procedures relating to patient care, quality issues, health and safety issues, confidentiality and administrative duties.
- Responsible for reading referrals/reports and prioritising appointments in accordance with clinical need, and ensuring an appropriate follow-up schedule is undertaken.
- To act on behalf of the Orthoptic Team Leader when requested to do so, ensuring that the department is appropriately represented.
- To undertake administrative and clerical tasks and be responsive to telephone calls from patients, parents/carers or other professionals regarding patient care in accordance with departmental policy.
- Attend mandatory training as and when required.
- Undertake any other duties, appropriate to the grade, as directed by the Orthoptic Team Leader.
- This job description is issued as a guideline to help you understand the duties you will be initially expected to undertake. It may change from time to time to meet new working requirements after discussion between you and your line manager.
COMMUNICATIONS
- To communicate effectively with patients, parents and carers to ensure understanding of the diagnosed condition. Communication skills of persuasion, motivation, explanation and gaining informed consent will be used in a wide variety of patients. Barriers to effective communication may be evident e.g. loss of hearing, learning difficulties, altered perception, pain and fear etc.
- Keep legible, accurate and contemporary records while maintaining client confidentiality.
- Responsible for producing timely and appropriate reports on children to aid educational health care plans.
- Responsible for communicating, sensitively, using the appropriate style of language to ensure full understanding, with patients of all ages with learning or communication difficulties and/or their carers, as appropriate, information regarding options and expected outcomes of treatment.
- Responsible for providing information, as applicable to other health professionals, in an appropriate format, regarding the diagnosis, prognosis and expected outcomes of any treatment required.
- Responsible for imparting unwelcome news to patients and their relatives in cases of significant amblyopia and ensuring that the need for treatment and the implications, particularly to safety, education and long term career choices are fully understood.
- To confer and consult with the other members of the multi-disciplinary community eye team with regard to the patients treatment to ensure appropriate clinical care.
- To work where necessary with interpreters, relatives, and support workers to achieve patient comprehension.
RESPONSIBILITY FOR PATIENT CARE
- Responsible for the accurate assessment of vision, ocular motility and ocular alignment and diagnosis of patients of all ages (infants to elderly) with a wide range of medical conditions (e.g. amblyopia, squint, neurological disease, trauma etc.) referred to the Orthoptic service.
- Responsible for the instillation of eye drops for diagnostic and treatment purposes in accordance with departmental Patient Group Directives
- Responsible for formulating individualised care packages, using an up to date knowledge of evidence based practice, promoting them to the patient, motivating them and/or their carers
- To undertake timely treatment and altering/adapting the care plans to suit the needs of the patient and clinical requirements, to ensure positive treatment outcomes.
- Take a lead in the decision and timing of corrective squint surgery.
- To undertake pre and post-operative measurements of ocular motility defects ensuring use of appropriate level of manual dexterity and speed to ensure accurate results, especially in infants.
- To identify post-operative risks and discuss this with patients and/or their parent/carer and surgeon.
- To advise on post-operative squint care with regard to use of antibiotic drops, wear of glasses, swimming and schooling to ensure the best surgical outcomes are achieved and maintained.
- To maintain a considerable degree of empathy and be responsible for providing support and advice to children with a permanent significant visual impairment, ensuring that they and their family are aware of the long-term implications of the condition and of the support available to them.
- It is the responsibility of all trust employees to fully comply with the safeguarding policies and procedures of the trust. As a Tameside and Glossop employee you must ensure that you understand your role in protecting adults and children that may be at risk of abuse. Individuals must ensure compliance with their safeguarding training.
PLANNING AND ORGANISING
- Organise and plan own workload or activities in order to meet the demands of the job role and ensure vision screening is undertaken in a timely fashion.
- To monitor stock levels in clinics attended to ensure adequate supplies of disposable items such as occlusion patches and stereograms and stationery are maintained, and to communicate effectively with stock controller to ensure timely ordering of any requirements to provide an effective service at all times.
- To ensure travel between Tameside Hospital, community clinics and schools in the district is achieved in a timely fashion.
Responsibilities for Physical and / or Financial Resources
- Responsible for the correct use and routine maintenance of highly expensive visual field analysers and other electrical equipment used within the department.
- Responsible for maintaining the security of the department (i.e. controlling access to drugs and clinical records) when lone working on hospital site.
- Responsible for the security of personally held equipment and of the safe carriage of Orthoptic and Optometric equipment to community clinics.
- Ensure safe and efficient use of equipment, resources and consumables at all times.
- Responsibility for Policy and Service Development and Implementation
- To participate in developing departmental policies and procedures and to work collaboratively to influence service development and ensure quality care is delivered.
- Be able to undertake projects appropriate to the grade as delegated by the Orthoptic Team Leader.
- To embrace and support line management and the department, in making service improvements effective within the workplace
Responsibilities for Human Resources and Leadership
- Management and supervision within the skill mixed team. This includes induction programmes, training, supervision, professional development staff appraisals, and responsibility for standards, quality and continue development.
- Attending mandatory and Trust training and participating in appraisal.
- Following Trust policies on flexible working hours where agreed.
- Support new or less experienced work colleagues to adapt to the workplace.
Responsibilities for Teaching and Training
- Responsible for maintaining an up to date knowledge of techniques, technology and practice and to attend appropriate training events, including staff meetings to improve professional knowledge and competence and to keep CPD folder up to date.
- To provide clinical training at an appropriate level to a variety of other health care professionals including Junior Doctors, Trainee GPs/Optometrists, Health Visitors, School Nurses, Student Nurses, Other Allied Health Professionals etc.
Responsibilities for data and information resources
- Maintain timely and accurate clinical records and provide reports in the appropriate format, in accordance with departmental policy
- Provide timely and accurate data for statistical purposes, including EMIS, Lorenzo and KPIs for the Business Unit
Job description
Job responsibilities
MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES:
- To be an autonomous practitioner working independently and unsupervised making clinical decisions about care management, onward referral and timely/appropriate discharge within the policies and procedures of the department, the trust and the code of practice and ethical guidelines of the professional body.
- To assess visual fields when necessary, using the Humphrey Visual Field Analyser being able to choose the appropriate test for each individual, interpreting the test results and explaining findings to patients.
- To assess patients when necessary, using the Zeiss Ciruss 5000 OCT
- Report to the Orthoptic Team Leader on all matters relating to the Orthoptic and Optometry service. Clinical accountability is to the referring Medical Practitioner, and at visual screening sessions to the Community Consultant Paediatrician.
- Responsible for the instillation of eye drops for diagnostic and treatment purposes in accordance with departmental Patient Group Directives.
- Responsible for ensuring compliance with all Trust and department policies and procedures relating to patient care, quality issues, health and safety issues, confidentiality and administrative duties.
- Responsible for reading referrals/reports and prioritising appointments in accordance with clinical need, and ensuring an appropriate follow-up schedule is undertaken.
- To act on behalf of the Orthoptic Team Leader when requested to do so, ensuring that the department is appropriately represented.
- To undertake administrative and clerical tasks and be responsive to telephone calls from patients, parents/carers or other professionals regarding patient care in accordance with departmental policy.
- Attend mandatory training as and when required.
- Undertake any other duties, appropriate to the grade, as directed by the Orthoptic Team Leader.
- This job description is issued as a guideline to help you understand the duties you will be initially expected to undertake. It may change from time to time to meet new working requirements after discussion between you and your line manager.
COMMUNICATIONS
- To communicate effectively with patients, parents and carers to ensure understanding of the diagnosed condition. Communication skills of persuasion, motivation, explanation and gaining informed consent will be used in a wide variety of patients. Barriers to effective communication may be evident e.g. loss of hearing, learning difficulties, altered perception, pain and fear etc.
- Keep legible, accurate and contemporary records while maintaining client confidentiality.
- Responsible for producing timely and appropriate reports on children to aid educational health care plans.
- Responsible for communicating, sensitively, using the appropriate style of language to ensure full understanding, with patients of all ages with learning or communication difficulties and/or their carers, as appropriate, information regarding options and expected outcomes of treatment.
- Responsible for providing information, as applicable to other health professionals, in an appropriate format, regarding the diagnosis, prognosis and expected outcomes of any treatment required.
- Responsible for imparting unwelcome news to patients and their relatives in cases of significant amblyopia and ensuring that the need for treatment and the implications, particularly to safety, education and long term career choices are fully understood.
- To confer and consult with the other members of the multi-disciplinary community eye team with regard to the patients treatment to ensure appropriate clinical care.
- To work where necessary with interpreters, relatives, and support workers to achieve patient comprehension.
RESPONSIBILITY FOR PATIENT CARE
- Responsible for the accurate assessment of vision, ocular motility and ocular alignment and diagnosis of patients of all ages (infants to elderly) with a wide range of medical conditions (e.g. amblyopia, squint, neurological disease, trauma etc.) referred to the Orthoptic service.
- Responsible for the instillation of eye drops for diagnostic and treatment purposes in accordance with departmental Patient Group Directives
- Responsible for formulating individualised care packages, using an up to date knowledge of evidence based practice, promoting them to the patient, motivating them and/or their carers
- To undertake timely treatment and altering/adapting the care plans to suit the needs of the patient and clinical requirements, to ensure positive treatment outcomes.
- Take a lead in the decision and timing of corrective squint surgery.
- To undertake pre and post-operative measurements of ocular motility defects ensuring use of appropriate level of manual dexterity and speed to ensure accurate results, especially in infants.
- To identify post-operative risks and discuss this with patients and/or their parent/carer and surgeon.
- To advise on post-operative squint care with regard to use of antibiotic drops, wear of glasses, swimming and schooling to ensure the best surgical outcomes are achieved and maintained.
- To maintain a considerable degree of empathy and be responsible for providing support and advice to children with a permanent significant visual impairment, ensuring that they and their family are aware of the long-term implications of the condition and of the support available to them.
- It is the responsibility of all trust employees to fully comply with the safeguarding policies and procedures of the trust. As a Tameside and Glossop employee you must ensure that you understand your role in protecting adults and children that may be at risk of abuse. Individuals must ensure compliance with their safeguarding training.
PLANNING AND ORGANISING
- Organise and plan own workload or activities in order to meet the demands of the job role and ensure vision screening is undertaken in a timely fashion.
- To monitor stock levels in clinics attended to ensure adequate supplies of disposable items such as occlusion patches and stereograms and stationery are maintained, and to communicate effectively with stock controller to ensure timely ordering of any requirements to provide an effective service at all times.
- To ensure travel between Tameside Hospital, community clinics and schools in the district is achieved in a timely fashion.
Responsibilities for Physical and / or Financial Resources
- Responsible for the correct use and routine maintenance of highly expensive visual field analysers and other electrical equipment used within the department.
- Responsible for maintaining the security of the department (i.e. controlling access to drugs and clinical records) when lone working on hospital site.
- Responsible for the security of personally held equipment and of the safe carriage of Orthoptic and Optometric equipment to community clinics.
- Ensure safe and efficient use of equipment, resources and consumables at all times.
- Responsibility for Policy and Service Development and Implementation
- To participate in developing departmental policies and procedures and to work collaboratively to influence service development and ensure quality care is delivered.
- Be able to undertake projects appropriate to the grade as delegated by the Orthoptic Team Leader.
- To embrace and support line management and the department, in making service improvements effective within the workplace
Responsibilities for Human Resources and Leadership
- Management and supervision within the skill mixed team. This includes induction programmes, training, supervision, professional development staff appraisals, and responsibility for standards, quality and continue development.
- Attending mandatory and Trust training and participating in appraisal.
- Following Trust policies on flexible working hours where agreed.
- Support new or less experienced work colleagues to adapt to the workplace.
Responsibilities for Teaching and Training
- Responsible for maintaining an up to date knowledge of techniques, technology and practice and to attend appropriate training events, including staff meetings to improve professional knowledge and competence and to keep CPD folder up to date.
- To provide clinical training at an appropriate level to a variety of other health care professionals including Junior Doctors, Trainee GPs/Optometrists, Health Visitors, School Nurses, Student Nurses, Other Allied Health Professionals etc.
Responsibilities for data and information resources
- Maintain timely and accurate clinical records and provide reports in the appropriate format, in accordance with departmental policy
- Provide timely and accurate data for statistical purposes, including EMIS, Lorenzo and KPIs for the Business Unit
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Degree or Diploma in Orthoptics
- Registration with Health Professions Council
- Evidence of continuing professional development
Knowledge
Essential
- Basic understanding of ophthalmological conditions that congenitally affect children
- An understanding of Orthoptic techniques
Experience
Desirable
- Post qualification experience
- Experience in undertaking vision screening
Skills & Abilities
Essential
- To have an aptitude for working in a caring environment especially with children of all intellectual abilities
- To have a wide understanding of conditions referred to Orthoptist service and the treatment regimes that might be required
- Have good planning and organisational skills and be self-directing and be able to work without direct supervision
- Good communication skills with the ability to communicate effectively with a broad range of patients including those with learning difficulties as well as medical professionals
- The ability to work as part of a multi disciplinary team
- Committed to delivering a high quality service and developing clinical practice.
- The ability to work under pressure.
Desirable
- Have IT skills in Office programmes
- A working knowledge of the Humphrey Field Analyser
- A working knowledge of OCT assessment
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Degree or Diploma in Orthoptics
- Registration with Health Professions Council
- Evidence of continuing professional development
Knowledge
Essential
- Basic understanding of ophthalmological conditions that congenitally affect children
- An understanding of Orthoptic techniques
Experience
Desirable
- Post qualification experience
- Experience in undertaking vision screening
Skills & Abilities
Essential
- To have an aptitude for working in a caring environment especially with children of all intellectual abilities
- To have a wide understanding of conditions referred to Orthoptist service and the treatment regimes that might be required
- Have good planning and organisational skills and be self-directing and be able to work without direct supervision
- Good communication skills with the ability to communicate effectively with a broad range of patients including those with learning difficulties as well as medical professionals
- The ability to work as part of a multi disciplinary team
- Committed to delivering a high quality service and developing clinical practice.
- The ability to work under pressure.
Desirable
- Have IT skills in Office programmes
- A working knowledge of the Humphrey Field Analyser
- A working knowledge of OCT assessment
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.
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).
Additional information
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).
