Eye Clinic Liaison Officer- Maternity Cover

Job description

Job responsibilities

Offer an initial screening of needs and if necessary and consented with the service user signpost and refer to a wide range of services and organisations to meet their needs.Develop excellent working relationships with different internal clinical groups- Nurses, health care assistants, optometrists, consultants and establish referral routes to and from internal departments.

Develop excellent working relationships with external departments- local authorities, sensory impairment, sight loss charities, community support groups, and establish referral routes to and from external departments.

Act as a key information and advisory link in the certification and registration process for blind and partially sighted people as well as promoting the benefits of certification to the eye clinic staff.

Attend team meetings, ECLO network meetings, training events and take responsibility for maintaining own continuing professional development.

Attend clinical audit meetings/ steering groups/ forums, and other events to promote the benefits of the ECLO service to eye clinic staff and social care professionals.

Collate and maintain accurate client records and to input quality data using common data collection tools and databases. Whilst ensuring to maintain confidentiality of all people who access the service and patient records are in line with appropriate data protection legislation.

To manage and prioritise referrals

To take up referrals to the service and assist with service provision and the processing of referrals to the appropriate resource.

Where needs are identified which are not specifically connected to an individuals visual impairment identify the route and signpost and refer on to other services.

To clearly record the outcome of the assessments in a concise and professional manner.

To ensure that up-to-date and accurate records of all patients seen by the team are maintained.

ADVICE AND INFORMATION

To ensure that a patient information resource area of booklets, other relevant literature and products are ordered and maintained. To assist patients to access all relevant information and support (e.g. through the use of the internet).

To maintain an understanding of relevant legislation and national policies in relation to adults with visual impairments.

To give advice to visually impaired people on welfare rights and entitlements related to their sensory impairment and then refer them on the appropriate service or agency.

To provide information and advice to colleagues whose work impacts on the visually impaired people.

To provide general and specialist information on a range of information regarding practical support such as equipment specialist visual impairment equipment and mobility training.

To advise on adjusting and adapting depending on level of visual impairment and offering guidance on how to register blind or partially sighted.

To identify and provide relevant advice, guidance and information on services available to people with a sight loss including appropriate communication facilities such as Braille etc.

Person Specification

Education/ Qualifications

Essential

• ECLO Accreditation (or willing to work towards)
• Minimum 5 GCSE's or equivalent including English and Maths

Desirable

• Sight loss awareness training or similar

Experience

Essential

• Previous experience of working in the field of vision impairment
• Experience of supporting emotional/distressed people

Desirable

• Experience of person-centred planning & assessment of needs

Knowledge

Essential

• An understanding of the needs of people living with sight loss
• Knowledge of charities/ services available to support people with a visual impairment
• Knowledge of the Benefits and Concessions that are available to visually impaired people

Desirable

• Knowledge of common eye conditions
• An understanding of the process of certification and registration of visually impaired people

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.

Employer details

Employer name

Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Moorfields Eye Hospital- City Road

London

EC1V 2PD

Employer's website

https://www.moorfields.nhs.uk/work-for-us (Opens in a new tab)