Overview
Orthoptist – Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
The closing date is 28 October 2025
An exciting opportunity has arisen to join our friendly team of nine Orthoptists, four Optometrists and nine Consultant Ophthalmologists at Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals. The successful post-holder will undertake standalone Orthoptic clinics, joint refraction clinics and joint adult motility/paediatric sessions, working closely with the Ophthalmologists at St Helens Hospital and community sites across St Helens and Knowsley. We are seeking an enthusiastic, dynamic and highly motivated Orthoptist, ideally with an interest in specific learning difficulties to support the orthoptic literacy service. Experience in this area is not essential. An Enhanced DBS with barred lists for both Adults & Children is required for this post.
Main duties of the job
* To be professionally and legally responsible and accountable for all aspects of the clinical workload.
* Adhere to all relevant Codes of Practice within the Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC) and maintain an up-to-date professional registration at all times.
* Abide by relevant Code of Professional Practice at all times.
* Provide the Orthoptic service autonomously both in the hospitals and at outreach clinics in the community as required.
* Independently select and perform a broad range of comprehensive, qualitative and quantitative, investigative, diagnostic and therapeutic Orthoptic procedures which require high degrees of accuracy, hand–eye coordination, acute observation and dexterity. Analyse and evaluate the results to aid diagnosis and differential diagnosis. The patient group includes all ages from early infancy to the elderly and comprises all cases of ocular motility defects, congenital and acquired. It also includes patients with significant learning difficulties and complex medical conditions. Referrals are received from a range of specialties (e.g. paediatrics, neurology, maxillofacial, stroke rehabilitation and endocrinology). Direct referrals are accepted.
* Using specialist knowledge formulate individual management and treatment plans using clinical reasoning, a wide range of treatment skills and evidence-based practice.
About us
Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust serves a population of over 600,000 with a workforce of over 9,000 staff across 21 sites. We believe that the communities we serve should have access to Five Star Patient Care.
Our services include:
* Acute Care – Providing emergency and maternity services at Whiston, Southport and Ormskirk hospitals, and medical and surgical specialties across sites.
* Primary Care – Providing primary care services at Marshalls Cross Medical Centre, St Helens Hospital.
* Community Services – Providing adult community services for St Helens and a wheelchair service in Chorley, South Ribble and West Lancashire. Inpatient unit at Newton Community Hospital supports rehabilitation and urgent care at the Urgent Treatment Centre in St Helens town centre.
* Specialist Regional Services – Mersey Regional Burns & Plastic Surgery Unit at Whiston Hospital and the Spinal Injuries Unit at Southport Hospital for more than 4 million people across Merseyside, West Lancashire, Cheshire, Isle of Man and North Wales.
* Achievements – Rated Outstanding by CQC (August 2018); Top 100 places to work in the NHS; National Preceptorship Accreditation (2023) for Nursing & AHP Preceptorship Programme.
Job responsibilities
For more information about this role please see attached job description and person specification. Advertising Date: 21 October 2025. Closing Date: 28 October 2025. Shortlisting Date: 29 October 2025. Proposed Interview Date: TBC. Please be aware if a sufficient number of applicants are reached, we may close the vacancy early.
Person Specification
Qualifications
* Diploma or Degree in Orthoptics
* State Registration with Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC)
* Post Graduate Clinical Tutor qualification or equivalent (level 6)
Knowledge & Experience
* Proven clinical post graduate experience in a broad range of adult & paediatric Orthoptic clinical practice
* Evidence of recent continuing professional development
* Previous experience in special educational needs
* Experience in audit
* Previous experience in clinical tutoring of Orthoptics
Skills
* Wide ranging comprehensive clinical skills in the Orthoptic assessment & management of patients of all ages and individual needs
* Excellent communication skills (written & verbal) with patients, carers and all health care professionals
* Ability to work autonomously and as part of a team
* Good planning and organisational skills
* Responsible for independent clinical & administrative decisions
* IT literate
Other
* Outreach clinics in community settings; ability to reach locations as needed
* Transporting notes, equipment and laptops to/from outreach clinics
* Working in varied postures during patient assessments; high manual dexterity
* Continued use of computers to access patient case notes
* Continuous decision making in investigation, diagnosis and management; analytical problem solving
* Mental agility in assessing a diverse clinical caseload
* Ability to work to high standards of accuracy
* Ability to break bad news sensitively
* Communication with distressed patients/carers; demonstrate empathy
* Exposure to verbal aggression at times
* Adapt to variability of clinic rooms in hospital and outreach venues
* Working conditions may include exposure to e.g. fleas, lice, childhood illnesses, MRSA
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and a Disclosure to check for any previous criminal convictions will be required.
Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
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