Job overview
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a substantive 0.5WTE job-share of the Deputy Head Orthoptist role. The post-holder will collaborate and share the roles and responsibilities with the job-sharing Deputy Head Orthoptist, in order to support the Head Orthoptist in leading the Orthoptic department and deputise for the Head Orthoptist in times of their absence, dealing with urgent matters that have arisen and attending managerial meetings as required.
The post-holder will be expected to deal with operational issues on a day to day basis (within their working hours) alongside the Principal Optometrist, in support of the Head Orthoptist. This includes looking at service delivery and improvements. The post holder is also responsible for managing the departmental rotas, leave requests and appraisal of the Orthoptic team, alongside their fellow job-sharing colleague.
As part of the job-share, the post-holder will provide Orthoptic leadership to the NHS Tower Hamlets Vision Screening Programme and co-ordinate the Orthoptic and Optometry delivered screening in Tower Hamlets Special schools and assessment with the Community Development Team.
As part of general Orthoptic duties the post-holder will work as an autonomous practitioner to assess, diagnose and manage patients referred to the Orthoptic, Paediatric and Neuro-ophthalmology departments.
Main duties of the job
1. ·It is vital to recognise that this post is a job-share, and so collaborative working with the fellow job-sharing deputy head orthoptist is key to ensuring that the expected roles and responsibilities of the post are fully met.
·To support the Head Orthoptist in leading the Orthoptic department.
·To deputise for the Head Orthoptist in times of their absence, dealing with urgent matters that have arisen and attending managerial meetings as required.
·To deal with operational issues on a day to day basis alongside the Principal Optometrist, in support of the Head Orthoptist; looking at service delivery and improvements. The post holder is also responsible for managing the departmental rotas, leave requests and appraisal of the Orthoptic team.
·To provide Orthoptic leadership to the NHS Tower Hamlets Vision Screening Programme.
·Co-ordinate Orthoptic and Optometry delivered screening in Tower Hamlets Special schools and assessment with the Community Development Team.
·To collaborate with the Orthoptic Education Lead to ensure the provision of teaching to the school nursing team.
·To produce regular audits of the vision screening service.
·Work as an autonomous practitioner to assess, diagnose and manage any patient referred to the Orthoptic Department.
Working for our organisation
Barts Health is one of the largest NHS trusts in the country, and one of Britain’s leading healthcare providers.
The Barts Health group of NHS hospitals is entering an exciting new era on our improvement journey to becoming an outstanding organisation with a world-class clinical reputation. Having lifted ourselves out of special measures, we now have the impetus and breathing space to chart a fresh course in which we are continually striving to improve all our services for patients.
Our vision is to be a high-performing group of NHS hospitals, renowned for excellence and innovation, and providing safe and compassionate care to our patients in east London and beyond. That means being a provider of excellent patient safety, known for delivering consistently high standards of harm-free care and always caring for patients in the right place at the right time. It also means being an outstanding place to work, in which our WeCare values and behaviours are visible to all and guide us in how we work together.
We strive to live by our WeCare values and are committed to promoting inclusion, where every staff member has a sense of belonging. We value our differences and fully advocate, cultivate and support an inclusive working environment.
We particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates as they are underrepresented within Barts Health at this band.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
The full job description provides an overview of the key tasks and responsibilities of the role, and the person specification outlines the qualifications, skills, experience, and knowledge required. For both documents, please view the attachment/s below.
Person specification
Experience
Essential criteria
2. Extensive experience in all areas of clinical Orthoptics
3. Experience in leadership of Orthoptic services
4. Experience in Humphrey and Goldmann visual field assessment
5. Previously worked single-handed
6. Teaching clinical orthoptic skills to undergraduate orthoptic students
7. Teaching to other health care professionals e.g. pre-registration optometrists, school nurses and undergraduate medical students
8. Experience working with children and adults with special needs and/or learning difficulties
9. Experience working in school screening/ community Orthoptic setting
Desirable criteria
10. Experience in interpreting OCT findings
11. Paper and/or articles published in journals or newsletters
Skills
Essential criteria
12. Ability to organise and manage own workload
13. Good organisational and planning skills
14. Good Communication and interpersonal skills
15. Ability to work as part of the multi-disciplinary team
16. Ability to develop good working relationships with hospital staff at all levels
17. Ability to actively participate in departmental clinical education and teaching of practical orthoptic skills
18. Understanding and ability to maintain patient confidentiality
19. Willingness to contribute to research within the department
20. Adaptable and flexible to cope with all aspects of work and changing circumstances
Skills
Essential criteria
21. Lectures or presentations given/posters presented at a local or national level
22. Ability to actively participate in departmental clinical education and teaching of practical orthoptic skills
23. Knowledge of the Care Records System (CRS)
Desirable criteria
24. Experience in interpreting OCT findings
25. Paper and/or articles published in journals or newsletters
26. Knowledge of the Patient’s Charter
Qualifications
Essential criteria
27. Possession of a Bachelor of Science in Orthoptics BSc (Orth), BMedSci (Orthoptics) and/or a diploma from the British Orthoptic Council
28. Registration with the Health Professions Council (HPC)
29. Up to date proof of CPD in line with HCPC guidelines
30. Commitment to Continuing Professional Development
Desirable criteria
31. Management experience
32. BIOS Recognised Teaching Qualification
33. Administration and supply of medicines by
34. Masters module/equivalent in OCT interpretation in Neuro-ophthalmology
**Visa Sponsorship Information**
Recent changes to UK immigration policy on the Health and Care Visa and Skilled Worker Visa could mean that this role is not eligible for sponsorship or that you may not meet the eligibility criteria.
Sponsorship can only be offered if this post and any individual offered employment meet all the Home Office’s requirements under the UK Skilled Worker visa scheme.
If you are applying from outside the UK or will require sponsorship, please mention this clearly in your application.
To be eligible for sponsorship, the following conditions must be met:
35. Eligible role: The position must be on the UK Skilled Worker visa list. You can check your eligibility here: -.
36. Salary threshold: The role must meet the minimum salary set by the Home Office. Please note that for roles employed under Agenda for Change Terms and Conditions, the High-Cost Area Supplement (HCAS) is not included when calculating the basic salary for the purposes of sponsorship.
37. Skill level: The role must meet the minimum skill requirement of RQF Level 6 or above (graduate level).
38. English language: Applicants must demonstrate English proficiency at CEFR level B2 or higher.
39. Other criteria: Applicants must meet all other criteria as set out by the UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI)