Senior Orthoptist- Lead for Adult Orthoptic Services

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We particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates as they are under-represented within the Trust.

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Job overview

We are looking to recruit a Full Time, PERMANENT Band 7 Orthoptist (Lead for Adult Orthoptic Services) at the United Bristol and Weston Hospitals Trust.

This presents a great opportunity for you to progress your career in a large teaching Eye Hospital. Flexible hours offered as a 9 day fortnight.

The successful applicant will be an experienced Orthoptist at Band 6 or 7 who will join a highly motivated team of 14 Orthoptists at BEH . Bristol Eye Hospital is a teaching and research hospital with strong links to the University of Bristol and is a tertiary referral centre for the South West in many ophthalmic sub specialities.

The department is also actively supports extended roles in the skull base neuro-ophthalmology and Paediatric primary care. We have an SEN speciality service with close links to the Vision Support Service and the Community Paediatricians. We also have an Orthoptic-led stroke service with a separate stroke Lead.

Main duties of the job

• All advanced Orthoptic services
• Involvement in departmental audit and research
• All necessary activities to ensure safeguarding of children and adults in your care
• Presenting at Grand Rounds, Paediatric teaching sessions and case discussion meetings
• All necessary admin and planning associated with peripheral clinics
• Following Trust Paediatric DNA policy and procedures
• Actively participating in departmental development and smooth running
• Maintaining own CPD in line with HCPC standards
• Being a part of the team here at UHBW
• A degree or Diploma in Orthoptics and registration with the HCPC are essential requirements

We are a recognised Orthoptic student placement centre and you would ideally have your clinical tutors qualification and teaching experience with Orthoptic, Medical or Optometry staff. We actively encourage audit, research and further education to improve our service and have protected CPD time.

For informal enquiries please contact Helen McCarthy or Julie Parker at Bristol Eye Hospital Orthoptic Department.

Working for our organisation

Anonymous information will be used from your application in order to ensure we’re meeting our pledge.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

For a more detailed job description, main responsibilities, and Person Specification, please refer to the job description document attached to this vacancy.

Person specification

Qualifications and Training

• Degree or Equivalent in Orthoptics

• Training or advanced qualification in NHS audit. R and D or Clinical Governance
• • Masters or Equivalent by extensive (at least 5 years) experience in advanced clinical practice or a specialist area of Orthoptics
• Clinical Tutors Course

Aptitudes

• To equally balance responsibilities of clinical and managerial responsibilities
• • Display both excellent organisational and leadership skills to promote and improve the Adult Orthoptic Services
• Highly effective communicator both clinically when delivering bad news regarding loss or damge to vision and managerially when encouraging and assisting colleague

Skills and Abilities

• To formulate individualised management and treatment plans, using clinical reasoning that is evidence based, and requires a wide range of treatment options.
• Assess and interpret complex results of clinical investigations, form an accurate diagnosis informed from knowledge base and current research findings.
• Screen and prioritise referrals to the service accurately identifying those which are of a sight or life threatening nature and arranging urgent assessment at appropriate hospital site.
• Proficiency in all types of visual field testing, an ability to work comfortably with a number IT and hospital based systems.
• Manual dexterity and observational skills for observing fine eye movement disorders and for highly accurate measuring skills for squint surgery and adjustable suture procedures.
• To apply a high level of understanding to the rehabilitation requirements following loss of vision due to stroke or double vision and to advise on lifestyle changes and adaptations to patients social and physical environment.

Knowledge and experience

• As an autonomous practitioner to undertake the investigation, diagnosis & management of patients of all ages and abilities including the very young and the elderly referred to the Orthoptic Department at Bristol Eye Hospital. This will include a wide range of complex cases referred from clinics including paediatrics, motility, neurology, maxillo facial, glaucoma and accident and emergency that are referred locally & from other centres in the South West of England
• Highly advanced (to a masters level equivalent) level of knowledge and extensive experience in highly specialized clinics namely neuro/skull base, paediatric cataract, functional vision, special schools, complex needs and stroke.
• To keep up to date with new techniques and developments for the promotion and maintenance of good practice in these highly specialised clinical area, demonstrating an advanced level of knowledge of particular conditions and current treatment therapies including prism therapy and rehabilitative scanning therapies through specialist training, continued professional development (CPD) and experience equivalent to master’s level.
• Evidence (portfolio) of extended and substantial self-study equating to a master’s level in the area of highly specialised Orthoptics.
• Have the ability to critically appraise and reflect own performance to maintain own CPD and to participate in internal and external development and training opportunities recording learning outcomes in own portfolio.

• To have undergone training in audit methodology and have written and presented audit previously.
• BIOS Clinical Tutors course must have been completed or significant experience in tutoring and in the development and improvement of the student placement offer within the department, creating and developing the clinical placement teaching material.

• As an equal opportunities employer actively working towards a diverse workforce we aim to recruit and retain a workforce which represents the rich diversity of the local population at all levels and are committed to designing our services around the needs of individual patients and those around them. Anonymous information will be used from your application to ensure we’re meeting our pledge.
• The Trust is committed to investing in and caring for all our staff. We will support you in maintaining and improving your health and wellbeing, as well as your career development through management and training support - developing exceptional people for exceptional careers.
• UHBW is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and vulnerable adults.
• To comply with Part 7 of the Immigration Act 2016 all applicants must be able to speak fluent English to an appropriate standard which will be assessed at Interview.
• If you require sponsorship for a visa to work in the UK, to avoid disappointment, please check to ensure you are eligible under the UKVI points based system.
• The Trust uses electronic new starter forms on Trac to collect personal details. Information collected is securely stored and used to set up the employee record on the ESR HR system.
• By applying for this post, you are agreeing to University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust transferring the information contained in this application to its preferred applicant management system. If you are offered a job, information will also be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system.
• Please be aware of scams – unless specified above, we will only communicate with you via @recruit.trac.jobs or nhs.net e-mails and we will never ask you for any payments.

IMPORTANT:

Please note that if you apply for a position with this Trust, you may be contacted via Trac or via email. This includes invites for job interviews. We therefore recommend that you regularly check your Trac account and email accounts. We may also contact you by texting the mobile number, if provided, on the application form.

Due to the high number of applications that are received for some posts we may close this vacancy before the advertised closing date. Therefore, please apply for this post as soon as you can, if you are interested and you meet the requirements of the Person Specification

Only those candidates who clearly demonstrate how they meet the person specification will be shortlisted for this job.

As a guide interviews should usually take place within 3 weeks of the closing date.

When providing employment reference details, please provide correct work-related email addresses so references can be sought promptly when we are looking to progress your application. Your referee must all be known to you in a line manager or professional lead capacity.