Advanced Specialist OrthoptistNHS

Job summary

The post is for a full time (37.5) ) band 7 Advanced Specialist Orthoptist to cover 12 months maternity leave.

The role will involve managing a general and complex caseload within all adult and paediatric orthoptic services.

There are also opportunities to develop your knowledge base and skills in both enhanced and advanced roles, within a variety of services including paediatric Ophthalmology, CFU, ROP, TED, Stroke and adult neuro.

The role will include participation in all general and complex Adult Ocular Motility and Neuro-orthoptic clinics. Paediatric Neuro and Oncology services and an active role in all forms of teaching including, undergraduate Orthoptists, optometrists and Ophthalmologists is required.

There are opportunities to support intravitreal injection clinics and MR/Glaucoma clinics for those already suitably trained and qualified. Training to deliver intravitreal injections will also be considered.

Please contact [email protected] or 01865434835 if you would like to discuss this position or if you would like to visit the department.

Main duties of the job

Managing a core orthoptic caseload, providing assessment, diagnosis and treatment plans to patients of all age groups, with a wide range of visual abnormality.

Managing a complex caseload, providing assessment, diagnosis, and treatment plans for patients seen within specialist services to include; neuro-ophthalmology/adult motility, paediatric neuro-oncology, and TED.

To assess diagnose and advise treatment plans for in-patients and to liaise with other medical teams to support ongoing care.

To take an active role in all aspects of teaching, to include Orthoptic undergraduates, pre-reg optometrists and ophthalmology trainees.

To contribute in departmental audit

Job description

• To provide comprehensive orthoptic assessment for all patients referred to the department from specialist services as in-patients or out-patients.
• To be responsible for the evaluation of visual acuity and visual behaviour in referrals from specialist services including neurology, endocrinology, Oncology and CFU services. This includes all infants and adults, patients with challenging behavior, functional visual loss, and learning disabilities.
• To offer expert opinion and diagnosis to ophthalmologists, neurologists, paediatricians and other health professionals regarding ocular motility disorders.
• To be responsible as an independent practitioner to advise and instruct patients and their parents/guardians on a continuous course of treatment, and review patients and treatment plans to achieve the best possible visual acuity, binocular vision, and ocular alignment for each patient.
• To use advanced knowledge and skills to assess patients suitability for botulinum toxin injection and adjustable suture surgery and provide information for patients and families regarding these treatments.
• To assess patients pre-operatively and suggest to the ophthalmologist the appropriate procedure, including multi-step procedures.
• To assess patients post-operatively and formulate highly specialized treatment plans.
• To use highly specialized skills to perform appropriate automated and manual perimetry in children if required and to use advanced knowledge to interpret the results from these examinations.
• To accurately assess spectacle prescriptions using automated and manual focimetry
• To perform tests quickly and with manual dexterity to ensure maximum accuracy and co-operation from young patients.
• To undertake and lead when required the teaching of orthoptic students, optometry students and other health care professionals visiting the department.
• To be required to adopt restricted working positions including bending, leaning over and some lifting and patient movement.
• To be required to work at times in unpleasant conditions including exposure to smells, bodily fluids, and transmittable diseases (e.g., head lice)
• To provide a duty of care considering the needs of each individual patient and to adapt to emotional, mental and physical responses which requires devotion of time and constant concentration whilst also coping with the demands of unplanned clinical workload and frequent interruption.

Specialist Clinical Duties

• To be the first point of call for patients, healthcare professionals and other stakeholders within the field of adult motility and adult neuro-services or paediatric neuro services dependent on previous training and skill.
• To work in collaboration with the Lead Orthoptist.
• To provide comprehensive assessment and specialist management plans for patients on the neuro surgical wards.
• To support the Neuro-Ophthalmologists and paediatric ophthalmologists
• To be responsible as an independent practitioner to formulate treatment plans for all neuro-ophthalmology and adult motility patients.
• To collaborate with colleagues from both within and outside the ophthalmology department in research and clinical audit and present results from clinical audit at governance meetings.
• Disseminate the results of this research by appropriate means e.g., Publication in peer reviewed journals and presentation at national and international meetings.
• To work within an extended capacity supporting Glaucoma or medical retina services dependent on previous training and skill level.
• To provide peer support and information and teaching in the specialized field of ophthalmic aspects of neurological disorders.
• To provide expertise for the annual ocular motility teaching.

About us

We are a large friendly team of 15 orthoptists and 4 administrators, we work jointly with a team of 2 paediatric Ophthalmology Consultants, 2 Adult Motility Consultants and 1 Neuro-Ophthalmology Consultant as well as a wider team of Optometrists/nurses/Ophthalmic imagers. Our service is based in the Eye Hospital within the John Radcliffe Hospital however we also hold clinics within 6 peripheral sites across Oxfordshire, 5 special schools as well as leading a school vision screening service.

We are a very forward thinking, proactive team and are keen to support those interested in extended role as well as continuing professional development within core Orthoptics.