Main area: Orthoptics
Grade: Band 6
Contract: Permanent and Fixed Term for 12 months (end of Feb 2026)
Hours:
* Full time
* Flexible working
37.5 hours per week (9 day fortnight)
Job ref: 387-S-6232-LH
Site: Bristol Eye Hospital
Town: Bristol
Salary: £37,338 - £44,962 per annum pro rata (depending on experience)
Salary period: Yearly
Closing: 30/10/2024 23:59
As an organisation, we recognise the value of a healthy work-life balance. When applying, speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate flexible working, so your work life fits around your home life.
We particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates as they are under-represented within the Trust.
The successful applicant will join a highly motivated team of 14 Orthoptists and will gain invaluable experience in all aspects of Orthoptics. The post would be ideally suited to an Orthoptist with some post-graduation experience who is looking to expand their knowledge and skills at a large teaching hospital. We have a preceptorship and mentoring programme, protected CPD time, and actively encourage audit and research to improve our service. This is a teaching and research hospital with strong links with the University of Bristol and a tertiary referral centre for the South West in many Ophthalmic sub-specialities.
The post holder will be based at the Eye Hospital but will also travel to community sites and assessment centres in and around Bristol and to Weston General Hospital. The workload at the Eye Hospital will include specialist paediatric and paediatric neuro-ophthalmology clinics, motility and adnexal clinics, adult neuro-ophthalmology, stroke and brain injury assessments, and on-site adjustable suture assessments. The department actively supports extended roles in the skull base neuro-ophthalmology.
Main duties of the job
* To be an autonomous practitioner undertaking the investigation, diagnosis, and management of patients referred to the Orthoptic Department at Bristol Eye Hospital and Weston General Hospital. These include a wide range of complex cases from general and speciality clinics e.g. paediatric, motility, neurology, adnexal, and Accident and Emergency that are referred locally and from other centres in the South West of England.
* To supervise and/or teach Orthoptic students.
* Clinical Audit.
* A degree or Diploma in Orthoptics and registration with the HCPC are essential, and past experience is desirable.
Working for our organisation
University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW) is one of the largest acute Trusts in the country, bringing together a combined workforce of over 13,000 staff and over 100 different clinical services across 10 different sites, serving a core population of more than 500,000 people across South West England. UHBW has been rated by the CQC as ‘Good’ overall and our staff are proud to deliver excellent care to the people of Bristol, Weston, and beyond.
As a forward-thinking multi-award winning Trust and a digital exemplar committed to improving patient care, our world-leading research and innovations are having a positive local and global impact. Our hospitals are spread across Bristol and Weston; join us and you can enjoy the very best of both worlds; city living within a stone’s throw of the countryside or beside the seaside, both with easy access to all that the South West has to offer. UHBW is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and vulnerable adults.
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.
We have an SEN speciality service with close links to the Vision Support Service and the Community Paediatricians. We are a recognised Orthoptic student placement centre and host Orthoptic students for 6 months of each year; you would ideally have had some initial teaching experience with medical or optometry staff and be interested in developing your teaching skills or have a teaching qualification.
Person specification
Qualifications and Training
* BSc Orthoptics or Equivalent
* Registration with HCPC
* Teaching qualification
Knowledge and Experience
* Relevant Orthoptic experience in acute and community settings
* To have had responsibility for diagnosis and management of adults and children of all ages
* To have taken an active part in audit and research
* Competence in the use of a variety of visual field analysers and to interpret the result
* To have been involved in the clinical training of Orthoptic undergraduates and other medical, optometry, and nursing staff or students
Skills and Abilities
* To have a broad and detailed knowledge of visual and ocular motility defects
* Proven and relevant CPD
* Excellent observational, analytical, and reflective skills in order to interpret findings and recommend treatment or further investigation
* Excellent communication and interpersonal skills. These should be verbal and written
* Ability to communicate information that may be sensitive or hard to accept or understand in a sympathetic and empathetic manner
* To have an awareness of the impact that the information given may have a profound impact on patients and their families and have the ability to provide necessary support
* Works well under pressure
* Very good communication skills
* Empathetic manner
We hope that you will decide to join us and become part of this exciting journey, helping us to shape our future together.
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.
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.
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.
Employer certification / accreditation badges
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Name: Helen McCarthy
Job title: Head Orthoptist
Email address: helen.mccarthy@uhbw.nhs.uk
Telephone number: 01173421429
Additional information:
Julie Parker: julie.parker@UHBristol.nhs.uk
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