Specialist Orthoptist

You will be based in the community at Liverpool Road Health Centre in Luton, or Kempston Health Centre, Bedford with a requirement to travel frequently to hospital and community clinics throughout Bedfordshire.

Our team covers community clinics across the county, including paediatric orthoptic and child development centre clinics.

We also provide orthoptic clinics at both Hospitals, the Luton and Dunstable Hospital and Moorfields at Bedford Hospital . At the Luton and Dunstable and Moorfields eye clinics our team provides orthoptic support for hospital paediatric and adult motility clinics with consultants in paediatric ophthalmology and strabismus.

The department participates in NIHR registered Moorfields research studies.

We also provide specialist in and out-patient Stroke services at the Luton and Dunstable hospital as part of the multidisciplinary stroke team.

Orthoptists wishing to become a clinical tutor or to study postgraduate orthoptic modules at Sheffield and Liverpool University including the medicine exemptions course will be supported. The orthoptic department is also committed to teaching undergraduate orthoptic students.

You will need to work in some of our clinics single-handed so the role is most suited to an experienced orthoptist. You must have a degree or diploma in orthoptics, be registered with the HCPC and be a member of the British and Irish Orthoptic Society.

Job Purpose

To assist in the delivery of the Orthoptic Service, providing a high standard of care, undertaking a range of professional duties and working in a variety of areas in both acute and community settings across Bedfordshire, maintaining clinical and professional quality standards at all times.

To assess, diagnose, treat and manage adult and children patients referred to the Orthoptic service.

To take sole responsibility to determine the clinical diagnosis and formulate relevant treatment plans in conjunction with ophthalmologists and other health care professionals.

To take responsibility for one or more clinical bases, liaising with administrative and optometric staff as required.

Main Duties and Responsibilities To be professionally responsible and accountable for the management of Orthoptic patients in Bedfordshire as an autonomous practitioner.

To assess, diagnose, treat and manage (including discharge when clinically appropriate) the patients referred to the Community Eye Service. These include Paediatric visual disorders (squint, amblyopia, and reduced visual responses), ocular motility disorders, other ophthalmic conditions and congenital developmental abnormalities.

To formulate specialist individualised management and treatment plans using advanced clinical reasoning and a wide range of treatment skills.

To assess patients pre- and post-operatively and discuss surgery options with the Consultant Ophthalmologist. To identify the opportune timing of surgery and discuss post-operative risks with the patients, carers, and surgeon. The degree of surgery will be based on the Orthoptic measurements. To assist the surgeon in postoperative adjustable suture techniques. This requires accurate measurement to assist the surgeon with ocular alignment while the patient is under local anesthetic.

To diagnose and treat children with special needs in community and multidisciplinary clinics. The caseload will include children with complex neurological disorders, high level medical needs, autistic spectrum disorders and sensory impairment. Close liaison with other members of multidisciplinary team/early years contributes to the management of the whole child. When patients are wheelchair-bound and with young children it is necessary to adapt tests, be mobile and work at awkward angles at times.

To take responsibility for advising patients, relatives, and carers of the prognosis regarding their eye condition, including visual outcomes, squint surgery and any possible complications. Informing relevant clinicians and members of the multidisciplinary team where needed. Patients may have very complex medical problems requiring a high level of neurological and medical understanding to manage the case effectively prioritising ophthalmic care as required.

To support, advise and train the School Screening Team providing the 4-5 year school vision screening service.

To promote the need for early intervention and treatment of childhood eye problems.

To offer advice and support in the clinic and over the telephone, and deal with queries from patients, carers and other health professionals.

Assess, diagnose and manage children presenting with visually related reading difficulties seeking advice from the Orthoptic Team Leader where necessary.

Undertake specialised assessment of patients admitted to the Stroke ward. Determine the presence of any ophthalmological conditions and manage as required, liaising with ward staff and Ophthalmologists as appropriate. Organise patient referral and follow up as needed. Provide the patient and other health professionals with information to maximise rehabilitation potential and adapt to visual symptoms.

To contribute to Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) for patients with Special Educational needs when required.

To triage new referrals prioritising their urgency.

To direct referrals appropriately to the Consultant Ophthalmologist, Specialist Optometrist or the Orthoptist Team Leader.

To analyse, diagnose, and formulate treatment plans for patients with complex ocular movement disorders referred by Consultant Ophthalmologists and Acute referrals at Moorfields at Bedford and Luton and Dunstable Hospital trusts.

To analyse patients referred from other medical specialists, to make an Orthoptic diagnosis and contribute to the multidisciplinary care plan.

To assess and interpret visual fields using Goldmann Field Perimeter using knowledge of the visual pathway and to forward the results to the appropriate medical and surgical teams e.g., Neurology teams at local acute trusts, tertiary centres and DVLA.

To maintain and check current and discharged clinical records on SystmOne and other electronic patient record systems.

To work independently in busy community children's clinics within professional guidelines and Orthoptic competencies, referring selected patients for ophthalmic/optometric care.

To provide support for the Orthoptist Team Leaders and:a. Act as a deputy in her absenceb. Assist in the monitoring and maintenance, development and implementation of professional and organisational quality standards

Planning To prioritise and organise own clinical caseload.

To be responsible for booking patient appointments and related administration at single-handed peripheral community paediatric Orthoptic clinics on SystmOne, (S1) and ensuring compliance with 18 week criteria for initial appointments.

To organise additional sessions as required and take responsibility for the quality of the service in peripheral clinics in Bedfordshire.

To plan and organise joint Ophthalmic and Orthoptic community clinics across Bedfordshire.

Rated 'Outstanding' by the Care Quality Commission, we are proud to provide high quality innovative services across most of the east of England that enable people to receive care closer to home and live healthier lives.

There's one reason why our services are outstanding - and that's our amazing staff who, for the seventh year running, rated us incredibly highly in the national staff survey.

If you share our passion for innovative and high-quality care delivery, then please submit your application and join us on our exciting journey as a leading-edge specialist community provider. All are welcome to apply and our promise to you is a culture which prioritises staff engagement and development.

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