Orthoptist
At a glance
- Band
- Band 6
- Contract
- Fixed-term
- Pattern
- Part-time
- Posted
- 22/09/2026
- Closes
- 06/10/2026
Sponsorship verdict
This contract type is not eligible for Skilled Worker sponsorship.
NHS Trusts cannot issue a Certificate of Sponsorship for part-time, bank, locum, zero-hours, job-share or short fixed-term (under 12 months) contracts under current Home Office rules. This applies even when the wider Trust holds a Skilled Worker licence.
Role summary
This is a fixed-term, part-time Orthoptist position at Whipps Cross Hospital, covering maternity leave for 9 months. The role involves providing comprehensive orthoptic services to paediatric and adult patients within a multidisciplinary team, including hospital, community, and special school clinics. The successful candidate will also contribute to the education and development of other healthcare professionals and have opportunities for professional growth in extended roles, audit, and research. The team emphasizes staff well-being and flexibility.
Essential criteria
- Evidence of clinical experience delivering orthoptic assessment, diagnosis, and management across paediatric and adult patients, including through pre-registration clinical placements, performing duties comparable to those described in the job description.
- Experience working as part of uni-professional and multidisciplinary teams to deliver coordinated patient care
- Experience providing advice, support, or training to students, support workers, or colleagues
- Experience maintaining accurate clinical records using paper or electronic patient record systems.
- Experience working with children and/or vulnerable adults, with an understanding of safeguarding responsibilities
Desirable criteria
- Post-registration experience in a specialist area such as paediatrics, stroke, neuro-ophthalmology, community services, or special schools
- Membership of a relevant specialist interest group
- Experience contributing to audit, service evaluation, or quality improvement activity
- Experience using Cerner Millennium, MediSIGHT, or equivalent electronic patient record systems.
- Experience supporting student placements or delivering clinical teaching.
- Clinical assessment and diagnostic skills across the range of orthoptic practice, including paediatric and adult ocular motility disorders.
- Ability to analyse and prioritise clinical information to develop safe and appropriate care plans.
- Ability to communicate clinical information clearly to a range of audiences, adapting communication for children, carers, and patients with additional needs.
- Ability to deliver sensitive or distressing information with professionalism, empathy, and clarity.
- Ability to work autonomously, making clinical decisions within professional guidelines and escalating appropriately
- Ability to perform the manual clinical techniques of orthoptic practice, including motility measurement, manual perimetry, focimetry, and instillation of diagnostic drops.
- Ability to organise and prioritise a clinical workload, demonstrating effective time management
- Ability to work effectively under pressure and manage frequent interruptions.
- Ability to maintain accurate, high-quality clinical documentation, demonstrating attention to detail and accuracy
- Commitment to inclusive, non-discriminatory, patient-centred practice
- Confident presentation skills, including delivering teaching sessions or case presentations
- Ability to support the development of students or support workers through mentoring or supervision.
- Experience contributing to service development or pathway improvement.
- Developed knowledge of current best practice in orthoptics across paediatric and adult care.
- Understanding of the legal responsibilities, professional code of conduct, and ethical framework relevant to orthoptic practice
- Understanding of clinical governance, including audit, risk management, and evidence-based practice
- Knowledge of MS Office applications and confidence using electronic patient record systems.
- Understanding of safeguarding principles relating to children and vulnerable adults.
- Commitment to ongoing CPD and maintaining HCPC standards
- Knowledge of MediSIGHT, Cerner Millennium, or equivalent ophthalmic EPR or PAS systems
- Knowledge of national paediatric, stroke, or community eye care guidelines.
- Bachelor of Science in Orthoptics (BSc Orthoptics, BMedSci Orthoptics) or Diploma in British Orthoptics (DBO).
- Current registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).
- Evidence of ongoing CPD in accordance with HCPC requirements.
- Member of the British and Irish Orthoptic Society (BIOS)
- Postgraduate training or short courses relevant to paediatrics, stroke, or neuro-ophthalmology
- Other
- Able to travel between hospital and community sites as required.
- Physically able to perform the duties of the post, with reasonable adjustments where necessary.
- Flexible, dependable, and adaptable approach to work, including working across multiple locations.
- Evidence of clinical experience delivering orthoptic assessment, diagnosis, and management across paediatric and adult patients, including through pre-registration clinical placements, performing duties comparable to those described in the job description.
- Experience working as part of uni-professional and multidisciplinary teams to deliver coordinated patient care
- Experience providing advice, support, or training to students, support workers, or colleagues
- Experience maintaining accurate clinical records using paper or electronic patient record systems.
- Experience working with children and/or vulnerable adults, with an understanding of safeguarding responsibilities
- Post-reg
Useful to know
Agenda for Change 2024/25 pays Band 6 at £37,338 – £44,962 a year, across England.
This advert: £45,953 – £54,254 — outside the standard scale; check for HCAS/London weighting.
Posted 1d ago · Closes in 14d
Plenty of time to prepare a strong application.
Full advert · preview
Barts Health NHS Trust
Orthoptist
The closing date is 06 October 2026
Job summary
An exciting opportunity has become available with a vacancy within our orthoptic team. We are a friendly team looking for an enthusiastic and highly motivated Orthoptist to join us from October 2026. This is a fixed term, part-time (0.60 WTE) maternity leave cover post. You will be based at Whipps Cross Hospital and have an interesting mix of paediatric and adult hospital and community clinic & special schools with training opportunities within extended roles.The post-holder will work as part of the multi-disciplinary Orthoptic and Ophthalmology teams that provide comprehensive and quality Orthoptic services for the Trust.The Orthoptic department is a highly specialised department that provides comprehensive, quality and specialised Orthoptic services to the Trust as part of a multi-disciplinary Ophthalmology Team.You will participate in the educational activities run by and for the Orthoptic Departments. This includes the teaching of other health care professionals, medical undergraduates and junior doctors.There are significant opportunities to develop within the role gaining experience in extended roles and being involved in audit and research.We are a support team and understand the importance of staff well-being, flexibility and good team engagement to make a great experience for
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