Specialist Orthoptist
At a glance
- Band
- Band 6
- Contract
- Permanent
- Pattern
- Part-time, Job share
- Posted
- 21/09/2026
- Closes
- 04/10/2026
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 an opportunity for a Specialist Orthoptist to join the department on a permanent, part-time contract. The role involves providing highly specialised Orthoptic services to patients of all ages with various medical disorders, including tertiary referrals. The post holder will also participate in visual field assessments, low vision services, and clinical teaching for undergraduate orthoptic students. Responsibilities include investigation, diagnosis, and management of ocular motility defects and amblyopia, as well as evaluating visual acuity in diverse patient groups.
Key responsibilities
- Provide highly specialised Orthoptic service(s) to patients of all ages from a range of specialities.
- Participate in the provision of Goldmann and Octopus visual field assessment.
- Assess patients referred to the Low Vision Service and Orthoptic TBI service.
- Undertake clinical teaching and assessment of undergraduate orthoptic students.
- Be legally and professionally responsible and accountable for the orthoptic investigation, diagnosis and management of new and follow-up patients.
- Formulate and implement individualised management and treatment plans using advanced clinical reasoning.
Essential criteria
- Orthoptics BMedSci OR BSc (Hons) Orthoptics OR Orthoptics BSc (Hons) OR Diploma from British Orthoptic Council (DBO)
- To be registered with Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC)
- To have sufficient relevant experience in all aspects of clinical Orthoptics, especially in strabismus and complex ocular motility clinics, with evidence of continuing professional development maintained in a portfolio
- Experience of clinical teaching of Orthoptics.
- Evidence of on-going commitment to continuing professional development following BIOS/HCPC guidelines.
- Visual field examination and interpretation
- IT skills
- Good verbal and written communication skills with adults, carers, parents and children, students and all staff disciplines.
- Evidence of working successfully as part of a multidisciplinary team and independently.
- Ability to produce written reports.
- To be approachable and maintain an excellent rapport with colleagues
- Highly developed interpersonal and communication skills; ability to communicate complex, sensitive and potentially conflicting information to patients and other stakeholders in an appropriate manner independent of their level of understanding
- Leadership, organisational and negotiating skills
- Ability to use initiative and quickly interpret complex and potentially conflicting clinical information
- Capable of performing sustained high intensity work in a pressurised clinical environment
- Skills of persuasion
- Possesses precise, fine-motor physical examination skills
- Works well autonomously
- Self-motivated
- Enthusiastic
- Excellent time management
- Conscientious
Desirable criteria
- Medical exemptions for Orthoptists
- Member of the British & Irish Orthoptic Society (BIOS)
- Skilled in use of slit lamp, optic disc imaging and interpretation of visual fields results, or other ophthalmic investigated usually carried out by specialist medical staff
- Experience of research and development activities
- Experience undertaking and presenting audit
Useful to know
Agenda for Change 2024/25 pays Band 6 at £37,338 – £44,962 a year, across England.
This advert: £39,959 – £48,117 — outside the standard scale; check for HCAS/London weighting.
Posted 1d ago · Closes in 13d
Plenty of time to prepare a strong application.
Full advert · preview
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Specialist Orthoptist
The closing date is 04 October 2026
Job summary
An opportunity has arisen for a Specialist Orthoptist to join our department on a temporary contract of 1 days per week, to cover a secondment.
The post holder will provide highly specialised Orthoptic service(s) to patients of all ages from a range of specialities suffering from a wide variety of medical disorders including tertiary referrals from Ophthalmology, Neurology, Maxillofacial Unit, Endocrinology, Oncology, Stroke Unit and Emergency Eye Centre. Will participate in the provision of Goldmann and Octopus visual field assessment, also assess patients referred to the Low Vision Service and Orthoptic TBI service. You will undertake clinical teaching and assessment of undergraduate orthoptic students.
Main duties of the job
To be legally and professionally responsible and accountable for the orthoptic investigation, diagnosis and management of new and follow-up patients referred to the Orthoptic Department from various departments including ophthalmology, paediatrics, the Emergency Eye Centre (EEC), accident and emergency, maxillo-facial, and neurology.
This patient group comprises all cases of ocular motility defects and amblyopia (reduced vision with no pathological cause), anomalies of binocular single vision (ability to use the eye
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