Job Description

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NHS AfC: Band 8a

Main area

eye unit

Grade

NHS AfC: Band 8a

Contract

Permanent

Hours

Full time - 37.5 hours per week (Cross site working)

Job ref

343-7303478-RB-SK

Site

St Helier Hospital

Town

Carshalton

Salary

59,490 - 66,239 pa Inclusive of HCAS

Salary period

Yearly

Closing

25/07/2025 23:59

At Epsom and St Helier Hospitals, above all we value respect. We put respect at the heart of all we do, by living up to our shared behaviours of kindness, professionalism, positivity and teamwork. This enables us to provide great patient care and make ESTH a great place to work. When you sign up to work with us, you sign up to this and we welcome applicants who share our values.




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Job overview

The department is based in two new eye units at both St Helier and Epsom Hospitals. It is a forward looking department with 13 consultants
including 3 with an interest in paediatric ophthalmology and strabismus. There are close links with the Royal Marsden hospital and the St Georges
Hospitals and we are part of the MDT team providing care for these oncology and neuro-surgical patients. The department also provides eye care for children and young people at the Tadworth Children's Trust. The department is supported by 8 WTE orthoptists, 2 WTE optometrists and 6 WTE technician staff. We provide in house contact lens service and low vision service. We have the benefit of state of the art ophthalmic imaging
systems including Optos and OCT and FFA imaging which have allowed us to transform our pathways.
This is a full time post which requires cross site working
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Main duties of the job

We are looking for an experienced Orthoptist to join our Ophthalmology team and lead the Orthoptic and Optometry clinical service across Epsom
and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust. The post holder will be responsible for leading our team of orthoptists and for providing expert
knowledge in the assessment of visual function and ocular motility disorders in all age groups, low vision services and stroke visual rehabilitation.
They will manage our team of Optometrists and imaging technicians and be overall responsible for the ophthalmic imaging. The successful
candidate will also provide a school vision screening service for the residents of Merton and support Ophthalmology clinical research.
The post holder will ensure provision of and be accountable for, the delivery of an efficient, high quality and caring Orthoptic and Optometry
clinical service across Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust, which meets service and client requirements and encompasses a
wide range of specialist expertise and client groups.


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Working for our organisation

St George's, Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals and Health Group cares for a population of four million people in South West London and North East Surrey. Our sites include St George's Hospital, one of 11 major trauma centres in the UK and the largest healthcare provider and major teaching hospital in the area; St Helier Hospital, home to the South West Thames Renal and Transplantation Unit and Queen Mary's Hospital for Children; and Epsom Hospital, home to the South West London Elective Orthopaedic Centre (SWLEOC).


After years of collaboration, our two Trusts became a hospitals group in 2021. While remaining as two separate Trusts, being a hospitals group will help us to collaborate more closely on research, and the development, education, and training of our 17,000-strong workforce.


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Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please see the attached supporting document which contains more information about the Head of Orthoptics and Optometry Nursing role at Epsom and St Helier.


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Person specification

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Skills and Abilities

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Essential criteria

Excellent leadership skills Excellent communication skills Evidence of continued professional development #####

Desirable criteria

Ability to lead and work in partnership with the wider Ophthalmic multidisciplinary team. ####

Qualifications

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Essential criteria

Degree or diploma in Orthoptics or ability to demonstrate equivalent knowledge and expertise gained through alternative study and/or work experience. #####

Desirable criteria

MSc in relevant subject or working towards Demonstration of leadership or management experience. ####

Experience

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Essential criteria

Ability to work autonomously, demonstrating a high level of professional and personal credibility, inspiring confidence in others. Ability to provide inspirational leadership for the clinical team in keeping with Trust values. Ability to demonstrate service improvement skills and deliver on change management projects. Organizational and planning skills to manage own workload and that of others. #####

Desirable criteria

Experience of managing Optometry services including contact lens and low vision services. Evidence of extended role experience. Knowledge of Information governance standards and maintenance of Ophthalmic imaging platforms.

Your application

: Please ensure that you have read the job description and person specification and that your supporting statement reflects these, as your application will be assessed and scored against these criteria.

References

: You will be required to provide 3 years of employment/educational history. We

do notaccept references from personal email addresses such as Hotmail, Gmail etc. therefore please ensure you are providing professional working email addresses within your application form. If you are unable to provide professional email addresses and are invited to an interview, please ensure you advise the interviewers of this - otherwise, this may delay your pre-employment checks.

Closing date

: In order to streamline recruitment within our Trust, we reserve the right to expire vacancies prior to the advertised closing date once we have received a sufficient number of applications.

Shortlisting

: You will only be contacted via e-mail/SMS by the SWL Recruitment Hub if you are successfully shortlisted for this post. Please ensure that you check your Trac registered e-mail regularly.

DBS

: We are committed to safeguarding children and adults who are at risk of abuse. As such, if this post will have access to children or vulnerable adults, you will be required to undertake an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check. However, all employees have a responsibility for safeguarding children and vulnerable adults in the course of their duties and for ensuring that they are aware of the specific duties relating to their role.



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Disability Advice Line:

SWL Recruitment Hub is committed to promoting equity and equal opportunities for individuals with disabilities. We believe that greater diversity and inclusion will lead to an even more positive impact on the people we serve. For support with job opportunities and reasonable adjustments contact our

Confidential Disability Advice Line at:

Telephone: 02082963786

Text: 07501066267

Email: esth.dal@nhs.net.

Our confidential answering service is available after 5pm.
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Employer certification / accreditation badges

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Applicant requirements

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.