Job summary
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Deputy Head Orthoptist to join our friendly team at Sherwood Forest Hospitals on a fixed term basis.

As Deputy Head Orthoptist, you will play a pivotal role in providing high-quality care and support to our patients. The primary location for this role is at King's Mill Hospital where you will work in a dynamic, multidisciplinary environment that values your expertise and skills.

This role will also involve travel to Newark Hospital and Ashfield Health Village, offering you the opportunity to expand your scope of practice and contribute to patient care in various settings. You will be responsible for assessing and treating a range of orthoptic conditions, managing complex cases and providing a high standard of patient care across different departments.

The post holder will deputise for the Head of Orthoptics and Low Vision in terms of professional leadership, clinical expertise, operational management and development of staff delivering Orthoptic and Optometry Services including extended roles. The role will also involve assisting in developing Orthoptic, Optometry, Low Vision services and Ophthalmology services, in a way that is responsive to changing needs and meeting requirements of clinical governance and risk management in line with new developments.

This position provides a unique opportunity to gain experience across multiple settings, enhancing both your clinical and leadership skills and expertise.

Main duties of the job
To understand the role in more detail, please refer to the attached job description and person specification.

About us
We are an award-winning NHS Foundation Trust working alongside health and social care colleagues across the county to provide acute and community healthcare services to more than 420,000 people across Mansfield, Ashfield, Newark and Sherwood, and parts of Derbyshire and Lincolnshire.

We put the patient at the heart of everything that we do and it is our aim to make sure that every patient is treated as we would want a member of our own family to be treated. At the same time, we expect our staff to be caring, kind and courteous to each other and to look out for each other. We believe that we are truly a clinically-led organisation.

We are proud that our Trust colleagues have voted us the best acute Trust to work for in the East Midlands for seven years running in the National NHS Staff Survey, while the Care Quality Commission has rated our Trust as 'outstanding' for care and our King's Mill Hospital as the only 'outstanding' NHS-run hospital in the East Midlands.

Job responsibilities
To understand the role in more detail, please refer to the attached job description and person specification.

Person Specification
Knowledge Requirements
Essential

• Excellent communication skills with clear written and oral skills
• Experience of clinical leadership, supervising or managing staff, organisational abilities, supervisory skills
• Highly developed experience and specialist knowledge of working autonomously as an Orthoptist to a master's level with ability to lead in at least one advanced speciality e.g. Low Vision or Orthoptic Led Stroke/ Neurology
• Experience of clinical teaching, supervising, mentoring/ preceptorship within an Orthoptic service
• Knowledge of service planning and development
• Knowledge and understanding of clinical governance
• Complex problem-solving skills
• IT competent including the use of hospital systems including ICE, Careflow, Medisight, ESR, e referrals

Desirable

• Experience in Low vision clinics
• Experience of Biometry
• Experience in visual field testing and interpretation
• Experience of Orthoptic led Stroke/Neurology clinic
• Ability to use ordering systems
• Ability to use Trac or knowledge of recruitment systems
• Experience of investigating incidents/complaints
• Experience in contributing to rota management
• Experience of working with internal and external agencies

Qualifications
Essential

• Bachelor of Science in Orthoptics BSc(Orth), BmedSci(Orth), and/or Diploma from the British Orthoptic Council (DBO) or equivalent
• Registration with HCPC
• Master's level or qualification or equivalent clinical specialist experience
• BIOS Clinical tutor qualification or equivalent

Desirable

• Medical Exemptions Course
• Membership of British & Irish Orthoptic Society
• Master's level or qualification or equivalent healthcare leadership experience
• Role of Clinical advisor on a BIOS extended role clinical advisory group

Further Training
Essential

• Evidence of continued professional development within the Orthoptic / Ophthalmology speciality
• Leadership course/qualification

Desirable

• Low Vision Therapy course
• Biometry training
• Stroke & Neurology training
• Teaching and assessing course

Experience
Essential

• Highly developed clinical experience with a broad knowledge of the Orthoptic service
• Experience in leading and supporting Orthoptic staff with audit and/ or service evaluations

Desirable

• Evidence of clinical leadership
• Evidence of Operational management
• Evidence of working in extended roles
• Experience of Orthoptic or Ophthalmology research

Contractual Requirements
Essential

• Ability to assist in leading the Orthoptic and low vision services
• Ability to travel between all hospital sites

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Applicants must have current UK professional registration.