Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust
Band 7 Deputy Head Orthoptist
The closing date is 26 November 2026

Job summary
Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust is looking to recruit an enthusiastic Orthoptist to take up the position as Deputy Head Orthoptist.

The role will cover a wide variety of different Orthoptic clinics with potential to explore extended roles as well as deputising for the Head of Orthoptics & Optometry and assisting in departmental managerial duties.

This position is full time (37.5 hours) and the post will cover working countywide across Worcester Royal Hospital, Kidderminster Treatment Centre, Princess of Wales Hospital - Bromsgrove and The Alexandra Hospital - Redditch, as required.

Main duties of the job
Clinical duties:

• To work alongside the Orthoptic, Optometry and wider Ophthalmology team in providing an Orthoptic service within the Worcestershire region.
• To provide Orthoptic input during Ophthalmology clinics including Paediatric, Neuro-Ophthalmology and Acute Ophthalmology clinics
• To assist in specialist Orthoptic Stroke clinics (training provided if needed)
• To assist in the performing of Goldmann Visual Fields (training provided if needed)
• To assist in the performing of Biometry assessments during Cataract Assessment Clinics (training provided if needed)

Administrative Duties:

• Be responsible for the administration required whilst carrying out clinical case load
• Deputise for the Head of Orthoptics & Optometry when required
• Assist in Orthoptic Managerial duties as required.
• Assist in the triaging of referrals as required.

About us
Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust is a large acute and specialised hospital trust that provides a range of local acute services to the residents of Worcestershire and more specialised services to a larger population in Herefordshire and beyond.

The Trust operates hospital-based services from three sites in Kidderminster, Redditch and Worcester.

Our workforce is more than 7,000 strong, and our caring staff are recognised as providing good and outstanding patient-centred care. You could be one of them.

We are committed to recruiting the best people to work with us. Our values, which we ask all staff to demonstrate, underpin our everyday work and remain firmly at the heart of all we do.

• Being open and honest
• Ensuring people feel cared for
• Showing respect to everyone

We are committed to developing a culture of continuous improvement by embedding the principles of our Improvement System.

We are proud to have achieved Timewise accreditation - this means we are committed to embedding flexible working within our organisation as a flex positive employer.

DBS Checks and Costs
Any applicants who are offered posts requiring a DBS check as part of their employment check will have the cost of this check (at the current rate) deducted from their salary. Please see link in Supporting Information section for more details on DBS checks and costs.

Details
Date posted: 12 November 2026
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 7
Salary: £49,387 to £56,515 a year
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Full-time, Flexible working
Reference number: C9365-26-0868

Job responsibilities
*Please Note : For a detailed job description for this vacancy, please see attached Job Description*

• To provide Orthoptic Services as an autonomous practitioner in the acute and community sectors.
• To act as a source of expertise providing the diagnosis, management, treatment and discharge planning of patients presenting with acute and longstanding visual and ocular motility deficits.
• To effectively deliver, individually and as part of a team, highly specialised levels of Orthoptic investigation and assessment.
• To use analytical skills to diagnose and treat a range of conditions as necessary. To Lead and manage one of the orthoptic extended roles and its team.
• To work as an active member of multi-disciplinary teams.
• To educate and train Orthoptic Undergraduate Students and other health-care professionals.
• To assist in the day to day management of the Orthoptic Department, leading in the absence of the Head of Orthoptics & Optometry.
• The post-holder will work with the Acute and Community Sectors to ensure continuity of care for all patients and audit the service on an on-going basis.
• To be responsible for the Orthoptic assessment, diagnosis, management and treatment of patients referred to the Orthoptic Department from various departments, including paediatrics, accident and emergency, maxillo-facial, neurophysiology, neurology etc of patients ranging from paediatric to the elderly.
• To take sole responsibility to formulate relevant discharge plans and onward referral. This patient group comprises all cases of ocular motility defects and amblyopia (reduced vision with no pathological cause), complex congenital and acquired cases, including neurological abnormalities, genetic disorders and associated ocular abnormalities.
• To be responsible as an autonomous practitioner for the evaluation of visual acuity and visual behaviour in referrals from the specialist services. This includes infants with strabismus (squint) and amblyopia, congenital or developmental abnormalities, genetic referral, non-reading adults, children and adults with severe learning difficulties as well as acute ocular motility defects in both children and adults.
• To be responsible for planning, implementing and monitoring individual treatment plans/care pathways for patients of all ages using advanced clinical reasoning and evidence based practice.
• To act as Clinical Tutor to Undergraduate Orthoptic Students.
• To undertake training of other healthcare professionals
• To contribute to multi-disciplinary care.

Person Specification
Personal Qualities

• Essential: Empathy, Patience

Other Job Requirements

• Essential: Reliable Work Record, DBS Clearance
• Desirable: Driving License and access to own vehicle to allow for cross county working

Skills / Knowledge

• Essential: Excellent communication skills, Good organisational skills
• Desirable: Good IT Skills

Experience

• Essential: Wide range of Orthoptic experience as a qualified Orthoptist
• Desirable: Experience in Managerial duties, Experience in assessment of Orthoptic Stroke patients, Experience in Low Vision Clinics, Experience in Goldmann visual field testing, Experience in carrying out Biometries for cataract patients, Experience in school vision screening

Qualifications

• Essential: Degree or Diploma in Orthoptics, Post Graduate Experience, Registration with HCPC
• Desirable: Teaching qualification, Evidence of CPD

Disclosure and Barring Service Check
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.

Certificate of Sponsorship
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website.

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants.

UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website.

Employer details
Employer name: Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust
Address: Charles Hastings Way, Worcester, Worcestershire, WR5 1DD, United Kingdom
Employer's website: https://www.worcsacute.nhs.uk/

Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact: Head of Orthoptics & Optometry, Jonathan Graves, jonathan.graves@nhs.net

Supporting documents
Flexible Working and Support to Staff, We are committed to developing a culture of continuous improvement, An Inclusive Employer, Working for Us, Privacy notice: Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust's privacy notice

Applicants must have current UK professional registration.