Deputy Head Orthoptist

NHS Jobs; Sutton-in-Ashfield; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust seeks a Deputy Head Orthoptist to lead orthoptic and low-vision services across King’s Mill Hospital, Newark Hospital, and Ashfield Health Village. You will deputise for the Head of Orthoptics, supervise staff, and drive service development while ensuring high-quality patient care.

The role requires master’s level leadership experience, HCPC registration, and a strong background in clinical governance.

Qualifications

• Orthoptics degree with HCPC registration and leadership potential.
• Experience in orthoptic services and related extended roles.
• Proven ability to supervise, teach, and mentor staff.
• Knowledge of clinical governance and service development.

Responsibilities

• Deputise for Head of Orthoptics and Low Vision in leadership and clinical duties.
• Lead Orthoptic and Optometry services across multiple sites, including travel.
• Develop and evaluate Orthoptic/Optometry services to meet governance standards.

Skills

Communication skills

Clinical leadership

Autonomy in orthoptics

Staff supervision

Rota management

Travel between sites

IT literacy

Clinical governance

Education

BSc(Orth) / DBO or equivalent

HCPC Registration

Master’s level or equivalent leadership experience

BIOS Clinical tutor qualification

Leadership/teaching qualifications

Tools

ICE

Careflow

Medisight

ESR

e referrals

Job description

Go back Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Deputy Head Orthoptist

The closing date is 27 September 2026

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.

Not all of our roles are eligible for visa sponsorship. To find out which roles are eligible, please refer to the shortage occupation list found here:

Skilled Worker visa: eligible healthcare and education jobs - GOV.UK

Home Office guidance has changed as of 9th April. Anyone that requires switching visa type may not be eligible for sponsorship even if the role is on the shortage occupation list.

Job responsibilities

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

Person Specification

Knowledge Requirements

• 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
• 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

• 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
• 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

• Evidence of continued professional development within the Orthoptic / Ophthalmology speciality
• Leadership course/qualification
• Low Vision Therapy course
• Biometry training
• Stroke & Neurology training
• Teaching and assessing course

Experience

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

Contractual Requirements

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

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.

Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust