Dispensing Optician

The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust; North East; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading NHS Foundation Trust in North East England seeks a Contact Lens Optician to oversee spectacle dispensing and provide low vision services. You will also be involved in teaching optometry professionals and have the opportunity to develop clinical skills within a hospital setting. Candidates not yet registered are encouraged to apply, with support provided to obtain necessary qualifications.

Benefits

Flexible working arrangements

Comprehensive training programs

Support for professional development

Qualifications

• GOC registered Contact Lens Optician or support to obtain registration.
• Experience in delivering specialized treatment programs for patients.
• Ability to teach optical theory to undergraduates and junior staff.

Responsibilities

• Assess and diagnose cases registered with the ophthalmologist.
• Create and deliver individualized treatment programs.
• Demonstrate optical theory and practices to various health professionals.

Skills

Contact Lens Optician registration

Clinical skills in a hospital setting

Teaching and mentoring

Education

Relevant qualifications in Optometry

Job description

Overview

You will be responsible for over-seeing the small number of spectacle dispenses we provide for in-patients and bespoke dispenses for patients with specialist requirements such as acquired facial differences and ptosis. There will also be the opportunity to provide low vision services to our patients. You will be actively involved in our contact lens service which provides therapeutic and specialist contact lenses to both adults and children for a range of conditions including keratoconus, aphakia and post keratoplasty. As such, you will be registered with the GOC as a Contact Lens Optician. However, we welcome applications from candidates not yet registered as a Contact Lens Optician and, will support them in obtaining the relevant qualifications. As a department, we are actively involved in teaching a range of ophthalmology professionals and you will participate in this programme. This includes the teaching of resident doctors, nurses and pre-registration optometrists. If you are a Dispensing Optician with a genuine interest in developing your clinical skills within a hospital setting, we strongly encourage you to apply.

Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is one of the busiest and largest NHS foundation trusts in the country, with around 15,000 staff and an annual budget of £1.6 billion. We have a long history of providing high quality care, clinical excellence, and innovation in medical research regionally, nationally and internationally. We\u2019re in the top five providers of specialised health services in the country, supporting people with a range of rare and complex medical, surgical and neurological conditions, cancers and genetic orders. Our staff oversee around 6,500 patient contacts each day, delivering high standards of healthcare. We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and recognise the benefit in providing an inclusive environment. We value and respect the diversity of our employees and aim to recruit a workforce which reflects the communities we serve, and is equipped to deliver the best service to our patients. We welcome all applications irrespective of people\u2019s race, disability, sex, sexual orientation, religion or belief, age, gender identity, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity and in particular those from under- represented groups. Newcastle Hospitals are proud to be one of the exemplar organisations across the NHS on sustainability, with a long history of delivering Sustainable Healthcare in Newcastle (Shine) and the first healthcare organisation in the world to declare a climate emergency. Our strategy includes commitments to being Net Zero by 2030, for our direct carbon footprint, and Net Zero by 2040 for our footprint plus. Delivering these ambitions will not be possible without the help, support and action of every single member of our team.

As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us and for our patients, and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement. If it works for the service, we will do our best to make it work for you. Our staff oversee over 6,500 patient contacts every day, delivering high standards of healthcare from the following sites:

• Freeman Hospital
• Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI)
• Health Innovation Neighbourhood (on the former Newcastle General Hospital and Centre for Ageing and Vitality site)
• Newcastle Dental Hospital
• Newcastle Fertility Centre
• Northern Centre for Cancer Care, North Cumbria
• Northern Genetics Service
• Cramlington Manor Walks

These include a range of flagship services which deliver cutting-edge care (supported by state-of-the-art diagnostic services in both radiology and pathology) and are a catalyst for innovation to support pioneering clinical practice in the NHS. We also have offices at Regent Point in Gosforth and community sites. Please see attached information on what Staff Benefits we have to offer at our Trust under Documents to download or Supporting documents. For further information on The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust please visit: Careers | Newcastle Hospitals | NHS | Newcastle Hospitals and Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Detailed job description and main responsibilities: To assess and diagnose adult and paediatric cases registered with the ophthalmologist; Creating and delivering specialised individual treatment programmes as agreed with the patient; To demonstrate optical theory and practices to optometry undergraduates, optometrists and other health professionals and junior medical staff.

Qualifications and other notes: All references from current and previous employers will be sought and must cover a minimum of 3 years employment. DBS payment may be required for successful candidates (salary deduction from first month\'s pay). Shortlisted candidates will be contacted by e-mail; please check your SPAM folders as well as your inbox. If you have not been contacted within 4 weeks of the closing date you should assume your application has been unsuccessful.