Ophthalmic Technician

Kings College Hospital; Sidcup; Hybrid; GBP 31,000 - 32,000; Part time

Job summary

King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is seeking an Ophthalmic Technician to join a cross-site, 7-day service at Queen Mary’s Hospital, Sidcup, and Orpington Hospital. The post is part-time (21.5 hours per week) with a pro rata salary of £30,630–£32,346 per annum.

You will deliver ophthalmic diagnostics, support clinicians, and ensure patient safety and confidentiality while working as part of a multidisciplinary team across ophthalmology services.

Qualifications

• Experience working in a healthcare, patient-facing, customer service or ophthalmic setting
• Experience working within an ophthalmology service
• Experience communicating with the public in person and/or by telephone

Responsibilities

• Support the delivery of safe, effective and person‑centred care across ophthalmology services.
• Undertake a range of ophthalmic diagnostic investigations to support clinical decision‑making and patient management.
• Assist registered practitioners in the assessment, treatment and monitoring of patients throughout the care pathway.
• Contribute to outpatient clinics, technician‑led pathways, pre‑assessment services and interventional room procedures.
• Prepare, maintain and monitor clinical equipment to ensure safe and effective service delivery.

Job description

Main area Ophthalmology Grade Band 3 Contract Permanent: 7 day service, working cross site Hours Part time - 21.5 hours per week (The Service is operational 7 days a week at 2 sites - Queens Mary's Hospital, Sidcup and Orpington Hospital.) Job ref 213-DivisionC-8269339

Employer King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Employer type NHS Site Queen Mary's Hospital Town Sidcup Salary £30,630 - £32,346 per annum pro rata including HCA Salary period Yearly Closing 13/10/2026 23:59

King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is one of the UK’s largest and busiest teaching Trusts with a turnover of c£2.1 billion, 1.5 million patient contacts a year and more than 14,000 staff based across 5 main sites in South East London. The Trust provides a full range of local hospital services across its different sites, and specialist services from King’s College Hospital (KCH) sites at Denmark Hill in Camberwell and at the Princess Royal University Hospital (PRUH) site in the London Borough of Bromley.

We encourage all our staff to have a healthy work/life balance. In doing so, you can apply for flexible working from the beginning of your employment. We offer a range of options which are designed to suit different circumstances and priorities in line with service requirements.

The Ophthalmic Technician is a key member of the multidisciplinary team, delivering high‑quality, person‑centred care to patients across ophthalmology services. The post holder undertakes a wide range of ophthalmic diagnostic investigations and supports both clinician‑led and technician‑delivered pathways, ensuring accurate and timely information is available to support clinical decision‑making and patient flow.

The role also contributes to procedural services, maintains high standards of patient safety and care, and works collaboratively with colleagues, patients, relatives and carers. The post holder will demonstrate professionalism, attention to detail and a commitment to the Trust's values, promoting dignity, equality and the wellbeing of all service users.

Main duties of the job

• Support the delivery of safe, effective and person‑centredcarewithinOphthalmologyservices.
• Undertake a range of ophthalmic diagnostic procedures,includingvisualacuitytesting,imagingandvisualfieldassessments,tosupportclinicaldecision‑making.
• Assistcliniciansintheassessment,treatmentandmonitoringofpatientsthroughouttheircarepathway.
• Supportoutpatientclinics,technician‑ledpathwaysandproceduralservicestoensureefficientpatientflowandhigh-qualitycare.
• Accuratelyrecorddiagnosticresultsandescalateconcernsappropriately.
• Communicateeffectivelywithpatients,carersandmembersofthemultidisciplinaryteamtoprovideanexcellentpatientexperience.
• Maintainpatientconfidentialityandcontributetoapositive,safeandsupportiveclinicalenvironment.
• Actasachaperonewhenrequiredandundertakedelegatedclinicaldutieswithinagreedcompetencies.

Working for our organisation

The Trust provides a full range of local and specialist services across its five sites. In June 2026, we launched our new strategy for 2026‑31. Our vision is to transform healthcare, and we have agreed six strategic ambitions to help us improve care for patients, and the working lives of our staff.

Our six strategic ambitions are deliveringhigh-quality patient care; creating a great place to work; leading pioneering research, innovation and education; building strong and successful partnerships; providing timely and efficient care; and ensuring long‑term financial sustainability.

We have also agreed four new organisational values – Caring, Collaborative, Inclusive, Innovative – and these underpin everything we do, and how our teams interact with the patients under our care.

We are at a pivotal point in our history and we require individuals who are ready to join a highly professional team and make a real, lasting difference to our patients and our people.

King’s is committed to delivering Sustainable Healthcare for All via our Green Plan. In line with national Greener NHS ambitions, we have set net zero carbon targets of 2040 for our NHS Carbon Footprint and 2045 for our NHS Carbon Footprint Plus. Everyone’s contribution is required in order to meet the goals set out in our Green Plan and we encourage all staff to work responsibly, minimising their contributions to the Trust’s carbon emissions, waste and pollution wherever possible.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Clinical Care and Patient Support

• Support the delivery of safe, effective and person‑centred care across ophthalmology services.
• Assist registered practitioners in the assessment, treatment and monitoring of patients throughout the care pathway.
• Undertake delegated clinical duties within assessed competency and scope of practice.
• Act as a chaperone when required.

Ophthalmic Diagnostic Procedures

• Perform a range of ophthalmic diagnostic investigations to support clinical decision‑making and patient management.
• Undertake visual acuity assessments, visual field testing, retinal imaging, optical measurements and other diagnostic procedures appropriate to the role.
• Record and report investigation results accurately and escape any concerns identified during assessment.

Clinical Pathway Support

• Support outpatient clinics, technician‑led pathways, pre‑assessment services and interventional room procedures.
• Contribute to the efficient flow of patients through diagnostic and treatment pathways.
• Support admission, discharge and follow‑up processes as required.

Equipment and Resources

• Prepare, maintain and monitor clinical equipment to ensure safe and effective service delivery.
• Support stock control and ordering processes within the department.

Communication and Team Working

• Communicate effectively and professionally with patients, carers, relatives and members of the multidisciplinary team to support the delivery of high‑quality patient care.
• Maintain patient confidentiality and handle information in accordance with Trust policies, professional standards and data protection requirements.
• Contribute to effective team working and support a positive patient and staff experience.

Education and Development

• Participate in mandatory, statutory and role‑specific training required for the post.
• Undertake competency‑based training and ongoing professional development to maintain and develop ophthalmic knowledge and skills.
• Participate in appraisal and personal development processes and maintain evidence of competence relevant to the role.

Governance and Quality

• Maintain accurate patient records in accordance with Trust and professional standards.
• Contribute to clinical governance, quality improvement and patient safety initiatives within the department.
• Support the collection and use of patient feedback to enhance services and improve patient experience.
• Assist in maintaining a safe, clean and effective clinical environment in line with local policies and procedures.

Person specification

• Experience working in a healthcare, patient‑facing, customer service or ophthalmic setting
• Experience working within an ophthalmology service
• Experience communicating with the public in person and/or by telephone

IMPORTANT

• Check your email account regularly as this is how we will communicate with you
• If you delete the job from any of your accounts, you may be prevented from accessing further communications
• To enquire about your application or inform us of any changes in your circumstances, please contact the named person on this advert
• Please provide email addresses for referees where possible
• Please review the documentation on our recruitment microsite, particularly the Trust’s criminal records checking policy
• All staff have a responsibility for safeguarding children and vulnerable adults and for ensuring they are aware of the specific duties relating to their role.
• Please note that the closing date is given as a guide. On occasion, we might close a vacancy early due to a high number of applications being received. You are advised to submit your application as early as possible to avoid disappointment.

AI tools like chatbots and virtual assistants can support you as you complete your application. For example, they can check for spelling or grammar errors, or help you to decide what to include. They shouldn’t however replace your own responses or be used to write the application for you.

Relying too much on AI can negatively impact your chances of success because automatically generated answers:

• might not be specific or relevant enough to address the criteria in the recruitment profile
• often seem generic and not personalised enough – an AI response won’t show your unique voice and perspective
• could misrepresent information about you, such as your qualifications, skills and experience

We monitor applications for any behaviour that could create an unfair advantage, and we check all references carefully. You are likely to be tested on your experience at interview, so be honest and make sure all the information in your application is correct.

King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Annual Reports and Other Corporate Publications Kings's Health Partners Academic Health Science Centre Website King's College Hospital is part of King's Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre (AHSC), a pioneering collaboration between King's College London, and Guy's and St Thomas', King's College Hospital and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trusts.

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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.