Pre-Registration Dispensing Optician

NHS; London; On-site; GBP 26,000 - 33,000; Full time

Job summary

Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust offers an exciting opportunity for a Pre-Registration Dispensing Optician in London's Spectacle Dispensing Department. The position involves assisting patients with spectacle selection, gaining practical dispensing skills, and contributing to efficient service delivery. Join a leading hospital in the UK for valuable experience and professional growth.

Benefits

Salary including High-Cost Area Supplement

Access to NHS Pension Scheme

Free 24/7 independent counselling service

Learning and development opportunities

Access to Blue Light Card and NHS Discounts

Flexible working arrangements

Qualifications

• Experience in a dispensing practice.
• Expected to pass or have passed ABDO Theory examination.
• Knowledge of different spectacle lens forms.

Responsibilities

• Dispensing spectacles under supervision.
• Extracting prescriptions and entering them into the IT system.
• Providing patient support and attending to queries.

Skills

Customer Service

Administrative Skills

Dispensing Knowledge

Education

Standard Education to GCSE

A-Level or equivalent in English, Maths and Sciences

Registered with ABDO/GOC as a student

Tools

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Excel

Job description

Go back Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Pre-Registration Dispensing Optician

The closing date is 03 July 2025

An exciting opportunity has arisen at Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, within the Spectacle Dispensing Department, for a Pre-Registration Dispensing Optician . This is a fantastic opportunity for someone to join a leading hospital in eye care within the UK. You will have the opportunity to gain valuable experience and dispensing knowledge to help complete your portfolio and final year exams.

The main site for the Spectacle Dispensing Department is at City Road, but there may be opportunities to be able to work at some of the other Moorfields satellite locations. To enable us to offer a range of products we hold a wide range of frames from multiple suppliers and there will be opportunities to dispense various types of spectacles such as ptosis props, protective eyewear, tomato spectacles for babies or those with special facial characteristics and more!

We are looking for an enthusiastic candidate to be a member of the team and you will be expected to help towards the smooth, efficient running of the spectacle dispensing and manufacturing service while gaining experience in unusual/ complicated dispensing.

You must be currently registered with the GOC as a student, completing the ABDO Spectacle Dispensing course and have recently been working within the Optical industry.

Main duties of the job

The Pre- Registration Dispensing Optician will be required to always work under supervision. You will be required to help patients choose and dispense spectacles based on their facial features/ measurements and prescription requirements and to make relevant adjustments required. To provide a copy of the spectacles prescription to patients and when required issue a HESP optical voucher towards spectacles. You will also be required to deal with patients for collections/ adjustments/ queries and repairs, to check the fit and discuss relevant details on the patients return to the unit.

You will be required to transfer a prescription onto the spectacle dispensing IT system from clinical records with care and precision. Excellent administrative skills are required, including in the use of Microsoft applications such as Word/ Excel etc.

You will be expected to help with day-to-day tasks with the rest of the team. This includes answering patient phone/email queries in a positive manner, conducting the final checks on the newly manufactured spectacles for patients according to British Standards and always maintaining a clean and hygienic work environment for patient and staff safety.

About us

At Moorfields, we provide more than just an excellent career and great colleagues to work with. We also offer:

• Salary including High-Cost Area Supplement
• Opportunity to join the NHS Pension Scheme
• Free 24/7 independent counselling service
• Learning and development opportunities
• Easy and quick transport links
• A range of attractive benefits and discounts
• Access to Blue Light Card and other NHS Discount Schemes
• Free Pilates classes
• Full support and training to develop your skills
• Flexible working friendly organisation

And so much more! To see the full range of benefits we offer please see our Moorfields benefits document.

Job responsibilities

Extracting prescriptions from patient's records as appropriate and entering, when necessary, prescriptions onto a Spectacle Dispensing IT system.

Advising all patients, external patients, private patients and members of staff of appropriate lens options/ forms and appropriate frames required. Prescriptions may also come from MEH VDU assessments and outside opticians. All dispensing under the supervision of a Qualified Dispensing Optician.

To advise, fit and adjust the chosen frame taking the necessary frame and facial measurements under the supervision of a Qualified Dispensing Optician.

Pricing the appliance and completing dispensing records according to the spectacles dispensing procedures.

Verifying prescriptions including lens form, frame measurements, centration etc. according to British and European standards. Also check lens design, centration and form of lens against the recorded notes on the patients dispensing card.

Dispensing special appliances such as ptosis props, spectacle mounted low vision aids special protective devices etc. under the supervision of a qualified dispensing optician.

To fit spectacles at the time dispensing, or at collection and make necessary adjustments and/or repairs.

To discuss prescriptions with Qualified Dispensing opticians, medical or optometric staff as and when necessary.

Advising patients on available benefits towards the cost of spectacles and checking patient benefits where necessary.

Issuing patients with copies of prescriptions and HES vouchers where appropriate under the supervision of a qualified dispensing optician.

Completing any relevant audit information required for the purposes of Quality Improvement or for any other purpose deemed necessary.

Answering telephone/ email queries from patients and staff. In addition to helping/ advising Optometry clerks with Dispensing related queries from patients.

To perform any other duties required by the Head or Deputy Head Dispensing Optician, Senior Optometrists or Head of the Optometry Department.

To be responsible for ensuring that all risks of cross infection to patients are minimized and that all policies, procedures and guidance relating to infection control practice is adhered to.

To be responsible for ensuring that all equipment used by patients is cleaned / decontaminated as instructed by manufacturers and in line with infection control guidelines, protocols and policy.

To be responsible for ensuring that all Mandatory Training is completed in a timely manner.

Person Specification

Education / Qualifications

• Standard Education to GCSE with higher grades in English, Maths and Sciences
• Expected to pass or have passed ABDO Theory examination
• Registered with ABDO/ GOC as a student
• A-Level or equivalent of English, Maths and Sciences

Experience

• Experience in a dispensing practice
• Experience in a glazing/ surfacing manufacturing lab

Knowledge

• Knowledge and experience of dispensing different spectacle lens forms- Aspherics/ Progressive Lenses/ High Prescriptions
• Knowledge of Optical appliances - LVA's/ Ptosis Props etc.
• Knowledge of glazing and surfacing machinery and theory
• Experience dispensing optical appliances - LVA's/ Ptosis props

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.

Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

£26,973 to £32,835 a yearInc HCAS, Band 5 75% as a Pre-registration position