Specialist Orthoptist

Transformation Unit; Sheffield; Hybrid; GBP 40,000 - 48,000; Part time

Job summary

Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a Specialist Orthoptist (Band 6) for a 12-month fixed-term, 3.5 days per week role. You will provide advanced orthoptic services to diverse patient groups and participate in teaching, with opportunities for professional development.

The post covers complex ocular motility clinics and visual field assessments, with secondment terms and NHS employment benefits described in the advert.

Qualifications

• HCPC registration is required.
• Membership of BIOS preferred.
• Orthoptics degree or equivalent.
• Evidence of clinical teaching experience desirable.

Responsibilities

• Diagnose and manage orthoptic patients referred from Ophthalmology, Neurology and other units.
• Perform and interpret visual field assessments and related tests.
• Provide patient- and family-centered care; obtain informed consent for treatment plans.
• Contribute to teaching and supervision of undergraduate orthoptic students.

Skills

HCPC registration

BIOS membership

Orthoptics degree

Clinical teaching

Education

BMedSci Orthoptics

BSc (Hons) Orthoptics

Orthoptics Diploma (DBO)

Tools

Slit lamp

Visual field testing

Ophthalmic imaging

Job description

Main area Orthoptist Grade NHS AfC: Band 6 Contract Fixed term: 12 months (12 months from commencement in post, 3.5 day per week. All existing NHS staff will only be considered on a secondment basis.) Hours Part time - 26.25 hours per week (3.5 days per week) Job ref 190-2006-DIR

Employer Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Employer type NHS Site Royal Hallamshire Hospital Town Sheffield Salary £39,959 - £48,117 pa/pro rata for part time staff Salary period Yearly Closing 06/10/2026 23:59 Interview date 15/10/2026

Specialist Orthoptist

NHS AfC: Band 6

We are committed to helping our staff balance their work and home lives and ensure they feel supported, valued and appreciated so whilst you care for our patients and clients, we’ll take care of you. We offer many different ways of helping staff including career development opportunities, flexible working, good annual leave and pension schemes , health and wellbeing packages and financial support systems. Joining the Trust also allows you access to a number of saving options via our salary sacrifice schemes and a wide range of discount opportunities with retailers and service providers.

Job overview

An opportunity has arisen for a Specialist Orthoptist to join our department on a temporary contract of 3.5 days per week, to cover a secondment.

The post holder will provide highly specialised Orthoptic service(s) to patients of all ages from a range of specialities suffering from a wide variety of medical disorders including tertiary referrals from Ophthalmology, Neurology, Maxillofacial Unit, Endocrinology, Oncology, Stroke Unit and Emergency Eye Centre. Will participate in the provision of Goldmann and Octopus visual field assessment, also assess patients referred to the Low Vision Service and Orthoptic TBI service. You will undertake clinical teaching and assessment of undergraduate orthoptic students.

Main duties of the job

To be legally and professionally responsible and accountable for the orthoptic investigation, diagnosis and management of new and follow-up patients referred to the Orthoptic Department from various departments including ophthalmology, paediatrics, the Emergency Eye Centre (EEC), accident and emergency, maxillo-facial, and neurology.

This patient group comprises all cases of ocular motility defects and amblyopia (reduced vision with no pathological cause), anomalies of binocular single vision (ability to use the eyes together), complex congenital and acquired cases including neurological abnormalities, genetic disorders and associated ocular abnormalities.

To be responsible for the evaluation of visual acuity and visual behaviour in referrals from the specialist services, including non-seeing babies, infants with strabismus (squint) and amblyopia, congenital or developmental abnormalities, adult illiterates, and children and adults with significant learning difficulties.

To formulate and implement individualised management and treatment plans using advanced clinical reasoning and a wide range of treatment skills, communicating these effectively with patients (adults and children), parents, and carers and to gain informed consent to those treatment plans.

Working for our organisation

You will be working for an organisation which values and respects all its staff and the community it serves. The Trust is a leader in the NHS and research sectors and provides excellent benefits for its staff. This includes commitments to professional development but also many policies to support employees in balancing their personal and professional lives.

This vacancy is advertised on a fixed term contract basis for a period of a maximum of twelve months due to maternity leave of the substantive post holder. The fixed term contract status of the post holder will be reviewed in accordance with the Trust's legal obligations regarding fixed term contracts and statutory maternity provisions.

Please note all existing NHS staff will only be considered on a secondment basis. This must first be agreed with your current line manager.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please view the attached Job Description and Person Specification documents for full details regarding this post.

Person specification

Qualifications

• Orthoptics BMedSci OR BSc (Hons) Orthoptics OR Orthoptics BSc (Hons) OR Diploma from British Orthoptic Council (DBO)
• To be registered with Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC)
• Medical exemptions for Orthoptists
• Member of the British & Irish Orthoptic Society (BIOS)

Knowledge and Experience

• To have sufficient relevant experience in all aspects of clinical Orthoptics, especially in strabismus and complex ocular motility clinics, with evidence of continuing professional development maintained in a portfolio
• Experience of clinical teaching of Orthoptics.
• Evidence of on-going commitment to continuing professional development following BIOS/HCPC guidelines.
• Visual field examination and interpretation
• Experience of clinical teaching of Orthoptics.
• Skilled in use of slit lamp, optic disc imaging and interpretation of visual fields results, or other ophthalmic investigated usually carried out by specialist medical staff
• Experience of research and development activities
• Experience undertaking and presenting audit

Communication Skills

• Good verbal and written communication skills with adults, carers, parents and children, students and all staff disciplines.
• Evidence of working successfully as part of a multidisciplinary team and independently.
• Ability to produce written reports.
• To be approachable and maintain an excellent rapport with colleagues

Personal Attributes

• Highly developed interpersonal and communication skills; ability to communicate complex, sensitive and potentially conflicting information to patients and other stakeholders in an appropriate manner independent of their level of understanding
• Leadership, organisational and negotiating skills
• Ability to use initiative and quickly interpret complex and potentially conflicting clinical information
• Capable of performing sustained high intensity work in a pressurised clinical environment
• Skills of persuasion
• Possesses precise, fine-motor physical examination skills
• Works well autonomously
• Self-motivated

Please note that in order to comply with the UK Government’s rules on Skilled Worker sponsorship, any applicants who do not meet the eligibility requirements or concessions on salary thresholds under the Skilled Worker visa will not be eligible to receive sponsorship from the Trust. Please keep this in mind when submitting your application. Further details on these concessions, and who qualifies for them, can be found here .

Candidates are advised to read the attached guidance on using AI technology. W hen you complete your application, you are required to declare that the information in your application form is true and complete. The personal statement is exactly that; personal.

If you are offered employment at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals your information will be transferred from the Trac recruitment system into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system. In addition, in submitting an application form, you authorise our Trust to confirm any previous NHS service details via the ESR IAT process should you be appointed.

Please note, all communication regarding your application will be made via email sent via the Trac recruitment system, please ensure you check your junk/spam folders as emails are sometimes filtered there.

The Trust is committed to its obligations in accordance with the Equality Act 2010, and we positively encourage applications from all sections of the community. Should you require any assistance in applying for the position please contact the General or Medical Human Resources Departments on the number identified on the NHS Jobs page for the organisation.

Job Share applicants are welcome for all full time posts unless indicated but cannot be guaranteed. In addition for Fixed Term Contracts, internal secondments may be considered, please seek the approval of your current line manager before applying for the position.

All employment with the Trust is subject to a number of NHS Employment Checks being met to a satisfactory standard including verification of identity, eligibility to work in the United Kingdom, references and qualifications in addition to professional registration, a disclosure and barring records check and occupational health check if these are deemed to be a requirement for the position to be undertaken.

For more information about our organisation and the opportunities available, please visit our website and follow us on Twitter and Facebook

Employer certification / accreditation badges

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

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.