Vision and Hearing Support Assistant Practitioner

Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust; England; On-site; GBP 27,000 - 31,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading community healthcare provider in the UK is seeking a Vision and Hearing Support Assistant Practitioner to deliver expert support for individuals with learning disabilities. This role involves conducting assessments, supporting visual and auditory communication needs, and collaborating with multi-disciplinary teams. Candidates should have a foundation degree, relevant healthcare experience, and excellent communication skills. The position offers a competitive salary and the chance to work within a dedicated team focused on improving patient care.

Qualifications

• Experience as a Senior Healthcare worker.
• Experience working in a community environment.
• Awareness of vision and hearing assessments.

Responsibilities

• Carry out assessments and implement interventions to enhance patient outcomes.
• Support carers in managing visual and hearing communication needs.
• Conduct environmental assessments and provide accessible information.

Skills

Sound communication and interpersonal skills

Ability to organise own work

Ability to cope with change

Willingness to train/learn basic otoscopy

Education

Foundation Degree Level study (Level 5)

Functional Skills at Level 2 in Literacy and Maths

Tools

Microsoft Office

E-Pay / E-roster / AT-P / CIS

Job description

Vision and Hearing Support Assistant Practitioner

Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust

The closing date is 05 January 2026

The KCHFT learning disability team uses a positive multi‑disciplinary model to provide direct specialist clinical expertise, behavioural and engagement support and access to developmental opportunities to people with learning disabilities and their families and carers. We also facilitate reasonable adjustments to enable people to access mainstream healthcare services where these best meet their health needs. The multi‑disciplinary teams of OTs, nurses, SLTs, PTs and a specialist vision and hearing service work in four geographic localities across the County and work in an alliance with the social care teams for Kent County Council (KCC) and the LD teams within the Mental Health Trust (KMPT) to provide a co‑ordinated and holistic combined service for people with learning disabilities. The Vision and Hearing Support Team support people with a learning disability to access good vision and hearing care from mainstream services. We can support with screening, familiarisation programmes, making reasonable adjustments and understanding outcomes. We believe anyone can have their vision and hearing assessed regardless of disability, and that everybody has an equal right to good care regarding their vision and hearing. We use identified pathways to ensure people have equal opportunity to access mainstream optometry, ophthalmology, audiology and ENT healthcare services.

Any queries please contact James Crust, Vision and Hearing Service Manager, [e-mail]

Main duties of the job

• Carry out initial assessment and implement agreed interventions/advice to promote and enhance a person’s outcome, under the guidance of the service manager. This is followed by monitoring and documenting the person’s progress using an evidence‑based format that will contribute to providing clinical outcomes.
• Help to support carers in the management of a person’s specific visual, hearing and communication needs. The role will include working with other multi‑disciplinary professionals based within an integrated team, within the framework of clinical governance procedures and will be undertaken in a variety of community settings according to the needs of the person and/or reason for intervention.
• Visual and hearing impaired specific communication support and advice, and/or deaf‑blind specific communication support and advice. Environmental assessments, familiarisation and desensitisation programmes, support at appointments, hearing screening including otoscopy, otoacoustic emission screening, pure tone audiometry screening, tympanometry, creation and provision of accessible information relating to visual/hearing related conditions, delivery of vision/hearing awareness training, functional visual and hearing assessments.

Please note, this vacancy does not meet the criteria for skilled worker sponsorship and therefore, we are unable to accept applications from candidates that cannot provide documentary evidence of right to work in the United Kingdom.

About us

Rated "outstanding" by the CQC, we’re passionate about delivering high standards of patient care and excellent services to improve the health of our communities. To do this we need outstanding people who share our values: compassionate, aspirational, responsive, excellent.

We know a commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion leads to better patient care and a happier workforce. We pride ourselves in being diverse and welcome applications from people with varied backgrounds, perspectives and experiences.

We ask for information about your protected characteristics on our application forms. This isn’t visible to anyone involved with shortlisting or interviewing you, except when you choose to be considered under the guaranteed interview scheme due to disability. Short‑listers will see two ticks alongside your application to ensure they apply the principles of the scheme to your submission.

The data we collect helps us to ensure we are attracting diversity in our applicants, that all our colleagues have equitable access to career opportunities and supports us on our journey to being a Great Place to Work.

As a flexible‑working friendly organisation, we want you to be able to work in a way that is best for us, for our patients and for you. Talk to us about a flexible working arrangement that won’t involve sacrificing time for personal interests or family commitments. We’ll support you to work flexibly in a way that will suit us both.

See where you can go with KCHFT career pathways.

Job responsibilities

Please note: at this stage, the role is open only to colleagues currently employed within Kent and Medway NHS Trusts and the Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board (ICB).

As a community Trust many of our roles require individuals to be able to drive to perform their duties. As such you will be asked to confirm you have a full UK driving licence where driving is a requirement of the role to be able to proceed with your application. We are committed to supporting candidates with disabilities into employment, if you are unable to drive due to a disability, please contact the Recruitment Team via [e-mail] quoting the vacancy reference number so we can support you further.

The job description and person specification gives you all the information you need about this role. Please look carefully at the criteria in the person specification and tell us what you have done that shows you meet this in your application. If you need an application form in an alternative format please let our recruitment team know. All information you supply on your application should, to the best of your knowledge, be true and accurate.

Still have questions? The recruiting manager would love to hear from you, their contact details can be found in the job advert.

We can get a lot of applications for some roles so to be in with the best chance of being shortlisted please make sure you apply as soon as possible. A vacancy may close early if there is a lot of interest in the job.

At KCHFT we strongly encourage colleagues in clinical and non‑clinical roles who have direct or social contact with patients to be fully vaccinated. In this way we will be doing all we can to ensure your safety and that of your colleagues and the patients we serve.

Find out more about the community difference here.

Good luck! We can’t wait to meet you and welcome you to #teamKCHFT, #come to community.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Evidence of Foundation Degree Level study (Level 5)
• Functional Skills at Level 2 (Literacy and numeracy/ GCSE grade A‑C or equivalent in English and Maths)

Experience

• Experience as a Senior Healthcare worker
• Experience of working as part of a team
• Experience with the use of Microsoft Office and a variety of IT packages (E‑Pay / E‑roster / AT‑P / CIS)
• Experience of working in a community environment
• Experience and awareness of / or supporting someone with: routine eye tests / hearing assessment / eye surgery / vision or hearing loss / dual sensory loss / deaf‑blindness
• Experience of working with people with a learning disability, their services and carers.

Knowledge

• Awareness of professional issues and recent developments in the NHS and Primary Care including Clinical Governance, NICE, Essence of Care
• Understands the role and remit of a Band 4
• Knowledge of up to date clinical practice
• Awareness of current guidance related to vision and hearing assessments.
• Knowledge of the various assessments and equipment involved during a typical hearing assessment, and purpose of those assessments.
• Knowledge of the various assessments and equipment involved during a typical vision assessment, and purpose of those assessments.
• Awareness of current guidance related to vision and hearing assessments related to people with a learning disability.

Skills & abilities

• Sound communication and interpersonal skills (verbal and written)
• Ability to organise own work
• Ability to cope with change
• Ability to use own initiative
• Skilled at, or willingness to train/learn basic otoscopy / tympanometry / pure tone audiometry for screening purposes

Personal attributes

• Ability to motivate and organise others to ensure best practice
• Ability to work under pressure

Ability to manage

• Able to support the implementation of local and national agenda's for health under the guidance of the Registered Practitioner
• Ability to manage own time effectively
• Ability to prioritise care delivery in a professional manner, taking into account Trust policies and procedures

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.

Employer name

Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust

£27,485 to £30,162 a year per annum pro rate