Optometrist jobs in United Kingdom

This post allows you to gain experience and develop skills, during a two year fixed contract, to progress from core optometric activities to more enhanced optometric roles in the acute sector. You will assist in the delivery of abroad range of core optometric services to the highest standards of quality and care for Leeds teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (LTHT) and its clinics. You will develop skills in enhanced clinics with support and supervision by Specialist Optometrist colleagues. You will undertake delegated administrative responsibilities as determined by the Head of Optometry, Principal Optometrist or senior colleagues.

You may be required to examine and manage up to nine refraction patients a session, up to six Low Vision, dispensing or contact lens patients a session, and up to eight patients in a range of enhanced optometric clinics under supervision.

You will join our busy, friendly Optometry team working at the centralised eye department at St. Jamess University Hospital. The Optometry department consists of the Head of Optometry, Principal Optometrist, Optometrists, Specialist Optometrists, Advanced Specialist Optometrists, Pre-registration Optometrist, Dispensing Optician Manager, Optical Services Officer and Optical Services Clerical Assistant. The Optometry department supports the Ophthalmology Department consisting of twenty eight Consultant Ophthalmologists with full supporting medical staff, specialising in anterior segment, refractive surgery, paediatrics, oculo-plastic surgery, glaucoma, uveitis, neuro-ophthalmology, medical retina and vitreo-retinal disease. Optometry services are provided at St. Jamess University Hospital and Wharfedale General Hospital. There is a large Orthoptic Department involved with the training of under-graduate orthoptic students.

Leeds Teaching Hospitals is committed to our process of redeploying 'at risk' members of our existing workforce to new roles. As such, all our job adverts are subject to this policy and we reserve the right to close, delay or remove adverts while this process is completed. If you do experience a delay in the shortlisting stage of the recruitment cycle, please bear with us while this process is completed, and contact the named contact if you have any questions.

1. To gain experience and develop skills, during a two year fixed contract, to progress from core optometric activities to more enhanced optometric roles in the acute sector, following completion of the pre-registration year.

2. To assist in the delivery of a broad range of core optometric services to the highest standards of quality and care for LTHT and its clinics.

3. To develop skills in enhanced clinics with support and supervision by Specialist Optometrist colleagues.

4. To undertake delegated administrative responsibilities as determined by the Head of Optometry, Principal Optometrist or senior colleagues.

5. The jobholder may be required to examine and manage up to nine refraction patients a session.

6. The jobholder may be required to examine and manage up to six Low Vision, dispensing or contact lens patients a session.

7. The jobholder may be required to examine and manage under supervision up to eight patients in a range of enhanced optometric clinics.

8. The jobholder may be required to sit in with other Eye care professionals as part of their training.

9. The jobholder may be required to contribute to administration and to the smooth running of the department.

• Refraction
• Working with the elderly
• Working with children
• Complex refraction
• Experience of postgraduate teaching
• Experience of research and audit
• GOC full registration
• Training: a willingness to undergo training to carry out the job.

• Practical working knowledge of fitting rigid and soft contact lenses
• Practical and theoretical knowledge of low vision aids
• Ophthalmic drugs used in optometric practice
• Experience of computer systems and keyboard skills.

• Ability to work in a busy environment.
• Flexibility with working hours, especially finishing time.

• Willingness to learn and work under supervision
• Professional attitude to work.
• Willingness to help others in a team.

• Precise manual dexterity skills
• Instillation of ophthalmic drugs.
• Practical refraction, contact lens fitting and low vision aid dispensing skills.
• Well developed interpersonal mental and emotional empathy skills where barriers exist because of age, special needs, physical or language difficulties.
• Contact lens fitting and aftercare.
• Able to work independently upon own initiative.
• Good written and verbal communication skills.

Our values are part of what make us different from other trusts, so we see this as a strength, as well as a responsibility. They have been developed by our staff and set out what they see as important to how we work. Our five values are: Accountable, Empowered, All our actions and endeavours will be guided and evaluated through these values. Additionally the following are core values which relate specifically to this post: Quality focus, Mistakes are used as a continual learning experience, Integrity.

• Practical working knowledge of adult and paediatric refraction
• Practical working knowledge of fitting rigid and soft contact lenses
• Practical and theoretical knowledge of low vision aids
• Practical and theoretical knowledge of dispensing
• Previous Hospital optometry role

• Willingness to learn and work under supervision
• Professional attitude to work
• Willingness to help others in a team.
• IT literate
• Understanding of NHS IT systems

• Precise manual dexterity skills
• Well developed interpersonal mental and emotional empathy skills where barriers exist because of age, special needs, physical or language difficulties
• Able to work independently upon own initiative
• Good written and verbal communication skills

• GOC full registration

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.