Job summary
- Main area
- Orthoptics
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 6
- Contract
- Permanent: Mon- Friday
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week (Mon-Fri 8.30-5pm)
- Job ref
- 357-LN-545-25-QIA785
- Employer
- United Lincolnshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Clinic 8, Outpatients. Lincoln County hospital
- Town
- Lincoln
- Salary
- £38,682 - £46,580 Per annum
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 05/10/2025 23:59
Employer heading

Orthoptist - Band 6
NHS AfC: Band 6
We recognise that outstanding care can only be delivered through our people. We want to attract people who can help us deliver our vision. We want in return to help people achieve what they wish in their careers in the NHS at ULTH.
We are always keen to welcome highly skilled, committed and compassionate individuals to our hospitals – people who put patients at the heart of everything they do and are ready to help us achieve our vision.
Our values guide everything we do. They are:
- Patient-centred – Putting patients at the heart of everything we do, listening and responding to their needs and wishes.
- Safety – Following ULTH and professional guidelines. Speaking up to make sure patients and staff are safe from harm.
- Excellence – Striving to be the best that we can be. Innovating and learning from others.
- Compassion – Caring for patients and their loved ones in ways we would want for our friends and family.
- Respect – Behaving and using language that demonstrates respect and courtesy to others. Zero tolerance to bullying, inequality, prejudice and discrimination.
If you believe in them too, then you are ready to join the ULTH team.
We’ve taken great pride in building working environments where staff always feel valued, cared for and part of a team. Without doubt this is a challenging yet very rewarding job that is at the centre of health and care in Lincolnshire - making a positive difference to our patients.
Our Trust is situated in the beautiful county of Lincolnshire and is one of the biggest acute hospital trusts in England, serving a population of more than 700,000 people. We provide acute and specialist services to people in Lincolnshire and neighbouring counties. We have an annual income of £710 million (22/23) and we employ nearly 8,600 people.
Our Board have recently agreed a new vision statement – “Outstanding Care Personally Delivered” – stating their ambition for our Trust to be among the best.
We also have a five year Integrated Improvement Plan setting out how we will achieve our strategic objectives, for patients, services, people and partners, the last recognising that our future success depends on our ability to ensure the Lincolnshire healthcare system is successful in achieving its ambition to help people live healthier lives and provide care closer to where people live.
Our latest CQC report increased our ratings for being effective and well-led from ‘Requires Improvement’ to ‘Good’. Our rating for caring remained as ‘Good’.
This is in recognition of the huge amount of work that our amazing staff have done to improve the quality of care for our patients in recent years.
We are committed to helping our staff balance their work and home lives and ensure they feel supported, valued and appreciated.
So, what is in it for you?
- Flexible working: Depending on the needs of your role, we will consider requests for flexible and/or part-time working for whatever reason you should need it. We recognise flexible working will not look the same for everyone, because it depends on the nature of the role and the needs of the individual.
Types of flexibility could include:
- Part-time - less than 37.5 hours per week.
- Off-site/remote working - working from home or other sites for part or all the week.
- Compressed hours – usually full-time hours but over fewer days or shifts.
- Staggered hours – having different start and finish times.
- Set shift patterns – to allow for predictability
- NHS Pension: A generous and flexible pension scheme with contributions from us as your employer fully protected against inflation and guaranteed by the government
- Annual Leave: Starting at 27 days a year, rising to 33 days after 10 years plus eight bank holidays (for staff covered by Agenda for Change) For Medical Workforce positions (Consultant and Specialty Doctor), the full-time entitlement commences from 32 days per annum. For all other Medical Workforce positions, the full-time entitlement commences from 27 days per annum.
- Bank working: The chance to work extra hours at enhanced rates and we will pay you weekly too, ideal if your income needs a quick boost.
In addition, there is more.
- Family & Childcare: Including on-site nurseries at Lincoln County Hospital and Pilgrim Hospital Boston, maternity, paternity, adoption & shared parental leave following a set period of employment.
- Health & Wellbeing: including counselling, mental health first aid, physiotherapy, eye tests.
- Learning & Development including Lincolnshire Talent Academy, leadership training, medical education, clinical education, Lincolnshire clinical research
- Financial support and benefits including Cycle2Work, car lease scheme, home electronics. Free on-site parking and free tea and coffee and the ability to save and borrow through your salary.
- Rewards & Recognition including staff awards, long service awards, retirement awards, examples of excellence and staff lottery.
Enjoy a better quality of life in one of the UK’s most welcoming counties. Whether you’re taking the first exciting steps in your career, itching for a new challenge or searching for a better place to raise a family, Lincolnshire welcomes everyone. Discover a range of rewarding health and social care careers in a county that’s friendly, fascinating, affordable and brimming with everything you need to live a happy life. Visit beinlincolnshire.com to find out more.
Job overview
Band 6 Orthoptist with special interest in stroke.
To work as an autonomous practitioner, legally and professionally responsible and accountable for the investigation, diagnosis and management of Orthoptic patients.
Please see Job description for full details.
Main duties of the job
General adult and paediatric Orthoptic patients as well as stroke clinic patients (ward based).
To assess and diagnose new patients and formulate a programme of treatment |
To manage and review patients as appropriate and modify treatment plans as an autonomous practitioner as necessary, to record all investigations, treatment and treatment plans in case notes. To discharge patients appropriately with relevant correspondence’
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To have an advanced level of knowledge and skills in order to formulate an appropriate treatment plan with the lead consultant taking overall responsibility. To instruct patients (or carers) on a continuous course of home treatment if appropriate
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Undertake at least one of the following Extended Role duties - Specialist Orthoptic Led Clinics ( as applicable to individual qualifications). Being a member of the appropriate BIOS Special Interest Group would be desirable. Stroke Care-this post Refraction Clinics Ocular Hypertension Clinics Shared Care Glaucoma-this post Visual Stress Clinics Paediatric low vision Specific learning difficulties AMD
Undertake duties requiring special skills as required to support the Ophthalmology Department OCT scanning Fundus photography Gonioscopy Slit lamp assessment of anterior segment and Optic disc.
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Working for our organisation
Pilgrim Hospital is situated beautiful countryside and serves the communities in the South Lincolnshire area. It provides all major specialties and a 24-hour major accident and emergency service.
Grantham and District Hospital serves the communities of Grantham and the local area. It provides ambulatory paediatric and accident and emergency services.
Lincoln Hospital is a thriving university city and with the opening of the medical school, it provides all major specialties and a 24-hour major accident and emergency service
United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust has been granted teaching hospital status, after demonstrating evidence to significant teaching commitment. From now on it will be known as United Lincolnshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.
Lincolnshire Community Health Services NHS Trust (LCHS) and United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust (ULHT) have come together in a Group arrangement, with the goal of improving the care provided to patients across the county.
This will not constitute a formal merger of the two organisations, but will bring the Trusts together under a single Board and Executive Leadership Team, with the goal of improving the care that is provided to patients both in the community and in hospitals across Lincolnshire. Both Trusts will retain their separate statutory names and legal obligations.
The Group will be known as Lincolnshire Community and Hospitals NHS Group (LCHG).
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
JOB PURPOSE: To provide diagnosis, management and treatment of patients referred to the Orthoptic Department for various clinics including, General Paediatrics, Special Needs Paediatrics, Ocular Motility Clinics, Stroke clinics, Specific Learning Difficulties and Visual Stress Clinics. To be responsible as an autonomous practitioner and to be professionally and legally accountable and responsible for all aspects of own work in the evaluation of visual acuity and visual behaviour in referrals, responsible for planning and implementing and monitoring individual orthoptic treatment plans/care pathways for patients of all ages using advanced clinical reasoning and evidence based practice. This includes infants with strabismus (squint) and amblyopia, congenital or developmental abnormalities, genetic referrals, adult illiterates and children and adults with significant learning difficulties as well as ocular motility defects in both children and adults. The post holder must be competent in at least one of the extended roles specified under duties (4).
To effectively communicate complex clinical information in a clear manner to the patient/carer and other professionals to ensure an understanding of the condition and its treatment.
To contribute to the efficient running of outpatient clinics of the ophthalmology service
To carry and prioritise own clinical workload
To teach undergraduate orthoptic students on placement and other health professional including medical students.
¨ To work as an autonomous practitioner, legally and professionally responsible and accountable for the investigation, diagnosis and management of Orthoptic patients
¨ To prioritise own clinical workload and keep accurate contemporaneous records
¨ Manage a Single handed Orthoptic clinic
¨ Extended role clinics as appropriate, willingness to train.
¨ Actively participate in department audit and research projects
¨ Use all equipment safely and without risk to patients
¨ To liaise with other health care professionals and others when required
¨ To support junior orthoptic staff
¨ Directly involved in the teaching of orthoptic undergraduates and other health professionals in aspects of orthoptic investigation practical and theory
¨ Continued Professional Development
¨ To work within Professional Guidelines
¨ Maintain registration with the Health Professions Council and abide by their rules and regulations
¨ Knowledge of departmental and Trust policies and procedures
¨ To be involved in Orthoptic service development and promoting the profession
¨ United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults, both as service users and visitors to Trust premises. All staff have a responsibility to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and adults. The post holder, in conjunction with their line manager, will be responsible for ensuring they undertake the appropriate level of training relevant to their individual role and responsibilities and that they are aware of and work within the safeguarding policies of the Trust.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Degree/Diploma in Orthoptics
- Registration with HCPC
Desirable criteria
- 730 teaching certificate or equivalent
- Competencies in an extended role such as glaucoma part 1 certificate
Previous Experience
Essential criteria
- Previous experience at band 5 or 6 level
- Willingness to undertake further training in extended roles as service development demands
Desirable criteria
- coloured overlay assessment
- evidence of CPD
- special needs assessment
- able to perform, oct, biometry, fundus photography, B Scan
- Goldmann Tonometry/slit lamp examination
- refraction
Knowledge, Skills, Aptitudes
Essential criteria
- Demonstrate flexible approach to care.
- Effective Communication
- Ability to work in a multi-skilled environment
- Computer literate
- Prioritise workload
- Reflective practise
Desirable criteria
- Identifies training needs for own development and service development
- Reflective practice
- Contributes to discussion re evaluation of clinical practice
- Teaching skills/presentation skills
Specific Requirements
Essential criteria
- Ability to work on own initiative and as part of a team
- Ability to seek advice when needed
- contributes to journal club and audit etc
- Ability to travel to peripheral clinic sites. Public transport not suitable.
Desirable criteria
- Car driver
- Undertakes self directed study to expand own knowledge base
Applicant requirements
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.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Helen O'Meara / Leonie Robson
- Job title
- Joint Head Orthoptists
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 01522 573378
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