Job overview

Highly Specialist Orthoptist

The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

We are seeking an experienced, highly motivated and proactive individual to work with the current team of 3 Orthoptists to work at Hillingdon and Mount Vernon Hospitals together with community clinics and the post holder will be expected to develop extended role in AMD clinics but this can be discussed further. The successful applicant will work as part of the team with a mixed workload including orthoptic/optometry clinics, joint consultant paediatric and adult motility clinics, stroke assessments for in-patients and out-patients, acute referrals from GPs, Neurology, Maxillo-facial, Paediatrics, Stroke Service, Endocrinology and A &E.

An Orthoptic/ optometry led fast track clinic receives school nurse, optician, child development centre and health visitor referrals. A comprehensive ophthalmology service is provided by 12 Ophthalmologists with general and speciality clinics including Paediatrics, Ocular-motility, Botulinum Toxin, AMD, Diabetic, Glaucoma, Medical Retinal, Oculoplastic and Corneal.

All staff participate in training ophthalmologists, optometrists, school nurses and medical students from Imperial and Brunel University. 

Willingness to work across sites is essential.

There is a planned move for the eye department to relocate to Mount Vernon Hospital at the end of 2025.

Main duties of the job

Job summary

§ To provide highly specialist orthoptic services as an autonomous practitioner.

§ To assess, diagnose and manage children referred to Orthoptics, many with complex needs and challenging behaviour.

§ To assess, diagnose and manage adult patients referred to orthoptics –often as emergency appointments.

§ To provide and develop paediatric and adult orthoptic services within the Trust and the Community

§ To develop extended role in AMD clinics

§ To educate and train undergraduate orthoptic students, pre registration optometrists, junior doctors, school nurses and other health professionals.

§ To deputise for the Head Orthoptist in their absence

Working for our organisation

The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is the only acute Hospital in the London Borough of Hillingdon and offers a wide range of services including accident and emergency, inpatient care, day surgery, outpatient clinics and maternity services. The Trust’s services at Mount Vernon Hospital include routine day surgery, delivered at a modern treatment centre, a minor injuries unit and outpatient clinics.

The safety and well-being of our patients and of our staff is paramount and we are making urgent improvements to address this – particularly in infection prevention and control. We are making progress and going forward by working in partnership with local GPs, charities,
community services, academic partners, our local authority, neighbouring hospitals and the wider North West London Integrated care system, and ensuring that we listen and work in partnership with our local population. We are absolutely focused on ensuring that our hospitals
provide high quality, safe and compassionate care, while drive forward the building of the new Hillingdon Hospital.

We have over 3,500 members of staff that are proud to care for nearly half a million people, with a vision to be an outstanding provider of healthcare through leading health and academic partnerships, transforming services, to provide the best care where needed.