Senior Orthoptist

Job overview

We are delighted to offer an exciting 12-month fixed term opportunity from July 2026 (maternity leave cover) for a Highly Specialist Orthoptist to join our friendly and forward‑thinking team as the Education & Neuro‑Orthoptic Lead.This is a varied and rewarding senior role, ideal for an Orthoptist seeking to expand their leadership, teaching, and specialist clinical skills. You will lead on education, workforce development, and competency frameworks for the Orthoptic team, while also providing highly specialist neuro‑ophthalmology expertise across adult services.

Main duties of the job

§Provide a high‑quality orthoptic service as an autonomous practitioner, delivering preventative and therapeutic care in accordance with the professional standards of the British and Irish Orthoptic Society (BIOS).

Working for our organisation

Barts Health is one of the largest NHS trusts in the country, and one of Britain’s leading healthcare providers.

The Barts Health group of NHS hospitals is entering an exciting new era on our improvement journey to becoming an outstanding organisation with a world-class clinical reputation. Having lifted ourselves out of special measures, we now have the impetus and breathing space to chart a fresh course in which we are continually striving to improve all our services for patients.

Our vision is to be a high-performing group of NHS hospitals, renowned for excellence and innovation, and providing safe and compassionate care to our patients in east London and beyond. That means being a provider of excellent patient safety, known for delivering consistently high standards of harm-free care and always caring for patients in the right place at the right time. It also means being an outstanding place to work, in which our WeCare values and behaviours are visible to all and guide us in how we work together.

We strive to live by our WeCare values and are committed to promoting inclusion, where every staff member has a sense of belonging. We value our differences and fully advocate, cultivate and support an inclusive working environment.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The full job description provides an overview of the key tasks and responsibilities of the role, and the person specification outlines the qualifications, skills, experience, and knowledge required. For both documents, please view the attachment/s below.

Person specification

Experience

Essential criteria

• Significant post registration experience across a range of specialist areas including paediatrics, neuro ophthalmology, community services, glaucoma, and visual fields.
• Experience working effectively within uni professional and multi professional teams.
• Experience providing
• Experience delivering teaching to multidisciplinary teams
• Experience contributing to clinical governance, audit, or service evaluation.

Desirable criteria

• Experience leading a specialist service (e.g., neuro ophthalmology, stroke, community).
• Experience leading a specialist service (e.g., neuro ophthalmology, stroke, community).
• Membership of a relevant specialist interest group (e.g., BIOS
• Experience coordinating student placements or acting

Skills

Essential criteria

• Highly specialist clinical skills across the full scope of orthoptic practice, including neuro ophthalmology
• Ability to analyse and prioritise complex clinical information to develop appropriate specialist care plans
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to adapt communication to meet diverse patient needs
• Ability to demonstrate empathy, professionalism, and sensitivity when delivering complex or distressing information
• Ability to demonstrate empathy, professionalism, and sensitivity when delivering complex or distressing information.
• Strong organisational and time management skills, with the ability to prioritise competing demands.
• Ability to work effectively under pressure and manage frequent interruptions
• High attention to detail and accuracy in clinical assessment and documentation.
• Commitment to non discriminatory, patient centred practice.
• Ability to maintain professionalism in challenging or emotionally sensitive situations

Desirable criteria

• Advanced presentation or teaching skills (e.g., formal teaching qualification).
• Experience delivering teaching at regional or national level.
• Experience developing competency frameworks or training programmes.

Knowledge

Essential criteria

• In depth knowledge of current best practice in orthoptics, including neuro ophthalmology and stroke related visual impairment.
• Understanding of legal responsibilities, professional codes of conduct, and ethical frameworks.
• Understanding of clinical governance, audit processes, and evidence based practice
• Knowledge of MS Office applications and confidence using electronic patient record systems
• Knowledge of Cerner Millennium or equivalent PAS/EPR systems
• Commitment to ongoing CPD and maintaining HCPC standards.

Desirable criteria

• Knowledge of national neuro ophthalmology or stroke guidelines.

Qualifications

Essential criteria

• BSc Orthoptics, BMedSci Orthoptics, or Diploma in British Orthoptics (DBO).
• Current registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).
• Evidence of ongoing CPD in accordance with HCPC requirements

Desirable criteria

• City & Guilds or equivalent teaching/education qualification.
• Membership of the British & Irish Orthoptic Society (BIOS).
• Postgraduate training in neuro ophthalmology or advanced clinical practice

Other

Essential criteria

• Ability to travel between hospital and community sites.
• Physically able to perform the duties of the post with reasonable adjustments if required

Visa Sponsorship Information

This role is subject to UK immigration requirements. Where sponsorship is required, applicants must meet the eligibility criteria for a Skilled Worker visa in accordance with current UK Visas and Immigration rules, including any salary, qualification, and role-specific requirements applicable at the time of appointment. Candidates who require sponsorship will only be considered where the post is eligible and where all sponsorship criteria can be met. Evidence of the right to work in the UK will be required before appointment. Please note that for roles employed under Agenda for Change Terms and Conditions, the High-Cost Area Supplement (HCAS) is not included when calculating the basic salary for the purposes of sponsorship.