Sessional Optometrist

Join to apply for the Sessional Optometrist role at See Ability.

Location: London School or Schools

Salary: £250 per day plus benefits

Hours: 7.5 to 37.5 hours per week (1‑5 days a week) – School term time only

About See Ability: See Ability is established as the leading national eye care expert for people with learning disabilities. As a Specialist Registered Charity it has over 220 years’ experience supporting people who have a visual impairment, learning disability, autism or complex support needs.

To be a part of See Ability’s NHS England commissioned Special School’s Eye Care team in a London school or schools. You will be responsible for regular visits to the same school(s) with a Dispensing Optician partner during school term times only. See Ability Special Schools Eye Care team training will be provided to all successful applicants.

• Provide specialist eye care and vision information in schools to meet NHS England’s Special School Eye Care Service Specification
• Undertake See Ability Special Schools Eye Care Team training
• Communicate appropriately and confidently with children who have complex needs
• Communicate highly sensitive, potentially distressing information to patients’ relatives or carers, not infrequently in the presence of significant barriers to understanding learning and physical disabilities
• Manage your caseload of patients using evidence based practice whenever possible
• Be responsible for independent complex decision making in the management of individual clinical cases where expert opinions may differ
• Liaise directly with parents and schools on your caseload of children (using secure NHS mail when indicated and meeting GDPR requirements). You will have the support of See Ability’s Special Schools Service Manager and administrators.
• Prescribe and advise on the use of eye drops
• Demonstrate a high degree of physical skill in manipulating and utilising complex diagnostic equipment
• Effect interdisciplinary cooperation with other agencies such as local social services and educational representatives to facilitate the provision of high quality patient care
• Consider the appropriate involvement of other healthcare professionals to benefit patient care, including orthoptists, GPs, Ophthalmologists, Paediatricians, Speech and Language therapists, Occupational therapists, Physiotherapists
• Ensure accurate documentation of all interactions with patients, fellow healthcare professionals and other agencies
• Produce written reports of clinical outcomes for parents, teaching staff and other professionals within 5 working days of a clinical assessment unless exceptional circumstances
• Share clinical information in the most appropriate and secure way with administrative support
• Refer a child for further management to an ophthalmologist, orthoptist or general practitioner when clinically indicated
• Transport notes, laptop and testing equipment between sites as required
• Be accountable for own actions, using initiative and judgement with regard to patient management within broad health policies but act independently in the best interests of patient care
• Maintain a safe clean therapeutic environment for patients, visitors and colleagues, ensuring infection control procedures are carried out according to policy
• Perform frequent manual handling of wheelchair users, regular repositioning of heavy equipment, frequent sitting in restricted positions, prolonged maintenance of difficult postures during examinations while manipulating instrumentation
• Intense concentration, often exceeding 2‑3 hrs continuously, required in carrying out unpredictable clinical examinations
• Frequent interruptions during clinical examination to give advice to other staff
• Prolonged mental effort in dealing with patients with hearing and/or speech impairment, language barriers and uncooperative and/or challenging behaviour
• Calculations of mathematical formulae necessary to obtain optical powers, illuminances, working distances, magnifications etc.
• Inform patients, carers and parents regarding visual loss impacting permanently on quality of life
• Collaborate with other clinical and…