Optometry & Ophthalmic Imaging Assistant Practitioner

Optometry & Ophthalmic Imaging Assistant Practitioner

Undertake a range of support and diagnostic assessments and procedures, giving advice and arranging further follow-up as needed.

Administrative:

Direct administrative support to Principal Optometrist, undertaking delegated tasks as required.

Undertake a range of non-patient-contact activities to support the provision of Optometry and Imaging services to patients attending ophthalmology across three sites:
Wolverhampton Eye Infirmary, Cannock Chase Hospital and Ashmore Park Eye Clinic.

Administrative

Undertake delegated tasks to support the Principal Optometrist, including producing rotas, managing annual leave requests, and writing up and producing documents in Word and Excel.

Perform any other clerical administrative tasks which support the clinical functions of the department.

For all of the following, using agreed criteria, protocols and pathways, and clinical judgement within scope of practice:

• Undertake imaging procedures as required, appropriate to banding.
• Undertake review of patients attending the low vision clinic in person or by telephone, actioning any necessary outcomes of follow-up arrangements.
• Undertake training for new contact lens wearers in their use, giving follow-up support or repeat instruction where necessary.
• Photorefractive screening (and similar techniques such as topography).
• Test and record patient visual acuity using methods appropriate to the clinic (e.g., Snellen, LogMAR, ETDRS).
• Instil drops for ophthalmic procedures in line with current Patient Group Directions.
• Undertake contact-lens collections (when patients collect pre-ordered lenses), giving instructions and ensuring appropriate financial payments are made by appropriate routes.
• Undertake imaging procedures as required, appropriate to banding.
• Undertake training, as required, in ophthalmic procedures.

About us

The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust is one of the largest NHS trusts in the West Midlands providing primary, acute and community services. We are incredibly proud of the diversity of our staff and the communities we serve. We are building a workforce that can help us fulfill our values, improve the quality of care for patients, and solve healthcare problems of tomorrow.

We are committed to diversity of thinking and lived experience, enabling us to become a learning organisation and a leader in providing compassionate care for our patients.

We are rated as "Good" by CQC and have received awards including The Nursing Times Best Diversity and Inclusion Practice and Best UK Employer of the Year for Nursing Staff in 2020.

The Trust supports flexible working arrangements and will consider all requests from applicants who wish to work flexibly.

Administrative

Delegate tasks to support the Principal Optometrist, including producing rotas, managing annual leave requests, and writing up and producing documents in Word and Excel.

Action, support and facilitate the CVI process by which patients are registered as sight-impaired or severely sight-impaired, liaising with all professionals along the pathway from consultant to ECLO (Eye Clinic Liaison Officer) to social services rehabilitation team.

Support the ECLO in providing any necessary admin support for the low vision service, and cover for signposting patients during periods of annual leave.

Support the coding of imaging activity by scanning and processing coding forms.

Order all stock and non-stock items for the department using the Trust requisitioning system.

Stock control of contact lenses and low visual aids, including checking invoices and completing GRNs.

Manage the new and follow-up waiting lists on PAS, under the direction of the Head of Optometry.

Make appointments for all optometry-related clinics as necessary.

Deal with telephone and in-person queries to the optometry and imaging departments.

Any other clerical administrative tasks which support the clinical functions of the department.

For all of the following, using agreed criteria, protocols and pathways, and clinical judgement within scope of practice:

• Undertake imaging procedures as required, appropriate to banding.
• Undertake review of patients attending the low vision clinic in person or by telephone, actioning any necessary outcomes of follow-up arrangements. This will involve one-to-one conversation with and assessment of patients, plus signposting to support services such as low vision aid clinics, local sight charities, social services and other organisations.
• Undertake training for new contact lens wearers in their use, giving follow-up support or repeat instruction where necessary.
• Photorefractive screening (and similar techniques such as topography).
• Test and record patient visual acuity using methods appropriate to the clinic (e.g., Snellen, LogMAR, ETDRS).
• Instil drops for ophthalmic procedures in line with current Patient Group Directions.
• Undertake contact-lens collections (when patients collect pre-ordered lenses), giving instructions and…