Advanced Clinical Optometrist – Head of Specialist Optometry

Overview

Advanced Clinical Optometrist – Head of Specialist Optometry

The closing date is 06 October 2025

The Head of Specialist Optometry is expected to provide clinical leadership for all optometry services, while personally delivering expert optometric and clinical care. They will be responsible for clinical, managerial and financial aspects of specialist optometry, acting as line manager for all optometrists working in the department. It is expected that the postholder will provide teaching and training on a range of optometric and clinical subjects and they will be responsible for teaching and training within specialist optometry. They will have a senior role in the co-ordination of research and development activity within the department.

Main duties of the job

The Head of Specialist Optometry will provide expert optometric and ophthalmic care to patients at Sussex Eye Hospital. This will be in the form of face-to-face clinical encounters and virtual review of ophthalmic imaging. They are expected to develop a comprehensive range of clinical skills relevant to their practice (e.g. intravitreal injections, laser treatment) and to practice independently with the support of consultants within the relevant subspecialty.

As head of department, the postholder will provide clinical, managerial and financial leadership and act as line manager for all optometrists working in the department with regular participation in the appraisal process. They will be responsible for providing teaching and training directly as well as facilitating attendance at external teaching / courses and encouraging acquisition of advanced skills and qualifications. It is expected that they will arrange and deliver teaching/training as per the needs of the specialist optometrists under their supervision and, where appropriate, other members of the healthcare team including nurses and imaging technicians. They will attend departmental teaching and take part in the teaching rota for resident doctors in training. They will organise and provide training for community optometrists requiring hospital placements (e.g. for independent prescribing qualification) and liaise with practices regarding the governance and financial aspects.

About us

At UHSussex (UHSx), diversity is our strength, & we want you to feel included to help us always put the Patient First. Your uniqueness & experiences will be part of our creative and innovative community where everyone is encouraged to succeed. We have a range of Staff Networks to help break down barriers, & can offer a buddy to help new members settle in. We/'re proud to be a Disability Confident Employer (Level 2) & a Veteran Aware Trust.

We treat our patients & staff with the same compassion & empathy we expect for ourselves. We/'re here for them when they need us, and we go above & beyond to meet their needs. This can be seen in our candidate information pack & wellbeing programme,for staff which is extensive & designed to support you when you need it, including where possible, flexible working to support work life balance - because we know that to look after others we must first look after ourselves.

As a university trust and a leader in healthcare research, we value learning, teaching & training so that we can be the best that we can be. From the moment you start with us & throughout your career we will help you to grow & develop.We hope that in choosing UHSx you are choosing a long & happy career where you will be able to see the difference you make & feel valued for all that you do.

We look forward to receiving your application & the start of your journey with UHSx.

Job responsibilities

- Provide and receive highly complex, highly sensitive information; barriers to understanding; present complex, sensitive or contentious information to large groups Communicates, explains highly complex, sensitive condition related information to patients and others, there may be barriers to understanding; skills for delivering specialist training, presents scientific papers to large groups.
- Advanced theoretical and practical knowledge Professional knowledge acquired through Degree, advanced clinical training, management knowledge, experience to Masters equivalent level plus further specialist training.
- Range of highly complex facts, requiring analysis, interpretation, comparison of range of option Provides expert interpretation of highly complex clinical issues.
- Plan, organise broad range of complex activities; formulates, adjusts plans, strategies Plans and organises orthoptic/ optometry service, adapts to conflicting service requirements as necessary.
- Highly developed skills, accuracy important, manipulation of fine tools, materials Use of specialist ophthalmic instrumentation for measurement purposes.
- Develop specialised programmes of care/ care programmes; accountable for direct delivery of sub-division of a clinical, clinical technical or social care science/ accountable for direct delivery of clinical service Provides specialist clinical service, including use of advanced clinical techniques, provides advice to patients on needs, treatment & corrective aids; responsible for provision of specialist Orthoptic /optometry service/ responsible for provision of general and specialist Orthoptic/optometry services.
- Responsible for policy implementation, development for a service Responsible for development and implementation of orthoptic/optometry service policies.
- Day to day management; teach/ deliver specialist training/ Line manager for single function or department; teach, devise training and development programmes, major job responsibility Day to day management of staff; trains staff on specialist area / manages staff of department; develops and delivers training in a clinical and academic setting.
- Records personally generated information Updates patient records, compiles audit data.
- Co-ordinate, implement R & D activity/ initiates R&D activity Co-ordinates departmental research/ initiates, secures funding for research projects
- General policies, need to establish interpretation Guided by NHS, organisation and occupational policies, determines interpretation for orthoptic /optometry service.
- Frequent sitting in restricted position Restricted movements when undertaking ophthalmic examinations.
- Frequent concentration, work pattern unpredictable Concentration for specialised ophthalmic procedures, interruptions to deal with service issues
- Occasional/frequent distressing or emotional circumstances Conveying unwelcome news re visual impairment, treatment of patients with severe learning disabilities.
- Occasional unpleasant working conditions Examining patients with poor hygiene, use chemicals, examination of children with head lice.

Person Specification

Experience

- BSc(Hons). Optom. MSc Optom or equivalent experience
- Experience of teaching or supervising others
- Awareness of national guidelines in the optometric practice
- Higher qualification in medical retina or OPT L3 medical retina
- Evidence of organising and/or delivering teaching / training with GOC accreditation (CPD points)
- Extensive NHS experience (> 5 years)

Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion

- Evidence of having undertaken own development to improve understanding of equalities issues
- Evidence of having championed diversity in previous roles (as appropriate to role).

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust (279)

£76,965 to £88,682 a yearPer annum, pro rata

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