Assistant Ophthalmic Vision Science Practitioner

Have you always wanted an opportunity to start a career in healthcare but were unsure of how? Do you want a meaningful career that will make a real difference to people's lives? Could your excellent customer services skills be translated into excellent patient care? If so, this may be for you.
We have a fantastic opportunity to join our dedicated team of skilled Ophthalmic Vision Science Practitioners (OVSP).
As an Assistant Ophthalmic Vision Science Practitioner, you will be trained to work within Ophthalmic Imaging, a specialised form of medical photography dedicated to the recording and treatment of many disorders of the eye.
In this role you will earn as you learn and gain valuable work experience. There is not a requirement to have previously worked within the NHS or ophthalmology however you must be willing to study towards a level 2 healthcare apprenticeship.
You will follow a comprehensive structured training programme that could start your career path. There many career routes you may not have been aware of and we encourage staff to explore areas of interest., As an Assistant Ophthalmic Vision Science Practitioner, you will greet patients, manage patient flow and ensure everyone has an excellent experience during their appointment, treating them with dignity and respect at all times.
You will be trained to undertake a range of routine ophthalmic imaging procedures on medical devices and support qualified staff in the assessment of health needs and the delivery of care for patients, including clinical risk assessment.
This role also involves working collaboratively with others as part of the multi-disciplinary team, assisting clinical staff in delivering high quality patient care., 1. Participate in the delivery of patient centred care, always maintaining a compassionate and professional attitude
2. Contribute to the ward/clinic/department/organisation
3. Support senior staff in the provision of a caring and safe environment
4. Demonstrate competence in generic and specialist skills following the completion of the appropriate training and education and within twelve months from commencement in role
5. Function at a competency level in line with the requirements of the post and achieve and maintain both mandatory and statutory training requirements associated with the role.
Clinical Practice
1. Support qualified staff in the assessment of health needs and the delivery of care for a number of individuals or groups of patients, including clinical risk assessment
2. Work collaboratively with others as part of the multi-disciplinary team, assisting nursing and other clinical staff in duties associated with patient care
3. Treat patients with dignity and respect and maintaining their confidentiality both inside and outside the hospital environment.
4. To be competent in undertaking a routine ophthalmic imaging procedure on medical devices, the provision of clinical work and any related tasks following formal training under Moorfields Ophthalmic Vision Science practitioners' technical competency framework and where needed provide appropriate support for newly appointed staff
5. Be responsible for the initial reporting of faulty equipment and follow-up repairs, keeping the supervisor or nurse in charge informed ensuring the clinical areas are prepared and maintained throughout the day
6. Liaise effectively with all stakeholders in the care process including carers and relatives as well as to support colleagues to ensure patients receive care in a timely manner during their visit to any site under the care of Moorfields
7. Respond appropriately to emergency situations
8. Act as a chaperone when required
9. Manage patient flow by monitoring patient times along the patient journey. Report any delays to the supervisor or nurse in charge. Ensure those patients that require special assistance are monitored and supported
10. Ensure effective handover of patients between shifts/healthcare professionals /departments using a range of communication aids such as verbal handover/ safety huddle/ written documentation/referral
11. To assist or attend patient basic care where required
12. Give clear and concise explanation and test instructions to ensure maximum patient understanding and co-operation, taking into account patients who have visual impairment, hearing loss, physical or mental disabilities, learning difficulties, different age groups, cultural differences and non-English speaking patients
13. Observe and report to senior staff any change in a patients physical and psychological condition
14. Obtain verbal consent from the patients before any clinical intervention is undertaken, where this is not given report this to senior staff
15. Ensure any safeguarding concerns are raised with team leader / nurse in charge
16. Be an active participant in providing education and health promotion advice to patients and their carers
17. Support patients and/or relatives that are in need of assistance
18. Identify and act upon acutely unwell members of the public and/or colleagues according to their BLS training.
Professionalism
1. Maintain and update relevant knowledge and skills, undertaking and completing further training and academic qualifications as appropriate to the role and service requirements
2. Adhere to all trust policies, guidelines and standards ensuring a high standard of personal and professional behaviour and dress is maintained at all times whilst acting as an ambassador for the trust and a role model to others
3. Manage own time effectively, ensure good time keeping in relation to shift commencement and breaks
4. Maintain professional boundaries and working relations with patients and colleagues,
5. The post holder may be deployed/expected to work in any part of the organisation should the need arise to ensure patient safety is maintained
Communication
1. Communicate clearly and appropriately with patients, their relatives/friends, colleagues and all other members of the multidisciplinary team, including responding to queries, answering the phone, taking messages, and passing on written and verbal information
2. Identify patient's individual communication needs and assure correct communication support is provided to those who need using available translating services
3. To comply with the trust information governance policy and patient's confidentiality
4. Provide patients with information and advice ensuring that the information provided is in a format which meets their needs e.g. large, Braille or other languages, complying with AIS standards
5. Maintain a high standard of professional behaviour and ensure effective communication with all members of the multi-disciplinary team, patients, carers and relatives, mindful of own and others body language and barriers which may affect communication
6. Participate in discussions about patients care and ward/clinic/departmental issues at safety huddle /handover meetings
Safety and Quality
1. Contributes towards the completion of clinical audits and research and work in partnership with colleagues to continually improve on the quality and safety of care provided.
2. Be aware of and comply with all trust policies and procedures which govern health and safety and clinical practice
3. In line with the trust's Incident Reporting system, report any accidents, incidents, near misses and defects to your supervisor. Remove any hazards which could potentially cause injury to staff, patients or visitors
4. Support colleagues to ensure the quality metrics are displayed and are kept up to date in order to keep our patients informed of our quality and safety data and how we are improving our services.
5. Be aware of the trust procedures on risk register and clinical incidents and participate in ensuring lessons learnt are implemented and embedded in practice, to maintain a safety culture within your department., 1. Maintain responsibility for the identification of own continuing educational needs and personal development plan as agreed with your line manager
2. Maintain your compliance with mandatory and statutory training and annual appraisals. Take responsibility for maintaining a record of your own personal development and inform your manager if there is any deviance from training compliance
3. Undertake any appropriate training as deemed necessary by your line manager to ensure the delivery of safe and quality care
4. Support and participate in the induction and orientation of newly appointed staff and students
5. Contribute and participate towards patient engagement and involvement initiatives e.g. patient focus groups, patient information sessions
6. Continually develop computer literacy skills/digital in order to use electronic systems to deliver safe and effective care both within the department and the trust level.
Leadership, Teamwork
1. Lead by example and act on own initiative
2. Contribute to team meetings and service improvement management initiatives and where appropriate, propose changes and if approved implement the changes
3. Manage own time effectively, ensure good time keeping in relation to shift commencement and breaks
4. Understand the patient complaints procedures and work in partnership with senior colleagues to ensure that lessons learnt and changes in practice required is embedded as a result of feedback from complaints
5. Utilise opportunities to support ongoing professional development by undertaking delegated tasks for your line manager in his/ her absence
6. Actively participate in department team huddles and / or debriefs, ensuring you contribute to improving both staff and patients' experience quality and safe care.
The post holder will undertake other duties as may be required to achieve the trusts objectives, commensurate with the grading of the post. This includes acquiring additional skills to use new pieces of equipment.
Risk Assessment:
This post involves manual handling activities and exposure to body fluids and chemicals. May involve some VDU work and individuals may be exposed to violence and aggression.
The post holder is also required to undertake physical task such as moving and handling, leading and guiding for example as well as clinical tasks as identified in the Person Specification.
Due to the nature of this position, employment is subject to proof of eligibility to work in the UK, completion of a satisfactory DBS disclosure and two references. We do not offer visa sponsorship for roles unless clearly stated in our adverts, so please consider this before applying.
Our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion is at the heart of our organisational culture. As part of our pledge to take positive action in recruitment we encourage applications from under-represented candidates including BAME (Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic) and Disabled candidates as we work towards a representative workforce that is able to provide the quality, the dignity and respect and to deliver above and beyond.
Moorfields is a flexible working friendly organisation, and we are committed to helping our employees achieve a work-life balance that is beneficial for health and wellbeing, motivation levels and job satisfaction. Every employee of the Trust has the right to request to work flexibly. Please speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement. If it works for the service, we will do our best to make it work for you.
If we receive sufficient applications, we will close this ad prior to the closing date. You are advised not to delay submitting your completed application.
If you would like to discuss any reasonable adjustments before applying or would like an accessible version of any recruitment documents, please contact the recruitment team at [email protected].

We are Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. Founded in 1804, Moorfields Eye Hospital is a world-class centre of excellence for eye health services, ophthalmic research, and education.
With more than 2,300 staff we are proud to be supported by one of the most diverse workforces in the NHS. Every year we treat more than 700,000 patients at City Road in central London and at our 22 satellites sites, and, in partnership with the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology and Moorfields Biomedical Research Centre we lead one of the most impactful ophthalmic research programmes in the world.
We train many of the leading eye care clinicians in the UK and internationally and have a global reputation for quality and professionalism in ophthalmic care. In addition, we also operate commercial divisions that provide care to private patients in both London and the Middle East.
This is an exciting time to join Moorfields. The pandemic fast-tracked a huge amount of innovation which is changing the way we work and deliver care. Construction is under way on Oriel, our new eye care, research, and education centre being built in Camden. The new centre will be flexible and modern, enabling us to bring together healthcare, eye research and education under one roof for the first time.
If you want to be part delivering world class eye health services and you share our values: excellence, equity, and kindness, then we would love to hear from you!

At Moorfields, we provide more than just an excellent career and great colleagues to work with. We also offer:
+ Salary including High-Cost Area Supplement (for London based roles)
+ Opportunity to join the NHS Pension Scheme
+ Free 24/7 independent counselling service
+ Learning and development opportunities
+ Easy and quick transport links
+ A range of attractive benefits and discounts
+ Access to Blue Light Card and other NHS Discount Schemes
+ Free Pilates classes
+ Full support and training to develop your skills
+ Flexible working friendly organisation
And so much more! To see the full range of benefits we offer please see our Moorfields benefits document.