Ophthalmic Technician

Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is situated on the west coast of Lancashire, with services covering the local authority areas of Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre. The Trust is part of the Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care System (ICS) supporting a population of around 1.6 million people. We have three main hospitals providing acute services to around 330,000 local residents. The organisation also provides specialist tertiary care for cardiac and haematology services, delivers community health services to over 445,000 residents including those in North Lancashire and hosts the National Artificial Eye Service across England. Plus, we provide urgent and emergency care services to an estimated 18 million people who visit the seaside resort each year. We employ over 7000 people from 68 different countries.

We welcome and encourage applications from anyone with protected characteristics, as well as supporting reservists and Veterans who are looking for a rewarding and challenging career within the NHS. Blackpool Teaching Hospitals encourages flexible working in all our roles to support staff in maintaining a healthy home-life balance. Working patterns such as part-time working, self-rostering, compressed hours, annualised hours, term time, reverse term time and flexitime working can be explored.

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a motivated Band 3 Ophthalmic Technician to join the highly skilled Ophthalmic Surgical Team. This will be a full-time, 37.5 hour vacancy, working in The Ophthalmic Surgical Unit and Medical Retina Unit. Working hours include Monday to Friday, 7.30am to 7pm, over a 4-5 day period. Previous applicants on SACT31-25 need not apply. There is no sponsorship for this role. Interviews are on site (face to face only).

The Unit provides sight-saving treatment for people across Lancashire/Cumbria and beyond using state-of-the-art facilities designed with high-quality patient-focused care at the forefront. The Ophthalmic surgical unit is a specialised department which integrates The Medical Retina Unit, macular service, two theatres, a recovery area and an ophthalmic day surgery ward offering a number of clinical settings within the unit.

Main duties of the job:

• To assist in the provision of a high quality and comprehensive diagnostics service within the ophthalmology department, ensuring individually and as part of a team, that the service always remains efficient and effective.
• To maintain high-quality evidence-based patient care and to participate in audit activities within the department.
• To continually develop clinical and theoretical knowledge and skills by taking part in appropriate training underpinned by annual appraisals where further objectives and personal development plans will be agreed.
• To work within the macular service, assessing visual acuity and working within nurse-led intravitreal injection service.

Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is ideally situated just a forty-five minute drive from Manchester. The Trust provides services to the 440,000 residents of Blackpool, Fylde & Wyre and North Lancashire, as well as specialist tertiary care for Cardiac and Haematology patients. As one of the United Kingdom’s largest coastal resorts, Blackpool has plenty to offer its residents – it’s not just a good place to work; it’s a great place to live. In addition to its bustling centre and historic seafront, the town is world famous for its many attractions, including the famous Blackpool Tower. Blackpool also offers a number of scenic cycling routes around our local parks and across the surrounding countryside, as well as boasting panoramic views of the coast on its picturesque Promenade. Further afield, Blackpool also benefits from less than three-hour connections via rail to Edinburgh in the north and London in the south.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities:

• To perform OCT, Optos and fundal image tests on patients attending the unit using medical diagnostic devices such as OCT, following training and achievement of the relevant competencies.
• To be responsible for ensuring all equipment related to diagnostic testing is fully functioning and reporting problems to those responsible for maintenance.
• To assist all members of the multi-disciplinary team to meet individual patient needs, maintaining a safe environment, delivering high standards of care within the Ophthalmic Surgical Unit.
• Participate in the delivery of planned care, applying and evaluating advanced clinical skills as delegated by a registered nurse.
• Preparing a patient for theatre, initiating the WHO process and administering anaesthetic eye drops prior to the procedure.
• To work collaboratively and co-operatively with others to meet the needs of the patients and their families.

Person specification:

• Education and qualification: Working towards NVQ level 3, Foundation degree in ophthalmic science and technology or equivalent.
• Experience and knowledge: Evidence of continued professional development, experience of working in a multi-disciplinary and multi-agency setting.
• Skills and ability: Good IT skills and experience of software packages, ability to communicate in a variety of settings with patients of varying levels of understanding, experience working with photographic equipment, computers, data handling, calibration of equipment, technical experience, ability to use own initiative and ability to prioritise.

Any invitation to interview will be sent to the email account stated on your application form. If the role you have applied for requires a Disclosure and Barring Services (DBS) check we will administer this as part of your pre-employment checks. Please note, you will be required to repay the cost on appointment. This will be collected via a salary deduction. You can choose whether to pay this over 1-3 months from your salary or as a one-off payment on commencement in post. The level of check required depends on the role that you have been offered. Currently the charges are - Basic DBS check £25.50, Standard DBS check £25.50 and Enhanced DBS check £53.50. You are encouraged where possible, to register for the DBS update service. This is an annual registration fee of £16. By registering for the update service you will not have the additional cost of repeated disclosures. Should you withdraw your application, you may be required to reimburse the cost of the DBS check. DBS checks remain free of charge for volunteer positions. By submitting an application for this vacancy you are confirming your agreement to the above in the event you are successfully appointed. The DBS Code of Practice can be accessed here.

Please ensure that you read the Person Specification attached below as your application will be judged against this. Please note that every effort will be made to keep the vacancy live until the published closing date, though there may be instances where such interest is generated, that for administrative reasons the post may close earlier. Please note that in line with national NHS guidelines this Trust operates a strict non-smoking policy. Members of staff are not permitted to smoke on Trust premises or grounds at any time nor take breaks during working hours for the purposes of smoking. The Trust does not offer interview expenses to shortlisted candidates unless indicated in the advert.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.