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Job summary

Main area
Screening
Grade
NHS AfC: Band 3
Contract
Permanent
Hours
Part time - 30 hours per week
Job ref
345-COM6733276
Employer
North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Lawson Street Health Centre
Town
Stockton-on-Tees
Salary
£24,071 - £25,674 pro rata per annum
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
28/11/2024 23:59

Employer heading

North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust logo

Retinal Screener

NHS AfC: Band 3

We are on a continuous journey of improvement and transformation , however our main priority is, and always will be, providing safe and high quality care to our patients every day; the kind of care we would want for ourselves and our loved ones. If you share our passion then apply for this opportunity and help us make our patients’ experience the best it can possibly be.

With a budget of around £365m, three hospitals and 5,500 staff, North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust provides hospital-based services to the population of Hartlepool, Stockton on Tees and parts of East Durham and Sedgefield as well as community, therapeutic and screening to a wider population across Durham and Teesside.

Job overview

**Advert may close early if sufficient number of applications is reached**

Diabetic eye screening is one of the 15 essential regular healthcare checks that everyone with diabetes can access to help reduce the risk of serious diabetes complications.

Diabetic eye screening helps to reduce the risk of sight loss.  

The NHS Diabetic Eye Screening Programme aims to reduce the risk of sight loss among people with diabetes through the early detection and treatment of diabetic retinopathy.

Screening using digital photography is currently offered  to all eligible people with diabetes from the age of 12 years old who reside in Stockton, Hartlepool and South Durham locality

 

As well as digital photography using a fundus camera, postholder will be required to use Optical Coherence Tomography Eye Scanners (OCT) which is used to identify referable Maculopathy. Full training will be given 

Postholder will be the first contact for patients attending the screening service and will be expected to support service users through the screening process and to ensure they are  fully informed as to the expectations/limitations of screening.  To ensure that all service objectives and quality standards are upheld and screening is delivered in accordance with national targets.  Working collaboratively with multi professional teams to ensure practice is efficient, effective, evidence based and safe.

Main duties of the job

  • Deliver eye screening  clinics unsupervised throughout all clinic locations, often working alone away from the base.
  • Assess and make clinical judgement regarding patient’s eye health comparing a range of options. 
  • Perform visual acuity testing, instillation of eye drops according to protocol.
  • Capture and review  retinal images using specialised fundus photography and, if appropriate, alert grading staff for urgent assessment.
  • Triage images and place in appropriate grading queue using Traffic Light Grading Queue
  • Participate in External Quality Assurance and participate in simple clinical audits
  • To make decisions and judgements based on the information provided by the patient, therefore being able to work autonomously throughout the day.
  • Provide advice to patients and carers where there may be barriers to screening
  • Regular requirement to deal with sensitive and confidential information demonstrating empathy, tact and diplomacy 
  • In addition to digital photography you will be required to take additional eye scan using Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT)

Working for our organisation

At North Tees & Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust our main priority is, and always will be, to provide safe and high quality care to our patients every day; the kind of care we would want for ourselves and our loved ones. We want our organisation to be the best place to work with the right staff, in the right roles, at the right time, to ensure we deliver exceptional patient care and experience.

We will support staff through providing an inclusive and supportive workplace with health and well-being initiatives, staff benefits and opportunities for personal and professional development.  Staff recognition is very important to us; as well as performance reviews and appraisals, we recognise staff through Star and Team of the month, colleague recognition – a note of thanks, Managers Awards, Shining Stars and Service Awards.

We support the Making Every Contact Count approach to behaviour change in the promotion of health and wellbeing of individuals and communities.

 

We recruit for values and “Together we are North Tees & Hartlepool”

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

·         Communicate effectively at all levels including Senior Management, Heads of Service, other departments, service users and external stakeholders. 

·         Liaise internally with colleagues to ensure the smooth running of the Retinal Screening clinic 

·         Ensure good relationships are developed and maintained at all screening location with other Trust staff who may be involved in associated patient care. 

·         Provide advice to patients are  carers where there may be barriers to screening 

·         Maintain good relationships with all service users, internal and external 

·         Encourage and re-assure patients the importance of screening 

·         Work collaboratively with the wider team, clinical staff and failsafe department to ensure the smooth delivery of the screening programme 

·         Regular requirement to deal with sensitive and confidential information demonstrating empathy, tact and diplomacy 

·         Requirement to communicate effectively with people from different cultural backgrounds. 

·         Maintain confidentiality at all times of patient information to which the post holder has access, including patient records/database when undertaking screening duties. 

·         Attend departmental meetings and participate in MDT providing feedback to the clinical lead

  • Deliver eye screening  clinics unsupervised throughout all clinic locations, often working alone away from the base.
  • Assess and make clinical judgement regarding patient’s eye health comparing a range of options. 
  • Perform visual acuity testing, instillation of eye drops according to protocol.
  • Capture and review  retinal images using specialised fundus photography and, if appropriate, alert grading staff for urgent assessment.
  • Triage images and place in appropriate grading queue using Traffic Light Grading Queue
  • Participate in External Quality Assurance and participate in simple clinical audits
  • To make decisions and judgements based on the information provided by the patient, therefore being able to work autonomously throughout the day.

 

Person specification

Qualifications & Training

Essential criteria
  • meets essential
Desirable criteria
  • Meets Desirable

Knowledge

Essential criteria
  • meets essential
Desirable criteria
  • Meets Desirable

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Veteran AwareApprenticeships logoNo smoking policyPositive about disabled peopleAge positiveDisability confident leaderDefence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) - Silverhttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/kickstart-scheme-employer-resources/kickstart-scheme-brand-guidelinesMindful employer.  Being positive about mental health.Dying to Work CharterStep into healthArmed Forces Covenant

Applicant requirements

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.

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Sue Pott
Job title
Diabetic Eye Screening Programme Lead
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
01642 382954
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