Orthoptic Clinical Tutor

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a new Orthoptic department Clinical Tutor for Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust. Applications are invited for an experienced and enthusiastic Orthoptist with an eye for detail and a keen interest in teaching to take on this senior role within the department.

The successful applicant will be responsible for all aspects of the clinical placement training of undergraduate Orthoptic students from the Universities of Liverpool and Sheffield, post graduate Orthoptic students from UCL and Moorfields, as well as clinical education of other professions within and outside of Ophthalmology. You will be responsible for actively promoting Orthoptics as a career and take responsibility for any students wishing work experience. You will also be the lead practice educator for the department co-ordinating audits and CPD, organising journal clubs and other professional development for the Orthoptic staff.

Clinically you will be involved in a wide range of Orthoptic sessions, including paediatric clinics, shared care Orthoptic/Optometry clinics, Oculoplastic, thyroid clinics, adult ocular motility and BTXA.

You must hold a degree or diploma in Orthoptics, have post graduate training, a BIOS recognised teaching qualification and be registered with the HCPC. The Orthoptists cover clinics at Maidstone Hospital, Tunbridge Wells Hospital and Medway Maritime Hospital so the ability to travel between sites is essential.

Living in the South East there is plenty on offer with good links to London, the English south coast and France. Maidstone is the county town of Kent situated in the ‘garden of England’ and has a wide range of leisure activities available and a short journey away is Bluewater shopping centre.

Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust is a large acute hospital Trust in the county of Kent.

The Trust provides a full range of general hospital services and some areas of specialist complex care to around 500,000 people living in the south part of West Kent and the north part of East Sussex.

The Trust’s core catchment areas are Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells and their surrounding boroughs. We work from two main clinical sites: Maidstone Hospital and Tunbridge Wells Hospital at Pembury. Tunbridge Wells Hospital opened in 2011 and provides single rooms with en-suites for all in-patients - the first of its kind in the country.

The Trust operates award-winning Emergency Departments at both hospitals. It is the fifth largest cancer centre in the country, providing specialist cancer services to around 1.8 million people across Kent, Medway and East Sussex. The Trust treats people from two sites based at Maidstone Hospital and Kent and Canterbury Hospital, and also runs outpatient clinics across multiple locations in the county.

The Ophthalmology department at Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust is the largest specialised eye unit in the South-East of England, serving a total population of 1 million and ensuring that there is treatment available for all eye conditions locally.

We employ over 6,500 full and part-time staff in a huge range of clinical and non-clinical roles across both of our hospital sites.

We are passionate in supporting our staff to develop and have great opportunities for career progression. We take equality and diversity seriously and seek to empower all diverse groups within our trust. We seek to develop a culture where diversity in all its forms is celebrated. We are committed to ensuring that women are empowered to work at all levels of management and that working patterns are as flexible as possible giving all members of staff opportunity to flourish in using their skills for our patients. We work across our trust to enable those who consider themselves to have a disability both visible and invisible to have access to all they need to thrive in their work environment. We work hard to embed an inclusive and accepting culture for all lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and non-binary staff. We have 78 nationalities working in our trust and we are proud of this. We are active in embracing the ethnic and cultural diversity in our trust. We work to empower people with any protected characteristic to have opportunities to work in an environment that helps them to contribute to the best of their ability, recognising and valuing the unique contributions each of us brings for best quality care and service to our patients. We are committed to supporting the delivery of the Equality Act with zero tolerance for any discrimination, harassment or victimisation of applicants and staff with these protected characteristics. MTW also has active Disability, LGBT+ and Cultural Ethnic Minorities Networks to bring staff together and in act positive change

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