Assistant Practitioner

Assistant Practitioner The closing date is 17 December 2025. We are looking for an enthusiastic assistant practitioner at band 4 to work in the pre-assessment ophthalmology clinic at Bishop Auckland Hospital. The successful candidate must have experience of in ophthalmology, possess excellent skills, a high sense of professionalism and a strong belief in the value of team work. You will help formulate and carry out effective care for our patients in the pre-assessment clinic and ensure it is delivered to the highest possible level while supporting the junior staff in their roles. The post is Monday to Friday and no working of bank holidays. There may be occasions where you may have to work a Saturday to support a waiting list initiative clinic. Main duties of the job The main duties will include pre-assessing patients for ophthalmic surgery. This includes cataract surgery, glaucoma and ocular plastic surgery along with vitreoretinal surgery. The skills for this will be tight. For example biometry for cataract surgery. The successful candidate will also be shown how to enter all the patient details and information onto EPR. This job will be based at the ophthalmology department at Bishop Auckland Hospital and you will be part of a team of nurses led by a nurse specialist. The ophthalmology experience is essential as you will at times have to work as member of the wider team doing ophthalmology skills such as vision testing or working in the injection room. About us If you are being interviewed you must accept an interview slot in the system to continue, even if you have arranged with the manager. You must be able to produce ALL certificates stated essential in the person specification or you will not be able to complete pre-employment checks. We provide hospital services from two acute sites - Darlington Memorial Hospital and University Hospital of North Durham. We have a centre for planned care in Bishop Auckland and provide care from community hospitals in Chester-le-Street, Shotley Bridge, Barnard Castle, Sedgefield and Weardale as well as over 80 other community based settings and providing care in patients' homes. We particularly welcome applications from disabled and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) candidates as BAME and disabled people are currently under-represented. Job responsibilities We are responsible for providing a specialist ophthalmic service for the population of County Durham and Darlington. The ophthalmology department works across two sites currently Darlington Memorial and Bishop Auckland Hospital. We are looking for an assistant practitioner at Band 4 to work in the pre-assessment clinic at Bishop Auckland Hospital. Ideally the successful candidate will have ophthalmic experience and can do most skills and will be trained by our specialist nurse in the pre-assessment skills, which include biometry for cataract patients. You will be working with a small team of pre-assessment nurses and all clinics are booked for face to face or telephone assessments. At times you may also have to assess emergency patients who arrive from clinic appointments. All patients who attend the Bishop pre-assessment clinic are for local anaesthetic. There may be times that you have to help in the main clinic which is where previous experience would be helpful. The post is Monday to Friday. Person Specification Qualifications NVQ LEVEL 3 Good general education including maths and english Experience Have worked in ophthalmology Have worked in an outpatient department Special Skills & Knowledge Opthalmology skills such as visual acuity A flexible approach to duties Works well as part of a team 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. Employer name County Durham & Darlington NHS Foundation Trust £27,485 to £30,162 a year per annum / pro rata #J-18808-Ljbffr