Ophthalmic Technician

Ophthalmic Technician

Closing date: 17 March 2026

The post holder will support the Ophthalmic Imaging and Outpatient teams for the provision and overall smooth running of our clinical services. This will involve data entry, eyesight and visual field testing along with the general personal care and support of the patient. You will have responsibility for preparing our patients and undertaking their investigations, performing a range of basic imaging tests and procedures, as well as providing the reports and baseline evaluations for review by other clinical staff.

You will receive training at the Bristol Eye Hospital and, when relevant competencies have been achieved, you will be required to attend peripheral clinic and hospital sites to deliver the required clinical care. Therefore, willingness and capacity to travel to different working locations will be required, as will the ability to provide services on days across the whole week, including weekends as and when required.

You will be required to communicate in an empathetic manner with patients, relatives and carers who may be emotionally distressed or who may have barriers to understanding, such as learning difficulties, language, hearing difficulties or visual impairment and to children and babies.

In summary you will assist in the provision of a high standard of ophthalmic and personal care ensuring the smooth running of our clinics.

Main duties of the job

Following appropriate training and assessment you will be performing the following clinical care duties (this list is not exhaustive and will change with the service in line with developing competency frameworks):

• Understand and undertake all clinical duties carried out by assistant ophthalmic and vision scientists
• Assist with intravitreal injections
• Pachymetry
• HRT
• Henson and Humphrey visual field testing
• Blood glucose testing
• Irrigation
• ECG recording
• Research
• Ensure patient's quality of care and safety is maintained during their entire visit, including escorting to and collecting from other departments within the hospital
• Assist patients with their mobility so that tests and examinations can be carried out
• Support patients with personal care activities as necessary
• Undertake administrative and clerical duties, inputting data using computer systems, working at all times within information governance policies

About us

University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW) is one of the largest acute Trusts in the country, bringing together a combined workforce of over 13,000 staff and over 100 different clinical services across 10 different sites, serving a core population of more than 500,000 people across South West England. UHBW has been rated by the CQC as 'Good' overall and our staff are proud to deliver excellent care to the people of Bristol, Weston and beyond. As a forward thinking multi award winning Trust and a digital exemplar committed to improving patient care, our world leading research and innovations are having a positive local and global impact. Our hospitals are spread across Bristol and Weston, join us and you can enjoy the very best of both worlds - city living within a stone's throw of the countryside or beside the seaside, both with easy access to all that the South West has to offer. UHBW is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. As an equal opportunities employer actively working towards a diverse workforce we aim to recruit and retain a workforce that represents the rich diversity of the local population at all levels and are committed to designing our services around the needs of individual patients and those around them.

Job responsibilities

For a more detailed job description, main responsibilities, and Person Specification, please refer to the job description document attached to this vacancy.

Person Specification Knowledge and Experience

• Proven experience of dealing with the public
• Working knowledge of ophthalmic procedures and techniques
• Experience of learning new systems
• Understanding of patient confidentiality issues
• Current working knowledge of general medical/ophthalmic conditions, equipment and techniques
• Working knowledge of NHS procedures
• Previous experience of high volume activity
• Knowledge of health and safety issues

Qualifications and Training

• Extensive experience of ophthalmic care or at least five GCSEs to Grade C or above, including English, Maths and one other science subject
• Extensive experience of ophthalmic care or at least one A level in a science subject Grade C or above

Skills and Abilities

• Excellent computer skills and problem solving
• Good presentation skills, high level of accuracy and excellent hand eye coordination
• Ability to deal with difficult patients and situations
• Ability to communicate with people at different levels
• Professional attitude to work
• Commitment to continuing professional development
• Good communication skills with an empathetic attitude to patients and carers and their needs

Public Sector Language Competency

• Be able to speak fluent English to an appropriate standard

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.

£24,937 to £26,598 a year, pro rata for part time roles