Clinical Lead Orthoptist Part-Time Grade 6/7

Clinical Lead Orthoptist — Part-Time | Mobile NHS Screening Service | Essex EyeBus · NHS Band 6/7 equivalent · 0.5 FTE · Home-based · January 2027 (retainer) / August 2027 (employed). Annualised for term-time working pattern.

Are you an experienced orthoptist looking to apply your clinical skills in a genuinely new setting? Are you passionate about early childhood health and motivated by the idea of building something from the ground up?

EyeBus is a purpose-converted mobile clinical unit that visits primary schools and delivers free dual sensory screening — vision and hearing, to Reception and Year 1 pupils.

We are recruiting for two part-time Clinical Lead Orthoptists to join us at the very start of our journey. You will be home-based, working 2.5 days per week (08:00–16:30), and provide resilient clinical and regulatory leadership across the EyeBus programme. One post is designated as the CQC Named Registered Manager; one as Deputy NRM. Both posts work together on an agreed rota — no single person carries the entire clinical load.

This is a founding clinical role. You will be the clinical authority behind everything EyeBus does: delivering vision and hearing screening and providing end-of-day clinical oversight for the School Health Care Assistant (SHCA). Every referred child is tracked through a failsafe log until follow-up is confirmed.

The long-term ambition is a national service. Your protocols, SOPs, and ways of working will define how EyeBus operates for years.

Contract. The post begins with a short paid consultancy retainer from January 2027 (approximately one day per month) to support CQC registration and pre-launch governance preparation. The employment contract runs August 2027–February 2028, covering final preparation, the October–November 2027 pilot screening, and two months of referral follow-up and clinical audit. Renewal is anticipated from August 2028 for Year 2, with a term-time aligned working pattern.

What we are looking for

Essential

• HCPC-registered orthoptist

• Experience delivering or supervising community or school-entry vision screening to PHE logMAR standard

• Willingness to take on CQC Named Registered Manager (or Deputy NRM) responsibility

• Confident driving a Luton-sized van to and from school visits (standard Category B licence)

• Strong written communication — referral letters, clinical audit, parent-facing results

• Organised, self-directed, and comfortable working independently between visits

Desirable

• Experience with hearing screening or audiometric assessment, or willingness to be trained in pure-tone audiometry sweep delivery

• Familiarity with SchoolScreener or similar clinical screening platforms

• Previous experience with CQC registration or NHS commissioning processes

• An interest in the health inequalities agenda and population-level paediatric health

What makes this role different

You will screen children in a purpose-built clinical vehicle parked in a school playground. You will be a founding team member. The satisfaction of removing barriers for families — a clear start for every child, regardless of where they live — is immediate and personal. No two days are the same. The role grows as EyeBus grows.

To apply send your CV and a short covering note by Friday 6 November 2026. Interviews are scheduled for the week commencing 16 November 2026. We welcome applications from candidates interested in either the Primary NRM or Deputy NRM post and are happy to discuss which is the right fit.

EyeBus is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. All posts are subject to Enhanced DBS check with Children’s Barred List