Job summary
The Diabetic Eye Screener/Grader role involves managing screening clinics independently and grading digital retinal images to secondary level. This post requires a wide range of interpersonal and job specific skills. The post holder will be responsible for:
- explaining the test procedure to the people with diabetes and obtaining consent
- undertaking visual acuity checks
- instilling eye drops
- taking digital images
- taking OCT scans
- grading digital retinal images
- monitoring the grading queues to ensure grading is completed to ensure timely notification of results and onward referral where appropriate.
The Screener/Grader will provide general/specific care as identified below under the direct and indirect supervision of their trainer. They will be expected to become proficient and complete and maintain competencies relevant to the area of work.
Main duties of the job
- Manages clinic preparation, ensuring all stock and equipment is available to use, prepares and tests equipment. To achieve this good time keeping essential.
- Is responsible for seeing patients in a timely fashion and ensures delays in the running of the clinic are communicated to the admin team and patients.
- Carries responsibility for patients' care within the clinic ensuring their safety and wellbeing such as responsibility for management of transport patients, following up safeguarding issues post clinic.
- Conducts an accurate visual acuity eye test and full pupil dilation by instillation of dilating eye drops, working to the appropriate local and national protocols.
- Captures the appropriate images of the patients' retinas. Obtaining best quality imaging possible.
- Takes a full history for patients with a reduced visual acuity, including last optometrist visit, past medical history to ensure best outcome for the patient.
- Uses the time with the patients to increase their understanding and knowledge of diabetes and how it can affect the eyes, as appropriate.
- Makes a decision on the priority of images for grader assessment. Records these results.
- grade retinal images to secondary level, making an assessment of the level of disease in line with local grading protocol
- identify and refer to ROG any significant non diabetic related pathology
- ensure R3 (proliferative diabetic retinopathy) is appropriately fast tracked through the grading pathway and to ophthalmology
About us
Join us at UHSussex, every day is different, you can be the change, better never stops
At UHSussex we're proud to be at the heart of the NHS. As one of the UK's largest acute Trusts, we're a leading example of the excellence, the ambition and the values that have embodied the NHS for over 70 years.
Improving lives: We are a vibrant and inclusive organisation, with hardworking, talented and dedicated individuals, who work together towards a common goal, to always put our Patient First. Our mission is summed up by our 'where better never stops' motto and no matter the role at UHSussex, you will play a part in driving us forwards and in improving the lives of patients across Sussex. We treat our patients and staff with the same compassion and empathy we expect for ourselves. We're here for them when they need us, and we go above and beyond to meet their needs. This can be seen in our wellbeing programme for staff which is extensive and designed to support you when you need it because we know that to look after others we must first look after ourselves.
Build a career with us: As a university trust and a leader in healthcare research, we value learning, teaching and training so that we can be the best that we can be. From the moment you start with us and throughout your career we will help you to grow and develop. We hope that in choosing UHSussex you are choosing a long and happy career where you will be able to see the difference you make and feel valued for all that you do.
Job description
Job responsibilities
- Responsible for informing admin staff and line manager of issues during clinics.
- Liaises with IT helpdesk, software company and camera engineers as appropriate in the event of technical issues and records the outcomes and informs the Line Manager
- Maintains confidentiality at all times in line with the Data Protection Act and Trust Information Governance guidance and policy
- Provides and receives complex or sensitive information, relating to patient care, recognising barriers to understanding. Uses interpersonal skills to communicate condition related information clearly and concisely with colleagues, patients, carers and relatives, providing empathy and reassurance.
- Reports all concerns, accidents and incidents relating to self, patients, staff or visitors in accordance with the Trust incident reporting system (Datix)
- Participates effectively in the programme and team teaching sessions the rest of the DESP team.
- Communicate effectively using Trust Information Technology systems (i.e.: Email, intranet, clinic list information, data collection systems)
- Communicate with other healthcare professionals as necessary and ensures appropriate safeguarding of patients/staff
- Works closely with staff in the department and also with staff from the Diabetes Unit and the Ophthalmology department attending feedback and training meetings as necessary
- Responds appropriately to all telephone and personal enquiries in a sensitive and helpful manner
- Working closely with ROG graders to flag images needing urgent attention and ask for feedback if unsure about appropriate outcomes.
Patient Care Delivery
- Ensures that patients are treated with courtesy at all times; their individual needs are respected, maintain patient privacy and dignity.
- Manages clinic preparation, ensuring all stock and equipment is available to use, prepares and tests equipment. To achieve this good time keeping essential.
- Organises and, prioritises own workload daily. Provides high quality patient care, appropriate to patient need. Is responsible for a group of patients with indirect supervision of line manager.
- Is responsible for seeing patients in a timely fashion and ensures delays in the running of the clinic are communicated to the admin team and patients.
- Carries responsibility for patients care within the clinic ensuring their safety and wellbeing such as responsibility for management of transport patients, following up safeguarding issues post clinic.
- Takes appropriate history and information from patients, and explains the procedure of screening to them, gaining their consent to screening and recording this information. Answering any questions that are required to help the consent process.
- Conducts an accurate visual acuity eye test and full pupil dilation by instillation of dilating eye drops, working to the appropriate local and national protocols.
- Captures the appropriate images of the patients retinas. Obtaining best quality imaging possible.
- Takes a full history for patients with a reduced visual acuity, including last optometrist visit, past medical history to ensure best outcome for the patient.
- Records notes which are necessary to assist in the success for the follow up visits, such as poor to dilate, wheelchair users, any mental or physical impairment which may require additional prior knowledge by the screener.
- Uses the time with the patients to increase their understanding and knowledge of diabetes and how it can affect the eyes, as appropriate.
- Makes a decision on the priority of images for grader assessment. Records these results.
- grade retinal images to secondary level, making an assessment of the level of disease in line with local grading protocol
- identify and refer to ROG any significant non diabetic related pathology
- ensure R3 (proliferative diabetic retinopathy) is appropriately fast tracked through the grading pathway and to ophthalmology
The Brighton and Sussex Diabetic Eye Screening Programme also provides OCT surveillance to those patients assessed as having diabetic maculopathy. The post holder should be competent in OCT capture and have the ability to run OCT surveillance clinics independently.
Administrative
- Responsible for ensuring the clinic admin work is completed. All clinics are accounted for, and that each clinic has an allocated screener. The individual workloads are adequately distributed amongst the team. To raise any issues regarding clinic admin to line manager.
- To provide failsafe admin role to ensure the patients are accounted for at the close of clinic and those who did not attend are followed up
- Ensures in clinic that each patients status is up to date and they are in the correct pathway for follow up
- Reports any changes to patient status or follow up to admin / line manager.
- Provides admin support to the admin team as requested by line manager
Job description
Job responsibilities
- Responsible for informing admin staff and line manager of issues during clinics.
- Liaises with IT helpdesk, software company and camera engineers as appropriate in the event of technical issues and records the outcomes and informs the Line Manager
- Maintains confidentiality at all times in line with the Data Protection Act and Trust Information Governance guidance and policy
- Provides and receives complex or sensitive information, relating to patient care, recognising barriers to understanding. Uses interpersonal skills to communicate condition related information clearly and concisely with colleagues, patients, carers and relatives, providing empathy and reassurance.
- Reports all concerns, accidents and incidents relating to self, patients, staff or visitors in accordance with the Trust incident reporting system (Datix)
- Participates effectively in the programme and team teaching sessions the rest of the DESP team.
- Communicate effectively using Trust Information Technology systems (i.e.: Email, intranet, clinic list information, data collection systems)
- Communicate with other healthcare professionals as necessary and ensures appropriate safeguarding of patients/staff
- Works closely with staff in the department and also with staff from the Diabetes Unit and the Ophthalmology department attending feedback and training meetings as necessary
- Responds appropriately to all telephone and personal enquiries in a sensitive and helpful manner
- Working closely with ROG graders to flag images needing urgent attention and ask for feedback if unsure about appropriate outcomes.
Patient Care Delivery
- Ensures that patients are treated with courtesy at all times; their individual needs are respected, maintain patient privacy and dignity.
- Manages clinic preparation, ensuring all stock and equipment is available to use, prepares and tests equipment. To achieve this good time keeping essential.
- Organises and, prioritises own workload daily. Provides high quality patient care, appropriate to patient need. Is responsible for a group of patients with indirect supervision of line manager.
- Is responsible for seeing patients in a timely fashion and ensures delays in the running of the clinic are communicated to the admin team and patients.
- Carries responsibility for patients care within the clinic ensuring their safety and wellbeing such as responsibility for management of transport patients, following up safeguarding issues post clinic.
- Takes appropriate history and information from patients, and explains the procedure of screening to them, gaining their consent to screening and recording this information. Answering any questions that are required to help the consent process.
- Conducts an accurate visual acuity eye test and full pupil dilation by instillation of dilating eye drops, working to the appropriate local and national protocols.
- Captures the appropriate images of the patients retinas. Obtaining best quality imaging possible.
- Takes a full history for patients with a reduced visual acuity, including last optometrist visit, past medical history to ensure best outcome for the patient.
- Records notes which are necessary to assist in the success for the follow up visits, such as poor to dilate, wheelchair users, any mental or physical impairment which may require additional prior knowledge by the screener.
- Uses the time with the patients to increase their understanding and knowledge of diabetes and how it can affect the eyes, as appropriate.
- Makes a decision on the priority of images for grader assessment. Records these results.
- grade retinal images to secondary level, making an assessment of the level of disease in line with local grading protocol
- identify and refer to ROG any significant non diabetic related pathology
- ensure R3 (proliferative diabetic retinopathy) is appropriately fast tracked through the grading pathway and to ophthalmology
The Brighton and Sussex Diabetic Eye Screening Programme also provides OCT surveillance to those patients assessed as having diabetic maculopathy. The post holder should be competent in OCT capture and have the ability to run OCT surveillance clinics independently.
Administrative
- Responsible for ensuring the clinic admin work is completed. All clinics are accounted for, and that each clinic has an allocated screener. The individual workloads are adequately distributed amongst the team. To raise any issues regarding clinic admin to line manager.
- To provide failsafe admin role to ensure the patients are accounted for at the close of clinic and those who did not attend are followed up
- Ensures in clinic that each patients status is up to date and they are in the correct pathway for follow up
- Reports any changes to patient status or follow up to admin / line manager.
- Provides admin support to the admin team as requested by line manager
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- City & Guilds full Diploma (8 modules) in Diabetic Retinopathy or Diploma for Health Screeners
Desirable
- An understanding of OCT interpretation
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- City & Guilds full Diploma (8 modules) in Diabetic Retinopathy or Diploma for Health Screeners
Desirable
- An understanding of OCT interpretation
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.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Additional information
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.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
