Volunteer Clinic Manager at Vision Care for Homeless People - Brighton

What will you be doing?

What will you be doing?  We need someone to run the clinic and support optometrists and assistants. You do not need opticians experience for this role, as we will train you, just an ability to learn the practicalities and procedures of running an opticians clinic and to use online systems. The Clinic currently runs every Friday from 9:15 am - 12:30 pm. Ideally you can attend either weekly or fortnightly.  You will work with professional optometrists who will maintain the clinical standards while you will work alongside clinic assistants to maintain all other standards. You will be supported by Vision Care for Homeless People's staff team.  If you have no experience in an opticians, you will start as a clinic assistant to learn the ropes. You will be welcoming patients, registering them into the patient management system, helping them to choose spectacles, ordering, fitting and repairing glasses. Soon you will take on the wider practicalities and administration of running a clinic, as clinic manager. You will train and support the clinic assistants to ensure all administrative procedures are completed and the clinic runs effectively from week to week.  With experience you may take on clinic management team functions which include: 1. Meeting, interviewing, inducting, training and supervising the team of volunteers and students who work in the clinic. 2. Training and mentoring the team to deliver accurate clinic processes, excellent service and good communication with patients, centre staff and volunteers. 3. Ensuring all administrative and clinic standard procedures are followed.  4. Processing and monitoring clinic data, tracking, ordering and NHS forms using online patient management system. 5. Advising on and troubleshoot problems with glasses, orders, collections and follow up of non-collections. 6. Ensuring the clinic has everything it needs to run. Arranging for new stationery and supplies. Arranging upkeep of the clinic facilities, equipment and environment. 7. Acting as local health and safety contacts for receiving and processing concerns or incident reports. Co-ordinating local risk mitigation actions. 8. Undertaking occasional branch audits, such as local risk assessment, Quality in Optometry checks, infection control.

What are we looking for?

You will need management and team leadership experience and skills. You do not need prior experience in eye care. You may be retired or semi-retired, but willing to learn management of a new function. You will need aptitude to learn our online Patient Management System called Blink. You will be someone who will take pride in making the clinic an efficient, structured and friendly service for our homeless clients. You will have empathy for homeless people and be friendly and approachable.

What difference will you make?

This is a challenging role involving learning new skills, troubleshooting and being part of a team which delivers a practical and important service for people experiencing homelessness. You will see the results of your work on the faces of clients when they receive a pair of glasses; often a really significant step in putting their life back together again after experiencing homelessness. You will join a community of over 100 volunteers delivering this vital service in cities across England. You will receive training on Safeguarding, Infection Control, Data Protection and the Blink patient management system. The clinic and its procedures follow Covid infection control recommendations from the General Optical Council and NHS England.