The Orthoptic Department provides the following services:

• Hospital and community Orthoptic clinics
• Orthoptic support to joint Optometry and Orthoptic clinics for new and follow up paediatrics, Consultant led ocular motility clinics and general and specialised Ophthalmology clinics for adults and paediatrics.
• Pre-operative and post-operative  assessment  clinics
• Primary visual screening to children in reception class in Warrington
• Visual processing disorder assessment and treatment
• Orthoptic led Special Educational Needs service in special schools and child development centres
• Screening of premature and low birth weight babies (retinopathy of prematurity)
• Specialist stroke clinics
• Monitoring of neurological visual fields
• Glaucoma virtual review clinics
• Intravitreal injection clinics

An Orthoptist deals with patients of all ages but has a particular interest and expertise in the very young and the elderly as these have a higher incidence of ocular pathology. Orthoptists detect defects in visual acuity, squints (strabismus), near vision anomalies and binocular vision anomalies in young children, which if left untreated can affect the development and function of the visual system.

Orthoptists are specially trained professionals who identify, treat and give advice to patients who experience  visual problems relating to head injury, stroke, neurological and degenerative neurological  impairments, endocrine and systemic conditions, trauma to the face and brain tumours.  These patients may experience many visual symptoms including double vision, loss of the field of vision, abnormal eye movements and difficulties reading or performing normal visual tasks.

Orthoptists are Allied Health professionals (AHP’s) and are registered with the HCPC.

We have a team of Orthoptists who specialise in assessing and treating children with special educational needs (SEN) and visual impairment who attend special schools and child development centres.  It is essential that these children have any visual function problems detected as early as possible to ensure their learning can be tailored to their particular needs.  Up to 80% of children with special needs have associated visual difficulties and the Orthoptists work within a multi-disciplinary team to maximise the potential of these children. We also assess and support children in mainstream school with visual impairment and work closely with the teachers for the visually impaired.

Children who are not progressing at school and have difficulties with reading, writing and spelling can access our specialist team of Orthoptists in the Visual Processing Clinic.  Children have their visual perception skills assessed alongside visual educational tests which identify any defects of visual processing which may be contributing to their difficulties at school. The Orthoptists work very closely with the SENCO, teachers at school, occupational therapy and education psychology teams to ensure children are supported with any visual therapy or advice that may help their learning.

We provide a vision screening programme to reception class children in Warrington (children in the Halton area are screened by a different team).  Early identification of reduced vision or binocular vision defects allows treatment to be effective whilst a child’s visual system is developing.  There is a critical period of time in which treatment to improve the level of vision in a child must be undertaken before treatment is no longer effective and leaves permanent visual loss. This critical period is treatment before the age of 8 years old in most cases.

Babies who are born prematurely or of low birth weight are 3 times more likely to have a squint, require glasses or have other visual problems than babies born at term. The Orthoptists assess these children to detect and treat any visual problems early.

A team of orthoptists specialised in identifying visual impairments caused by stroke or acquired brain injury assess patients on the wards in Warrington Hospital. Around 60% of patients who have a stroke will have a visual impairment and it is important that orthoptists are part of the core multi-discliplinary stroke team to assess the vision of these patients.

Patients with glaucoma who attend the Ophthalmology department glaucoma assessment clinics may then have their notes virtually reviewed by some of the specialist Orthoptic team to monitor for any changes in their condition.

Some of the specialist Orthoptic team are trained in administering intravitreal injections in patients with retinal conditions such as age related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy.

Patients with stable neurological problems which affect their peripheral vision may have their visual fields and visual function monitored by the Orthoptists in their neuro-visual fields clinics. They work closely with Ophthalmologists, Endocrinologists, Neurologists and Neurosurgeons to monitor these patients.

We provide an Orthoptic stroke service at Warrington Hospital. Every patient who is admitted with a stroke has a specialist Orthoptic assessment to detect any visual complications. Patients are seen on the ward, as an outpatient, care home or as a home visit for those who are housebound.

Visit our Orthoptic Stroke Service by clicking here for more information.

The Orthoptic department is a teaching department committed to clinical education for undergraduate orthoptists and provides clinical placements to students from the University of Liverpool.

We provide Orthoptic led clinics at Warrington and Halton. Visual processing clinics are held at Widnes ( Health care resource centre),Warrington hospital and Halton hospital. Currently all Consultant led clinics which require Orthoptic support are held at Warrington hospital.

We aim to see children as near to home as possible and offer appointments at the following community clinics:

• Birchwood (Warrington)
• Beaconsfield ( Widnes)
• Chapelfields (Widnes)
• Culcheth (Warrington)
• Grappenhall (Warrington)
• Halton Hospital
• Health Care Resource Centre (Widnes)
• Orford (Warrington)
• Penketh (Warrington)
• Westbrook (Warrington)
• Woolston (Warrington)

Joint Orthoptic /Optometry clinics are held at:

• Child Development Centre – Orford
• Westbrook Clinic
• Penketh Clinic
• Halton Hospital
• Beaconsfield Clinic
• Warrington Hospital

Children with special educational needs or who may be under the community paediatricians are seen at:

• Ashley School
• Brookfields school
• Child Development Centre – Orford (Sandy Lane)
• Child Development Centre – Woodview (Widnes)
• Cavendish School
• Chesnut Lodge School
• GreenLane School
• Foxwood School

The Orthoptic teams visit all 67 primary schools in Warrington to screen children in the reception class as part of the visual screening programme.

We have a team of 16 Orthoptists, three Orthoptic assistants and four administrators.

Orthoptists:

• Sonia MacDiarmid - Head Orthoptist, Audit and Governance Lead for Ophthalmology, stroke & Neuro team
• Kate Greenwood - Deputy Head Orthoptist, VPD team
• Kathryn Whitfield – Advanced Orthoptist, Lead for Visual processing disorder (VPD) service, Non-medical injector (NMI)
• Judy De’Bell  - Advanced Orthoptist, Warrington Lead for Special Educational Needs (SEN) service
• Frances Midgley - Advanced Orthoptist, Halton Lead for SEN
• Alysha Budd – Advanced Orthoptist, Lead for Stroke services & Neuro team
• Faye Mather – Advanced Orthoptist, Paediatric Lead & stroke team
• Rob Gargon -  Advanced Orthoptist, Lead Clinical Tutor, Glaucoma & SEN team
• Tracey Parry - Specialist Orthoptist, VPD & SEN team
• Jennifer Shave – Specialist Orthoptist, VPD team & joint Vision Screening Lead
• Nicola Gavin - Specialist Orthoptist, Glaucoma & stroke team
• Frankie Reed - Specialist Orthoptist, VPD & SEN team
• Clara Cassidy – Specialist Orthoptist, NMI team
• Emma Rowett – Specialist Orthoptist, VPD & stroke team
• Aoife McCaughey - Orthoptist, VPD team
• Lydia Bodell - Orthoptist

 
Orthoptic Assistants:
•    Sheila Dodd
•    Chloe-Lise McGuffie
•    Kath Hankey
  
Administrators:
•    Kath Hankey
•    Andrea Woolridge
•    Chloe-Lise McGuffie
•    Dawn North
 

Referrals are received into the department from GP’s, opticians, health visitors, school health advisors, SENCO’s, teachers, teachers for the visually impaired, rehabilitation officers, paediatricians, all other therapists and health care professionals.

Referrals are triaged by a qualified Orthoptist and may be directed to an ophthalmology led clinic, Orthoptic led clinic, community clinic or to one of the specialist teams. 

Referral form in patient wards can be done via ICE.

Warrington Hospital

Orthoptic Department
Daresbury Wing
Lovely Lane
Warrington
WA5 1QG

Appointment enquiries
01925 662772

Head of department

Sonia.macdiarmid@nhs.net

Tom.lomas@nhs.net

Ext 5636/2489

This map is a simple guide to identify key areas such as reception, waiting areas, refreshments, toilets, etc. Please click here to view.