Orbital Prosthetist Practitioner (OPP)
About the OPP Directory
The National Artificial Eye Service (NAES) provides a manufacturing and fitting service for the supply of ocular prostheses to all eligible patients throughout England.
The Service supports over 50 clinics in England for patients who wear an artificial eye or cosmetic shell and are eligible for NHS treatment. Patients can have their prosthesis checked and polished and be provided with a replacement whenever necessary.
Patients who live in Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland can contact their local NHS organisations as those countries have their own arrangements.
The Academy for Healthcare Science is working with the NAES to create a Community of Practice as a foundational step in defining this group and to enable the development of professional identity, standards and regulatory accountability for Orbital Prosthetists (OPs).
The OP Community of Practice is supported by a Directory maintained by the AHCS. In time, it is envisaged that the Academy will apply for approval by the Professional Standards Authority to establish a new part of their accredited register for Ocular Prosthetic Practitioners included on the Directory.
To find out more about the NAES and to view its website click here.
Benefits to Practitioners of joining the Directory
The benefits to Orbital Prosthetists who join the Directory include:
- Visibility of your listing on the OPP Directory to employers and the public;
- The opportunity to identify and connect with other OPs through online NAES forums and events;
- An ability to influence and contribute to further developments of the OP profession;
- The opportunity to be part of the Academy for Healthcare Science and connect to the wider Healthcare Science workforce.
- Receiving a regular newsletter by email, to include developments of the professional role of OPs, articles by OPs about their practice and news about both the AHCS and NAES including information about events and opportunities available including annual awards for OPs and national meetings.
Purpose of the Directory
The OP Directory provides a platform for OPs to connect with each other and receive information and support about developments within their profession.
The Directory is also expected to act as a ‘pre-registration’ space for those practitioners who intend to apply to an accredited OP register when it is established.
Applying to join the OPP Directory
You can apply to join the OPP Directory if you are:
- An NAES member of staff, or
- Working in an OP role that involves direct contact with patients in a clinical environment or other health and social care setting in the UK
Orbital Prosthetist (OP) Practitioners employed by the NHS NAES in England will not be charged an application fee for inclusion on the OPP Directory before 31st March 2023. However, from 1st April 2023, an application fee of £15 will be payable by any OP from any UK home country. An annual renewal fee will be payable to the AHCS by each OP Practitioner who wishes to remain on the Directory on the anniversary of them joining the Directory. Anyone who wishes to be removed from the OPP Directory can make a request by emailing: .
The personal information in a member’s OPP Directory account will be held in line with the AHCS Privacy policy. An application to join the OPP Directory will indicate consent to share a practitioners pseudonymised data. A data-sharing agreement exists between the NAES and the AHCS for the purpose of understanding more about the OPP workforce and informing future developments.
To contact the NAES, email: naes.naesinfo@nhs.net
Search the OPP Directory
You can search by either :
- Name
- ID Number
- Town/City
Fill in one or more of the relevant fields and then press the search button.
