Dental Officer

Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is situated on the west coast of Lancashire, with services covering the local authority areas of Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre. The Trust is part of the Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care System (ICS) supporting a population of around 1.6 million people.

Plus, we provide urgent and emergency care services to an estimated 18 million people who visit the seaside resort each year. We employ over 7000 people from 68 different countries.

We welcome and encourage application from anyone with protected characteristics, as well as supporting reservists and Veterans who are looking for a rewarding and challenging career within the NHS.

Blackpool Teaching Hospitals encourages flexible working in all our roles to support staff in maintaining healthy home-life balance. Working patterns such as: part time working, self-rostering, compressed hours, annualised hours, term time, reverse term time and flexitime working can be explored.

Job overview

The provision of high-quality routine and urgent care dentistry to service users referred to BTH Dental Services (special care and paediatric).

The provision of urgent care to service users referred to BTH Dental Services from the Lancashire Call Handling Service.

The provision of inhalation sedation and domiciliary dental care as required.

The provision of exodontia and comprehensive dental care under general anaesthetic supporting Senior Dental Officers/Specialists.

The appropriate use and care of Trust facilities and resources

To provide care following NHS regulations, Trust policies and procedures, NICE guidance, Delivering Better Oral Health.

To utilise available skill mix as appropriate.

The post holder is required to undertake any other duties in line with those that could reasonably be expected of a Band A Dental Officer in line with the SPDCS terms and conditions and competencies.

• Clinical Care
• Deliver comprehensive dental services including assessment, diagnosis, treatment planning, and preventative care aligned with Delivering Better Oral Health (DBOH) guidelines.
• Provide urgent care for referred patients
• Use appropriate pain and anxiety control techniques, including conscious sedation.
• Deliver domiciliary care and manage complex cases involving medical co-morbidities with specialist support.

• Communicate effectively with patients, families, dental teams, and other health and social care professionals.
• Participate in patient engagement programmes and national oral health campaigns.

• Undertake mandatory training and CPD in line with GDC and Trust requirements.

• Support and participate in clinical governance

• Comply with GDC standards, NHS policies, and legal obligations including safeguarding, confidentiality, and health & safety.
• Maintain accurate clinical records and uphold ethical practice.
• Engage in clinical audit, peer review, and continuous improvement.

Working for our organisation

Come and join our caring, supportive team in North Lancashire and help deliver care to the patients that need it most.

You will be supported by experienced dental nurses, senior dental officers, clinical lead and specialists as well as an efficient admin team.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• To provide high quality urgent and routine oral health care to patients attending BTH Dental Services including assessment, diagnosis, treatment planning and the full range of mandatory services in line with PDS Regulations and the current Service Specification. This includes working with and under the clinical leadership of Specialists in Paediatric Dentistry and Special Care Dentistry.
• To provide urgent care to patients referred to BTH Dental Services from the Lancashire Call Handling Service.
• To provide preventative advice and interventions in line with Delivering Better Oral Health (DBOH) 4th Edition.
• To support the provision of exodontia and comprehensive dental care under general anaesthetic as appropriate.
• To participate in national campaigns to improve oral health and reduce health inequalities.
• To liaise with other professionals to ensure patients receive appropriate care and support
• The use of skill mix to ensure maximum efficiency.
• To provide domiciliary care to the housebound who meet domiciliary care criteria and who cannot access mainstream general dental services
• To plan and manage care where there are complex medical co-morbidities or the situation requires the involvement of other professionals and/or carers to resolve complex patient management issues.
• To work effectively and efficiently towards contract and waiting time targets required within the Service Specification.
• To work within clinical pathways for service users.
• To be able to identify commonly occurring medical emergencies and lead the dental team in the appropriate first line management of the emergency, using appropriate techniques, equipment and drugs.
• To keep up to date with developments in their area of work
• Use appropriate local anaesthetic and patient management approaches to control pain and anxiety during dental treatment including the use of conscious sedation as required and where referral criteria are met.
• To undertake appropriate assessment of patients to determine the need for specialist advice and to ensure timely referral.
• To ensure that comprehensive contemporaneous dental records are maintained.
• To ensure completion of Case Mix statistics and other performance management statistics as required.
• To ensure that appropriate consent is obtained and guidance in relation to Mental Capacity Act assessment/best interest decision making is followed.
• To ensure that national and local guidance in relation to infection prevention and control is followed.

COMMUNICATION:

• Communicate with a range of patients and families
• To be able to assess the individual needs of service users and offer evidence-based advice and instruction in line with DBOH.
• Liaise with members of the dental profession and other professionals within and outside the Trust promoting dental and general health care of the local community.
• Communicate effectively with the dental team on site and within the wider service.
• Communicate with other health and social care professionals on a range of issues relating to oral health and oral health care.
• To participate in service and team meetings and study groups as required.
• To participate in patient experience and engagement programmes.
• To refer onward those patients who require specialist care or advice.

TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT:

• To undertake Trust wide and local service induction in line with Trust requirements.
• To undertake mandatory training in-line with Trust requirements.
• To participate in appropriate Continuing Professional Development in line with General Dental Council requirements.
• To participate in annual appraisal, clinical supervision, job planning and PDP processes.
• To attend and engage with appropriate training, meetings and study groups within BTH Dental Services.
• The department is inclusive to the training needs and development of all staff.
• Support clinical training programmes, with
• - Dental therapy Students
• - Dental students
• - Any other BTH Dental staff as required
• Participate in the delivery of in-house verifiable and non-verifiable CPD for the dental team as required.
• Participation in oral health promotion programmes, as required.

ORGANISATIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES:

• To work effectively and efficiently within the dental team.
• To work with a computerised dental recordkeeping system.
• To take part in Clinical Governance activities and to comply with standards set for BTH Dental Services as part of the quality assurance programme.
• To take part in the Trust Clinical Audit Programme and to have personal development plans within the Trust’s Clinical Governance frameworks.
• To comply with legislation, Trust and Service Policies, Codes of Conduct and accountability in the NHS.
• To provide information relating to service activity, as required.
• To promote the dental and general health of patients.
• To comply with Trust and Service policies and procedures.

MANAGEMENT AND LEADERSHIP:

• Understand and develop user and carer involvement and engagement.
• Participate in the concerns and complaints response process as required.

PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES:

• To comply with GDC Standards and Scope of Practice at all times.
• To comply with Trust and Service policies, procedures, standing operating procedures and protocols.
• To use, in a proper and safe manner, the equipment and facilities provided
• To refrain from the wilful misuse, interfere, with anything provided in the interest of health and safety and any action which might endanger yourself or others
• To report, as soon as practical, all hazards and defects.
• To report, as soon as practical, all incidents and untoward occurrences and to ensure that incident forms are completed
• To maintain professional registration and indemnity insurance
• Have sufficient knowledge, confidence and experience to provide advice and/or support to colleagues on ethical issues.
• To be involved in providing care which requires the application of sound ethical and professional principles in a more complex physical, social or intellectual context.
• Has a professional clinical approach, including participation in peer review, clinical audit, clinical governance and continuing professional development activities.
• Has sufficient knowledge confidence and experience to appraise others and participate in peer review, clinical audit or CPD activities.
• To deal professionally with issues of poor or underperformance in colleagues and other members of the dental team.
• As a member of staff, you have:
• - Legal duties and responsibilities under Health & Safety legislation, plus a general duty to work safely and not to put others at risk i.e. colleagues, patients, visitors, as a result of any activity or omission at work.
• - A duty to report any practice that you consider compromises standards of risk and health & safety. The Whistle-blowing Policy gives effect to the Public Interest Disclosure Act under which an individual who raises such concerns for unfair treatment is protected.
• All Blackpool Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust staff employed within all environments that have contact with service users, their families or systems to support them, have a responsibility to safeguard and promote the welfare of children, adults and vulnerable families.
• Staff must
• - familiarise themselves with and adhere to Local Safeguarding Children and Adult Board Policy and Procedures
• - familiarise themselves with and adhere to BTH Procedures for Safeguarding and Protecting Children and Adults

The post holder is required to undertake any other duties in line with those that could reasonably be expected of a Band A Dental Officer within the SPDCS terms and conditions.

The range of duties and responsibilities outlined above are indicative only and are intended to give a broad flavour of the range and type of duties that will be allocated. They are subject to modification in the light of changing service demands and the development requirements of the postholder.

Additional information

BTH is part of the Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Collaborative, therefore all roles will be required to support system wide working across the Lancashire & South Cumbria regions.

Person specification

Clinical

• BDS
• GDC registration

• Membership to Royal College (MFDS or equivalent)

Experience

• Foundation training/equivalence

• Experience of DCT/Further Training within SCD (consultant/specialist led)
• Experience of DCT/Further Training within Paediatric Dentistry (consultant/specialist led)
• Sedation qualification/further training

Professional

• Evidence of commitment to NHS dentistry

• Evidence of participation in peer review, clinical audit, clinical governance and continuing professional development activities.

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Any invitation to interview will be sent to the email account stated on your application form.

You can choose whether to pay this over 1-3 months from your salary or as a one-off payment on commencement in post. The level of check required depends on the role that you have been offered. Currently the charges are - Basic DBS check £25.50, Standard DBS check £25.50 and Enhanced DBS check £53.50.

You are encouraged where possible, to register for the DBS update service. This is an annual registration fee of £16. By registering for the update service you will not have the additional cost of repeated disclosures.

Should you withdraw your application, you may be required to reimburse the cost of the DBS check.

DBS checks remain free of charge for volunteer positions.

By submitting an application for this vacancy you are confirming your agreement to the above in the event you are successfully appointed.

The DBS Code of Practice can be accessed here.

Please ensure that you read the Person Specification attached below as your application will be judged against this.

Please note that every effort will be made to keep the vacancy live until published closing date, though there may be instances where such interest is generated, that for administrative reasons the post may close earlier.

Please note that in line with national NHS guidelines this Trust operates a strict non-smoking policy. Members of staff are not permitted to smoke on Trust premises or grounds at any time nor take breaks during working hours for the purposes of smoking.

The Trust does not offer interview expenses to shortlisted candidates unless indicated in the advert.