Dental Officer

Job overview

Do you want to make a difference?

If you are well organised, able to prioritise and work on your own initiative without direct supervision, but also enjoys working as part of a team to provide excellent patient care, then we look forward to hearing from you.

Applications are invited from dentists with an interest in special care dentistry to join our motivated and committed team to provide comprehensive dental care for both adults and children with additional needs.

The Special Care Dental Service is part of a countywide service providing NHS Dental treatment to patients on referral, operating Mondays to Fridays, 08:30am to 4:30pm.

The post is split between St. Richard’s Hospital, Chichester and the new Worthing Integrated Care Centre (planned opening early 2025) and includes a day a week delivering domiciliary care in the Worthing area. Full GDC registration and immediate eligibility for a performer number are essential.

• Treating patients as individuals, showing them concern and respect and providing them or their carers (where appropriate) with clear information about their treatment, participating in epidemiological surveys as required.
• Screening client groups as required.
• Domiciliary visits.
• Referring patients to other dental professionals as appropriate.
• Supporting senior colleagues with the treatment of patients under general anaesthetic

Working for our organisation

We are the main provider of NHS community services across East and West Sussex. Our 6,000 staff serve a population of 1.3 million providing essential medical, nursing, and therapeutic care to adults and children.

Our Trust vision is to provide excellent care at the heart of the community, helping people plan, manage, adapt to changes in their health, supporting avoidable hospital admissions and reducing hospital stay times.

We have opportunities for everyone across our wide variety of services including medical, clinical, support and corporate services.

• Positive 2022 NHS Staff Survey results, scoring highly in compassionate culture & leadership, and staff wellbeing support
• Variety of working environments across the community, in patients' homes, within our community hospitals and bases across the county
• Supportive flexible working patterns such as: part time, flexi time, annualised hours, and flexi retirement options
• Excellent training and development opportunities
• Research opportunities
• Cost-effective workplace nurseries in Crawley, Hove and Brighton
• Thriving BAME, Disability and Wellbeing, LGBT+ and Religion and Belief staff networks
• Level 3 accredited Disability Confident Leader, committed to creating inclusive workplaces
• Veteran Aware Trust, achieving accreditation from Veterans Covenant Healthcare Alliance (VCHA)
• Located in stunning Sussex, with easy access to the South Downs and the coast
• Access to a wide range of benefits and discounts for NHS staff

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Special Care Dental Services prides itself in providing an exceptional level of service to its service users and we are looking for a motivated and enthusiastic person who is able to work, learn and actively contribute within our team. You must have excellent interpersonal skills and be committed to providing the highest levels of service to customers.

If you are looking for a challenge and want to join a dynamic team in a friendly and pro-active Trust then this is the role for you.

See attached Job Description and Person Specification

Person specification

Qualifications and/or Professionla Registration

• Full registration with General Dental Council
• BDS or equivalent
• Evidence of Continued Professional Development
• Vocational Training complete

Experience

• Experience of delivering care within a Special Care/ Hospital/Community/Personal or General Dental service

• Experience of working with a dental hygienist / dental therapist / oral health promotion team
• Dental care for children and adults with special needs
• Working with General Anaesthesia and relative analgesia

Skills & Knowledge

• Excellent clinical skills
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Supportive leadership style with the ability to motivate staff and create a patient focused working environment
• Able to show sensitivity to the needs of patients and carers
• Able to work effectively as the member of a team
• IT skills including use of dental IT software
• Knowledge of medical conditions relevant to the practice of dentistry and how they should be managed
• Evidence of current knowledge of dental techniques / developments
• Understanding the issues around client consent and confidentiality
• Able to work independently under pressure and use initiative

At the heart of how we operate is our Trust values:

• Compassionate Care
• Working Together,
• Achieving Ambitions
• Delivering Excellence

Our values are fundamental to the high-quality care we provide to the people who need us. We are proud to be a community that cares, delivering our services as a team whilst supporting our employees as individuals.

Our aim is to grow a workforce that reflects the diversity of the communities we serve.

We strive to create an environment where every individual is valued and respected. Our recruitment process is designed to support candidates who require reasonable adjustments and to accommodate the needs of applicants.

This post may close earlier than the published closing date if sufficient applications are received.

Correspondence relating to this vacancy will be conducted electronically, please ensure you check your emails, including your junk folder. If you have not heard from us within two weeks please assume your application has been unsuccessful on this occasion.