Job overview

Would you like to work in a welcoming and enthusiastic clinic with a diverse patient group?

If you are well-organised, able to prioritise and work on your own initiative but also enjoys working as part of a team to provide excellent patient care, then we look forward to hearing from you.

West Sussex Special Care Dental Service provides NHS dental treatment to patients on referral from General Dental Practitioners, GPs and other health and social care professionals. We have clinics across the county, opening Mondays to Fridays, 08:30am to 4:30pm, as well as a domiciliary service.

The Special Care Dental Service is for patients with specific health and social care issues including:
·         Alcohol and drug use
·         Challenging behaviour / severe behavioural management  difficulties
·         Child Protection Register and looked after children
·         Dental phobias
·         Homeless
·         Learning disabilities
·         Medical problems
·         Mental health diagnosis
·         Physical disabilities
·         Social problems

Main duties of the job

This is a clinical role and as such the main duties will be utilising the full scope of practice to a diverse patient group.

Clinical developmental opportunities will be offered.

Non-clinical duties may include conducting audits for service development and attending courses in line with Trust policy.

Main Tasks include:

a) To take responsibility for ensuring that informed consent has been obtained from patient or person with parental responsibility, or in the case of adults who do not have the mental capacity to consent for themselves, adhering to Mental Capacity Act guidance.

b) To keep up to date with current techniques and dental materials, restoring teeth using a wide range of treatment and materials appropriate to the patient.

c) To take responsibility for the care of a patient in a medical emergency,
carrying out appropriate emergency care and resuscitation, and to keep up to date in the diagnosis and treatment of medical emergencies including the use of emergency drugs.

d) To ensure the patient is fit and able to leave after treatment.

e) To maintain a high standard of professional competence and integrity, including Continuing Professional Development and keep records of this to fulfil future mandatory General Dental Council requirements.

f) To actively participate in Clinical Governance including Audit, Supervision and Appraisal, and to actively participate in staff and peer review meetings in order to develop service policies, procedures, guidelines and protocols.

Working for our organisation

We are the main provider of NHS community services across East and West Sussex, with 6,000 staff serving 1.3 million people. We deliver essential care to adults and children, helping them manage their health, avoid hospital admissions, and reduce hospital stays.

Our Trust vision is to provide excellent care at the heart of the community. We offer opportunities across medical, clinical, support, and corporate services.

Why work for us?
•    Positive 2023 NHS Staff Survey results, highlighting compassionate leadership and wellbeing
•    Varied environments: community hospitals, patients’ homes, and bases across Sussex
•    Flexible working options: part-time, flexi-time, annualised hours, and flexi-retirement
•    Excellent training, development, and research opportunities
•    Cost-effective workplace nurseries in Crawley, Hove, and Brighton
•    Active EMBRACE, Disability & Wellbeing, LGBTQIA+, and Religion & Belief networks
•    Level 3 Disability Confident Leader and Veteran Aware Trust
•    Beautiful Sussex location near the South Downs and coast

Our values—Compassionate Care, Working Together, Achieving Ambitions, Delivering Excellence—guide everything we do.

We embrace diversity and encourage applications from all backgrounds, particularly from ethnically diverse, disabled, and LGBTQIA+ individuals. We aim to create an inclusive environment and support reasonable adjustments during recruitment.

This post may close early if sufficient applications are received.