Dental Nurse

Kings College Hospital; Greater London; On-site; GBP 34,000 - 37,000; Full time

Job summary

King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a Band 4 Community Dentistry Dental Nurse to join the Department of Community Special Care Dentistry. You will provide high quality nursing care, support clinicians and ensure infection control across King’s sites.

The role is full time 37.5 hours per week, permanent, with a salary of £34,186–£37,389 per annum inc HCA and opportunities to work across multiple sites in London.

Qualifications

• Provide high quality dental nursing care for patients and carers.
• Deliver chairside assistance and maintain infection control to a high standard.
• Work across King’s sites and support clinicians across community dentistry.

Responsibilities

• Provide a high level of dental nursing care for all patients.
• Explain procedures to patients or carers.
• Deliver chairside assistance and maintain infection control.

Skills

Dental nursing

Infection control

Job description

Main area Community Dentistry Grade NHS AfC: Band 4 Contract Permanent Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week (37.5 hours per week) Job ref 213-Division-A-8059089-A

Employer King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Employer type NHS Site King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Town London Salary £34,186 - £37,389 per annum, inc HCA Salary period Yearly Closing 21/09/2026 23:59

King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is one of the UK’s largest and busiest teaching Trusts with a turnover of c£2.1 billion, 1.5 million patient contacts a year and more than 14,000 staff based across 5 main sites in South East London. The Trust provides a full range of local hospital services across its different sites, and specialist services from King’s College Hospital (KCH) sites at Denmark Hill in Camberwell and at the Princess Royal University Hospital (PRUH) site in the London Borough of Bromley.

We encourage all our staff to have a healthy work/life balance. In doing so, you can apply for flexible working from the beginning of your employment. We offer a range of options which are designed to suit different circumstances and priorities in line with service requirements.

King’s College Hospital’s Department of Community Special Care Dentistry is split into 3 geographical Lots and covers the boroughs of Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark, Merton Sutton and Croydon, Kingston and Richmond and Wandsworth. The main roles of our service are:

• • The monitoring of the dental health of all age groups in the population.
• • The provision of dental health education and preventive programmes.
• • The provision of facilities for a full range of treatment to patients who have experienced difficulty in obtaining treatment in the general dental service, or for whom there is evidence that they would not otherwise seek treatment from the general dental services. Including one or more of the following;
  • physical disability
  • complex medical condition
  • severe mental health condition
  • Severe anxiety/phobia.
  • Children with complex dental needs

We also provide domiciliary care to people unable to leave their home and our mobile dental unit visits shelters for people without housing.

You would be expected to:

• • Provide a high level of dental nursing care for all patients. Explain dental procedures/treatment to patients or carers
• • Deliver a high standard of chairside assistance supporting all grades of clinicians. Maintaining a high level of infection control.
• • Responsible for the day-to-day running of the dental clinic.
• • Working across all King’s sites, whilst Dental Nurses are based in one clinic they are expected to work across multiple sites

Main duties of the job

Main Duties and Responsibilities

Clinical Responsibilities

• • Receiving and preparing patients for their visit; at any setting, and for any appointment type including treatment under conscious sedation.
• • Assisting clinicians in the full range of dental treatment and procedures, ensuring that relevant information about the patient, including any change in his/her condition, is reported to the dentist.
• • Checking patients' fitness for discharge after extractions/sedation. Providing pre and post-operative care.
• • Preparation and participation in domiciliary care for elderly and patients who have difficulty in leaving their homes. Being aware of your surroundings and the property of the patient.
• • Giving patients, parents or carers oral hygiene instruction and advice.
• • Supporting patients with compassion and empathy throughout their dental journey.
• • Processing and mounting of radiographs. To clean, maintain and test processor according to agreed procedures.
• • Management of surgery clinical waste, dealing appropriately and safely with hazardous or toxic waste materials
• • Disinfecting and packaging dental laboratory work and arranging collection
• • Monitoring, maintaining, testing and reporting faults on equipment and medical devices including decontamination equipment

Working for our organisation

The Trust provides a full range of local and specialist services across its five sites. The trust-wide strategy of Strong Roots, Global Reach is our Vision to be BOLD, Brilliant people, Outstanding care, Leaders in Research, Innovation and Education, Diversity, Equality and Inclusion at the heart of everything we do. By being person-centred, digitally-enabled, and focused on sustainability, we aim to take Team King’s to another level.

We are at a pivotal point in our history and we require individuals who are ready to join a highly professional team and make a real, lasting difference to our patients and our people.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Administrative Responsibilities

• • Undertake general reception duties including arranging transport and appointments, dealing with
  complaints compassionately.
• • Ordering and receipting stock for the clinic. Maintaining appropriate stock controls.
• • Ordering pharmacy items and emergency drugs for the dental clinics.
• • Ensuring all pharmaceutical items and emergency drugs are within expiry dates, stored at appropriate
  temperatures and locations and reviewed weekly.

Operational Performance

• • Acting as relief dental nurse at other clinics on occasion.
• • Being an active participant in audit, daily huddles, clinic meetings, staff meetings, performance
  review and training.
• • Assisting in dental screening and epidemiological fieldwork in schools.
• • Working with and supporting/supervising anyone visiting the clinic in a training capacity.
• • Any other duties as directed, delegated or requested.

Education and Training

• • Maintain statutory and mandatory training records including, Basic Life Support, Fire, Manual
  Handling, Health & Safety, Infection control and Safeguarding
• • Maintain up to date and accurate records of all CPD training
• • Annually submits a CPD declaration to the General Dental Council; maintaining fitness to practice.
• • Annually renews registration with the GDC and provides a copy of the certificate on request
• • Participate in ongoing performance review.

Governance / Quality Control

• • Participate in audit
• • Adhere to department infection prevention control and decontamination policy and follow the uniform
  policy

General

• • The post holder has a general duty of care for their own health, safety and wellbeing and that of work
  colleagues, visitors and patients.
• • To observe the rules, policies, procedures and standards of King's College Hospital NHS
  Foundation Trust together with all relevant statutory and professional obligations.
• • We want to be an organization where everyone shares a commitment to delivering the very best
  care and feels like their contribution is valuable