Out of Hours Dental Nurse

NHS; Cheltenham; On-site; GBP 26,000 - 30,000; Full time

Job summary

The Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a skilled Out of Hours Dental Nurse to support emergency dental care. The role requires triage assessments, chairside assistance, and infection control practices. Ideal candidates will possess a National Qualification in Dental Nursing, with the ability to manage medical emergencies and deliver patient-centered care effectively.

Qualifications

• National Qualification in Dental Nursing required.
• Registration with the General Dental Council required.
• Experience in handling medical emergencies in the dental surgery is critical.

Responsibilities

• Provide definitive clinical telephone assessment (triage) of patients.
• Assist the Dental Officer with patient care, including suction and mixing materials.
• Ensure compliance with infection control duties during Out of Hours sessions.

Skills

Dental Triage

Infection Control

Patient Care

Education

National Qualification in Dental Nursing

Registration with the General Dental Council

Job description

Go back Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust

Out of Hours Dental Nurse

The closing date is 30 June 2025

We are looking for talented Qualified Dental Nurses to work as part of a team providing essential out of hours emergency dental care to patients. This will include assisting chairside as well as a high level of clinical assessment and pharmacy/analgesic advice

Undertake definitive clinical telephone assessment (triage) of patients with dental symptoms.

Triage patient calls using the SDCEP guidance.

Be proficient in the use of all dental equipment including all performance checks and identifying maintenance issues.

Set up and close down of surgeries following infection control guidelines.Make available fine instruments and materials for clinical use, have a thorough knowledge of all instruments, equipment and materials used.

Constantly having to interpret the needs of both patients and clinicians and be able to deal with them promptly and efficiently.

Assist the Dental Officer with the patient care including suction, mixing materials and passing instruments. This requires manipulation of fine tools and materials which will be contaminated throughout the procedure, passing of sharps between the Dental Officer and the nurse.

Main duties of the job

• To provide definitive clinical telephone assessment (triage) of patients
• To provide chair side Dental Nurse support to the dentists delivering emergency pain treatment
• To provide decontamination and infection control duties and ensure all areas are cleaned and sterilised in accordance with HTM01-5 regulations during Out of Hours session

The qualification, training & experience requirements for the role are underlined in the Job Description/Person Specification.

About us

We have a skilled and dedicated workforce of over 5000 colleagues working in a diverse range of services over 55 sites and within people's homes. We strive to enable a welcoming workplace culture that builds and celebrates civility, inclusivity and diversity, while providing a sense of belonging and trust.

Annual staff surveys, regular Pulse surveys and other engagement opportunities provide our people with lots of opportunity to tell us about their experiences of working with us. In the latest staff survey, 61% of colleagues gave us their views. It was great to hear that:

• 72% of colleagues would recommend the Trust as a place to work, ranking us 1st for Provider Trusts in the South West region on this question.
• 76% would recommend the standard of care provided in our services if a friend or relative needed treatment, also ranking us 1st in the South West region.
• 81% said that care of patients and service users is the Trust's priority, compared with an average in comparable NHS Trusts in England of 64%

This high-level overview shows we are in a healthy position, with higher scores than average for comparable organisations, alongside a great response rate, indicating good staff engagement. However, we also know we have plenty of room for improvement in many areas. To that end, we continue to prioritise and invest in our commitment to genuinely becoming a Great Place to Work with consistent top-quartile performance in the annual staff survey and Pulse surveys.

Job responsibilities

Answer all calls from the general public in an efficient and courteous manner.

Accurately recording, checking or amending details on the call dental software system.

Complete training in the recognition of and assistance during medical emergencies, e.g. Anaphylaxis, epileptic fit, cardiac arrest, shock.

Make sure Emergency Drug Box available during all clinical sessions.

Constant monitoring of patient in the event of a medical emergency.

Undertake CPR with dentist in the event of a medical emergency.

Close down of surgery each day which includes sealing and removal of contaminated waste in clinical waste bags.

Handle patients, stock and equipment following manual handling techniques laid down by the Trust.

Process radiographs using toxic chemicals and mounting x-rays, responsible for accurate labelling and filing of x-rays.

Ensure that all records are available when required including medical history forms and x-rays etc.

Ensure to have an understanding of patient charges and exemptions and ensures that these are appropriately recorded.

Undertake reception duties as required including handling card and cash payments and end of day banking processes.

File and retrieve any patient related information on computer and on paper records.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• National Qualification in Dental Nursing
• Registration with the General Dental Council

Experience

• Experienced in Dental Triage
• Ability to manage medical emergencies in the dental surgery
• Experience of working in an out of hours dental service
• Experience of managing patients presenting with acute dental pain

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust

£26,530 to £29,114 a yearper annum (pro rata)