Special Care Dental Nurse

Livewell Southwest; Plymouth; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading NHS dental provider in Plymouth seeks a qualified sedation dental nurse to join its team. This role focuses on delivering high-quality dental care to vulnerable patients. The candidate should possess experience with sedation techniques and be registered with the GDC. The position emphasizes a supportive and growth-oriented work environment, with various employee benefits including pension schemes and flexible hours.

Benefits

Free uniform

27 days annual leave plus bank holidays

Access to NHS pension

Qualifications

• GDC registered dental nurse with 2+ years of experience.
• Qualified in dental sedation for both inhalation and intravenous.
• Up-to-date record of experience in assisting during conscious sedation.

Responsibilities

• Assist dentists in clinical procedures with sedation.
• Support patients with special needs and their families.
• Prepare and manage clinical environments and equipment.

Skills

Empathy

Communication

Teamwork

Clinical Skills

Education

NEBDN Qualification in Dental Nursing

NEBDN qualification in Dental Sedation Nursing

Tools

Dental Equipment

Job description

Are you a fully qualified sedation dental nurse, but would liketo develop your skills in a supportive environment that invests in your growth? Come & be a part of our leading provider of specialist NHS Dental Care inPlymouth.

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a fully qualified sedationdental nurse to join Plymouth Community Dental Service to work along side adedicated, compassionate & highly skilled team delivering specialist dentalcare to a wide range of patients, including some of the most vulnerable in ourcommunity.

We support individuals with additional needs & patients requiringtreatment under sedation or general anaesthetic, all within a collaborative & patient focused environment.

PCDS is not only a place where patients receive exceptionalcare but also a supportive and development focused place to work. We arecommitted to nurturing our staff at every stage of their career. Whetherthrough informal training, clinical supervision or opportunities to be involvedin service improvement & teaching.

Applications are welcomed from GDC registered dental nurseswith at least two years post qualification experience & with a qualification certificatein dental sedation (for both inhalation & intravenous). You would need to evidence an up-to-date record of experience in assisting during surgeryof patients in receiving conscious sedation.

Main duties of the job

Work with dental operator providingpatient care inc. clinical procedures & chair side assisting & the useof inhalation/intravenous sedation.

Assist & be empathetic with patients/carers, inc. those who have special needs & dealing with them promptly & efficiently.

Works with all dental equipment includingsharp/fine instruments.

Provide advice to patients/carers about dental procedures including pre/post-operative advice, management ofcomplications & pain control.

Prepare the clinical environment priorto/end of clinical sessions, following cross infection & decontamination protocols

Check surgery equipment & report anyfaults

Assist with the decontamination /sterilisation of equipment & instruments & other responsibilities in the decontamination suite following cross infectionprocedures according to local/national guidelines

Prepares the surgery for the patientusing knowledge & experience to select the appropriate equipment/materials/instruments

Assists dental officer on domiciliaryvisits, epidemiology surveys & school screening when required

Assist in the event of a medicalemergency

This role may not be eligible for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker route.

Please note that Livewell may close the job advertisement earlier than the specified deadline.

All staff are expected to be able and willing to work across a 7 day service.

About us

We offer more than a just a job; the opportunity to make a meaningful impact every day. As one of the largest specialist NHS Dental Providers in the City, we care for patients who may not be able to access Dental treatment elsewhere. This includes children, those with special needs & requiring specialist oral surgery.

Our staff:

Make a difference- providing care to patients with complex needs & contribute to improving oral health.

Work in a supportive team- join a friendly, multidisciplinary work force that values teamwork, respect & compassion.

Grow your career- benefit from ongoing training & development opportunities.

Be part of innovation- contribute to teaching, service development & continuous improvement.

Enjoy a healthy work life balance- we offer NHS terms & conditions, flexible working & a role with real purpose in a coastal city with an outstanding quality of life.

We offer:

Access to the NHS pension (if you have paid into this within the last 12 months) or the Scottish Widows pension scheme with generous employer contributions

Provision of free uniform

Start with access to 27 days annual leave plus bank holidays pro rata (which increases after 5 years service)

Access various provision to support your own wellbeing such as employer assistance programme (EAP) & range of online resources.

Access to a host of employee benefits, such as a Blue Light Card and salary sacrifice options for home electronics, lease cars & the cycle to work scheme

Job responsibilities

Post holder workswith special care dentists treating patients with special needs mostlyhaving treatment under conscious sedation. Post holder also providesDental Sedation Nursing support to all Dentists carrying out Dental Sedation,including Oral Surgery.

Post holderhas GDC registration and holds the NEBDN certificate in conscious sedationand thereby acts as the second appropriately trained person working withthe dentist in line with the British Dental association patient safetyguidelines

Post holderrequires knowledge of complex medical, physical and mental health problems,which has been gained through a minimum of 2 years experience

Post holderwill be required to monitor sedated patients during both treatment andrecovery, and needs to recognise and assist with medical emergencies.

Post holderwill discharge patients with the dentists agreement, and be responsible forgiving relevant post operative instructions and care

To assistall operators in all chair side assisting. To support and care for patientsduringprocedures using conscious sedation.

Follows all sedationrelated local policies and SOPs, including the correct preparation ofequipment and attends local drawing up drugs trainingwith sedation lead.

Recordsclinical observations on patients sedation record

Carries outperformance checks and daily maintenance on specialist equipment i.e. PulseOximeter, Oxygen cylinders, Scavenger unit and Relative analgesiamachine to sure the equipment is ready for use and if faulty to remove from useand report to the relevant technician.

Prepares thesurgery environment using knowledge and experience to select theappropriate equipment, materials and instruments, using specialist knowledgebased on patients medical, physical and emotional needs.

Works aspart of a multi-disciplinary team in Freedom day case units assisting operator treating patients under general anaesthesia.Providing technical and clinical support for patients undergoing these procedures.Providing post operative care plans for these patients

Triage of urgentcare patients to assess the urgency of treatment and determine thecorrect booking and then book appointments includingoutlying clinics.

Registered, as a Dental Nurse, with the GDC.

Thoroughknowledge of dental procedures gained through a minimum of 2 yearspost-qualification training and experience.

Thoroughknowledge of routine dental procedures and equipment gained through in-house trainingand experience including specialised areas such as general anaesthetics.

Experienced intreating patients from diverse cultural backgrounds i.e. those who requireinterpretation services.

Knowledge ofBasic Life Support techniques and certificate of training and willingness tocomplete ILS training/certification and regular updates, provided by LivewellSouthwest

Trained in recognisingmedical emergencies and assists in dealing with them.

Trained by PCDS /Livewell in all Mandatory Training topics, including Manual Handling, Breakaway,Health and Safety when required.

Clinical work iscarried out without direct supervision using initiative and knowledge ofprocedures gained through experience and training. The guidance of a dental operator or clinicalmanager is sought for non-routine clinical procedures.

Administrativeduties are carried out without direct supervision using knowledge of proceduresand referring to a Manager for non-routine procedures.

Holdsthe NEBDN certificate in conscious sedation

Thoroughknowledge of specialist dental procedures gained through a minimum of 2 yearspost qualification, training and experience

Will be required to carry out additional duties andresponsibilities.

Communicateswith patients within specialist groups on specialist dental topics. Judgement,reassurance and motivation, are necessary to ensure instructions are given topatients in a manner which they can understand.

Please see full Job Description within the supporting information section.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• NEBDN Qualification/City & Guilds NVQ3 or equivalent in Dental Nursing
• NEBDN qualification in Dental Sedation Nursing
• Registered as a Dental Nurse with the GDC
• GCSE Grade A-C (or equivalent) English and maths

Experience

• Experience of working as a member of a team
• Experience of working in a sedation setting
• Assists with the induction of new staff
• trains and supports new and less qualified staff.
• Experience of working in the salaried, community or personal dental services within the NHS.
• Experience of working within Special Care Dentistry, paediatric and/or Oral Surgery.
• Experience in undertaking extra duties to support your team and/or service

Knowledge and Skills

• Knowledge of the equipment and materials used in dental, surgical and sedation procedures.
• Knowledge of Health and Safety regulations.
• Knowledge of Cross Infection control measures.
• Carries out clinical and administrative work without direct supervision.
• Promotes best practice and a high level of patient care for the Plymouth Community Dental Services Ltd.
• Fluent in spoken and written English language.
• Good organisational skills
• Good keyboard and ICT skills
• Calm reassuring manner
• Good interpersonal skills to ensure effective communication with staff at all grades and ability to support patients of all social backgrounds and all outside agencies
• Organises tasks and activities to make optimum use of clinical time.
• Works and communicates with all members of a multi-disciplinary team.
• To act in a professional manner at all times.
• Competent in recognising and dealing with medical emergencies
• Make decisions as to best practice.
• Carries out performance checks and daily maintenance on dental equipment.
• Evidence of Continuing Professional Development.
• Up to date in Basic life support training
• Up to date in Intermediate Life Support training
• Computer literate including use of Software of Excellence dental package, such as SOEL Health and Dentally

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.

Full-time,Part-time,Job share,Flexible working

Reference number

B9832-2025-D28

Job locations

200 Mount Gould Road

Mount Gould

Plymouth

PL4 7PY

The Dental Access Centre

Baring Street

Plymouth

PL4 8NF