Special Care Dental Nurse inPlymouth inPlymouth PUBLISHED 4 NOV 2024

30 hours per week.

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Special Care Dental Nurse to join the specialist led, multidisciplinary team of Plymouth Community Dental Services, part of Livewell Southwest. This post is a fixed term maternity cover.

Applications are welcomed from experienced and suitably qualified registered dental nurses with a post certificate qualification in Dental Sedation and that have an up to date record of experience in assisting during surgery of patients in receiving conscious sedation.

PCDS provides a high level of general and specialised dental services to Plymouth and the surrounding district and are looking for candidates who are caring, passionate and enthusiastic in providing high quality care.

If you have the necessary qualifications, experience and enthusiasm to join our dedicated team, we would like to hear from you.

This role may not be eligible for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker route, please refer to the Direct Gov website for more information with regards to eligibility.

Please note that Livewell may close the job advertisement earlier than the specified deadline if a high number of applications are submitted. Therefore, we recommend you submit your application at the earliest opportunity.

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

Job Share(s) Considered

Work with dental operator providing patient care inc. clinical procedures &chair side assisting & the use of 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 including sharp/fine instruments.

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

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

Check surgery equipment & report any faults

Ensure routine & emergency equipment is checked & available

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

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

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

Develops x-rays using digital equipment

Assist in the event of a medical emergency

Work at different locations to meet the needs of the Service, when required inc. GA sessions at UHP

Undertakes specific duties delegated by Dental Operators & Plymouth Community Dental Services Ltd Managers.

Follows organisation policies & those determined by others, inc. NHS BDA.

About us

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

Post holder has GDC registration and holds the NEBDN certificate in conscious sedationand thereby acts as the second appropriately trained person working with the dentist in line with the British Dental association patient safety guidelines

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

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

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

To assist all operators in all chair side assisting. To support and care for patients duringprocedures using conscious sedation.

Follows all sedation related local policies and SOPs, including the correct preparation ofequipment and attends local drawing up drugs training with sedation lead.

Records clinical observations on patients sedation record

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

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

Works as part 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 urgent care patients to assess the urgency of treatment and determine thecorrect booking and then book appointments including outlying clinics.

Registered, as a Dental Nurse, with the GDC.

Thorough knowledge of dental procedures gained through a minimum of 2 years post-qualification training and experience.

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

Experienced in treating patients from diverse cultural backgrounds i.e. those who require interpretation services.

Knowledge of Basic Life Support techniques and certificate of training and willingness to complete ILS training/certification and regular updates, provided by Livewell Southwest

Trained in recognising medical 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 is carried out without direct supervision using initiative and knowledge of procedures gained through experience and training. The guidance of a dental operator or clinical manager is sought for non-routine clinical procedures.

Administrative duties are carried out without direct supervision using knowledge of procedures and referring to a Manager for non-routine procedures.

Holds the NEBDN certificate in conscious sedation

Thorough knowledge of specialist dental procedures gained through a minimum of 2 years post qualification, training and experience

Will be required to carry out additional duties and responsibilities.

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

Please see full Job Description within the supporting information section.