Dental Officer - Band A

Job overview

12 MONTHS FIXED TERM

This is an opportunity for a motivated and conscientious clinician to join our team.  Wolverhampton Special Care Dental provides high quality care for a wide spectrum of people who are unable to access treatment in a General Dental Practice.  Services are delivered from three community clinics and a dental mobile unit.   We pride ourselves in being an outward looking progressive service with great links with the Learning Disability, Mental Health, Substance Misuse, Community Nursing and paediatric teams which facilitates the provision of our Special Care Dental Service.

This post holder will be required to cover many aspects of Community Dentistry including working on a mobile dental unit.   There may also be the opportunity to participate in the annual epidemiological survey and our General Anaesthetic Service.  This post is an ideal opportunity for a clinician who may have limited experience of Special Care Dentistry but keen to expand their knowledge and expertise in this specialty.

Main duties of the job

The Dentist will work within the Special Care Dental Service, carrying out individual patient care, epidemiological survey work and health promotion, together with the associated management tasks.

They will contribute to the effective and efficient delivery of Special Care Dental services by taking active part in planning services ensuring that they complement those provided in the General Dental Service as determined in the commissioners’ service requirements.

The post holder will treat patients from a wide range of special care groups and have the opportunity to use inhalation sedation. Development opportunities in an appropriate area of interest will be encouraged. Appropriate clinical attachments will be considered

They will contribute to clinical governance activities in the department.

The post holder must be a graduate or licentiate in dentistry, hold current full registration with the General Dental Council and be eligible to join the Performers List.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Clinical Care

To contribute to all aspects of care provided by the Special Care Dental Service in Wolverhampton as specified in the dental contract and service requirements.

• To provide high quality clinical care for people who are unable use the General Dental Service and meet the acceptance criteria for the service.  The dentist is responsible for the continuing care of patients accepted for treatment within the Special Care Dental Services.
• Training will be provided and relevant clinical attachments will be offered depending on the needs of the post holder.
• Treatment will be undertaken at fixed and mobile clinics or hospital dental departments located in any part of Wolverhampton together with any related domiciliary care, as determined by the Clinical Lead. Some sessions may require the administration of Relative Analgesia.
• To provide emergency domiciliary care as required.
• To supervise dental therapists.
• To contribute to the Oral Health Promotion programme.
• To ensure that the correct Oral Health Promotion principles in line with Delivering Better Oral Health (DH 2019), are adopted for individual patients in the prevention of dental disease.

Management and Leadership

To contribute to the management and development of the dental services in Wolverhampton and the business planning process.

• To ensure that clinical, administration and other workload is scheduled and completed on time
• To ensure that proper standards appropriate to a clinical area and clinical procedures, including control of infection  and record keeping procedures are maintained
• To ensure the efficient and effective use of resources.
• Organising and undertaking the fieldwork for dental epidemiological studies including participation in data analysis.

Communication

• Communicate with a range of patients and families on complex clinical issues and/or in difficult situations.
• Communicate with the clinical team and peers in a range of clinical and/or leadership situations in a professional and appropriate manner.
• Communicate with other health and social care professionals on a range of issues relating to oral health and oral health care.
• To establish liaison with colleagues in the dental profession, especially local General Dental Practitioners, other health care professions, and voluntary and local organisations, in order to promote:-
• the dental and general health care of individual patients
• the provision of dental services to particular care groups within the population as a part of the overall provision of health care to those groups.

Professionalism

• To contribute to the professional dental clinical improvement groups and participate in clinical governance activities within the services to improve the quality of care for patients
• To participate in a system of appraisals and such continuing education as may be considered necessary for personal development or to meet the organisational needs identified in the business plan.
• To minimise the risks by following and developing systems of safe working within the dental service.
• To ensure the maintenance of confidentiality of personal health data, including patient records, in accordance with established procedures.
• To ensure the maintenance of high standards of conduct in relation to patients and the general public.
• To ensure that agreed operational procedures within the Trust are followed.

Teaching and Training

• To participate in the development and training of other grades of staff, as required including dental therapy, dental hygiene and dental students.

Working Relationships

• It is stressed that all duties are of a strictly confidential nature. At no time should they be divulged to another party, or discussed with colleagues, unless absolutely essential.
• Any significant changes in the duties and responsibilities will be agreed with the post holder.

• The dentist will be accountable to Senior Dentist.
• The dentist will supervise and direct work of any dental surgery assistant(s) working with them liaising with the Senior Nurse who has first line management responsibility for dental nurses.
• The dentist will supervise and monitor dental therapists.
• The dentist will liaise and collaborate as necessary with other members of the dental profession and with other health service and local authority staff.
• The post holder may be asked to work within other localities depending on the needs of the service.
• The above principal duties represent the main activities of the post as envisaged at the time of writing.  There are many minor duties implicit in these main duties and the nature of the job could change according to the development of dental services.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

• To follow GDC and other professional guidelines.
• To comply with Trust Policies and Mandatory Training.
• To follow Health and Safety instructions in accordance with Trust      procedures within the place of work and to be responsible for your own health and safety within the workplace.
• To undertake other duties to meet the changing needs and priorities of the Trust, as required and agreed with the Clinical Lead.