Mouth Care Lead Dental Nurse/Trainer

Job overview

We are seeking an enthusiastic and motivated healthcare professional to join our team as a Mouth Care Trainer on a 12-month fixed-term basis.

The post holder will play a key role in delivering the Supervised Tooth Brushing Scheme across schools within Northumberland and North Tyneside, supporting local authority commissioned programmes aimed at improving children's oral health and reducing health inequalities. Working alongside the Mouth Care Lead Dental Nurse/Trainer, the successful candidate will provide training, education and practical support to schools, families and education professionals to support the effective implementation of the scheme.

Whilst the primary focus of this role will be the delivery of the Supervised Tooth Brushing Scheme, the post holder will also contribute to the delivery of evidence-based mouth care education and training across health and community settings. Working as part of a small, supportive team, the post holder will provide cross-cover for colleagues during periods of annual leave, sickness absence and increased service demand to ensure continuity of training and service delivery.

Main duties of the job

• Deliver the Supervised Tooth Brushing Scheme across participating schools within Northumberland and North Tyneside in line with programme requirements and agreed standards.
• Provide training, education and practical support to school staff to enable the successful implementation and sustainability of the scheme.
• Develop and maintain effective working relationships with schools, local authority colleagues and partner organisations.
• Coordinate the ordering, management and distribution of supervised toothbrushing resources, ensuring adequate supplies are available to support programme delivery.
• Deliver oral health promotion activities and evidence-based advice to children, parents, carers and education professionals.Support schools to promote positive oral health behaviours and reduce oral health inequalities.
• Maintain accurate records of programme activity and collect, analyse and report data to support monitoring, evaluation and contractual reporting requirements.
• Prepare and present activity and outcome information for local authority contract review meetings and other stakeholders.
• Contribute to the delivery of mouth care education and training across healthcare and community settings as required.
• Work collaboratively with colleagues within the Mouth Care Team to provide cross-cover during periods of annual leave, sickness absence and increased service demand.
• Travel across the Northumbria Healthcare footprint to deliver training, education and programme support.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The post holder will primarily support the delivery of the Supervised Tooth Brushing Scheme across schools within Northumberland and North Tyneside. As part of the Mouth Care Team, they will contribute to oral health improvement initiatives aimed at reducing oral health inequalities and improving oral health outcomes for children and young people.

The post holder will provide training, education and practical support to schools and partner organisations to enable the successful implementation of the programme. The primary focus of this role will be the delivery of the Supervised Tooth Brushing Scheme within educational settings, whilst a companion Mouth Care Trainer role focuses predominantly on mouth care education and training within healthcare settings. Both post holders will work collaboratively to ensure continuity of service delivery and provide mutual support during periods of annual leave, sickness absence and increased service demand.

Supervised Tooth Brushing Scheme

• Deliver training and education sessions to school staff participating in the Supervised Tooth Brushing Scheme.
• Support schools to implement and sustain supervised toothbrushing activities in line with programme guidance, local procedures and contractual requirements.
• Provide advice and support on oral health promotion, effective toothbrushing techniques and the use of fluoride toothpaste.
• Build and maintain effective working relationships with schools, local authority representatives and other partner organisations.
• Act as a key contact for participating schools, providing advice and support to address any issues affecting programme delivery.
• Coordinate the ordering, storage and distribution of supervised toothbrushing resources and equipment to participating schools.
• Monitor stock levels and ensure resources are available to support programme delivery.
• Maintain accurate records relating to school engagement, training activity, resource distribution and programme delivery.
• Monitor participation and activity levels within schools and support the identification of any barriers to implementation.
• Collect, maintain and analyse programme data to support monitoring, evaluation and reporting requirements.
• Produce activity reports and outcome information to support contract monitoring meetings and discussions with local authority commissioners.
• Attend meetings with stakeholders as required and contribute updates on programme delivery and outcomes.
• Support the evaluation and continuous improvement of the Supervised Tooth Brushing Scheme.

Oral Health Education and Promotion

• Demonstrate effective oral hygiene and toothbrushing techniques.
• Provide evidence-based advice on maintaining good oral health and preventing oral disease.
• Offer information on accessing dental services and support for common oral health concerns.
• Promote healthy lifestyle choices that contribute to improved oral health and wellbeing.
• Support local and national oral health improvement initiatives as required.

Mouth Care Education and Training

• Contribute to the delivery of mouth care education and training programmes across healthcare and community settings.
• Facilitate training sessions for clinical and non-clinical staff where required.
• Promote approved mouth care products, resources and evidence-based practice.
• Support healthcare professionals to develop confidence in assessing oral health needs and delivering safe, compassionate mouth care.
• Work collaboratively with colleagues within the Mouth Care Team to provide cross-cover and support service resilience during periods of annual leave, sickness absence or increased service demand.

General Responsibilities

• Work independently within agreed protocols and seek advice and support when required.
• Use Trust digital systems to record activity, maintain accurate records and support service evaluation.
• Contribute to audit, quality improvement and service development activities.
• Maintain professional registration and undertake continuing professional development relevant to the role.
• Work collaboratively with colleagues to ensure resilience and continuity across the mouth care education and training service.
• Travel across the Trust footprint and partner organisations as required to support programme delivery.
• Comply with Trust policies, procedures and professional standards.

Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.