Dental Nurse
Closing date: 19 June 2026
Based at: Salisbury Central Health Clinic, Avon Approach, SP1 3SL
Band 4 - Full Time Permanent
An exciting opportunity for a full time experienced and highly motivated qualified Dental Nurse with excellent clinical and administrative skills to join our dynamic Community Dental team at the Salisbury site.
The successful candidate should be a qualified registered Dental Nurse and will possess excellent clinical, communication, organisational and interpersonal skills.
The Community Dental Service in Wiltshire and Swindon offers urgent care clinics, special care clinics for adults and children with additional needs, and hospital sessions in Salisbury, Swindon and Bath.
You must be a car driver, with access to a vehicle to carry out the role, and may be required to work at other dental clinics within Wiltshire and Swindon. This role includes weekend and bank holiday working on a rota basis. The post holder will work 08:30 – 17:00, with one hour for lunch, five days per week.
You must hold valid GDC Registration for this role.
Main Duties
The post holder will be a member of the Clinical Dental Team and support the dental officer with a range of dental treatments for urgent care patients in severe pain and with special/additional needs.
Urgent care patients may require special attention due to culture, faith and religion, language barriers, expectations of treatment, active symptoms such as pain, phobia and anxiety.
Special care patients will require specialist care due to complex medical conditions, physical or learning disabilities or mental health problems which exclude them from having treatment in the General Dental Service.
The post holder will be required to work a flexible shift pattern which will include weekends and Bank Holidays.
Job Responsibilities
1. Comply with the GDC standards and Scope of Practice.
2. Comply with GWH Trust Policies & CDS Local Operating Procedures.
3. Maintain their own clinical and professional development in dental nursing and participate in annual appraisal.
4. Maintain effective communication and professional relationships with patients, relatives, colleagues and other members of the public; liaise with other health professionals including schools, nursing homes and hospital departments.
5. Provide and receive complex and sensitive patient‑related medical information, identifying barriers to communication and implementing actions to overcome them (e.g., contacting Language Line for non‑English speaking patients).
6. Provide pre‑ and post‑operative advice on dental care.
7. Take responsibility for Health & Safety and fire inspection checklist; assist in the development, implementation and review of health & safety risk assessments and safe systems of work.
8. Prepare the dental surgery and chair side activity for dental treatment.
9. Input patient‑related information into the SFD IT system as directed by the Dentist.
10. Receive patients into the treatment room and assist the dentist during all clinical procedures.
11. Maintain decontamination and infection control in line with CDS Infection Control LOP and protocol for decontamination of equipment.
12. Maintain and request appropriate stock levels, ensuring that stock/emergency drugs are within expiry date and stored appropriately.
13. Check invoices for incoming stock and materials.
14. Act as chaperone and witness for the dentist.
15. Take part in regular audits as appropriate.
16. Undertake other or additional duties commensurate with the grade as directed by the Dental Nurse Team Manager.
17. Carry out duties away from base clinic including domiciliary visits, dental epidemiology surveys, day surgery under general anaesthetic in acute hospital settings, conscious sedation sessions and dental health education programmes.
18. Work alongside the dentist using manual handling aids including a hoist and keep up to date with manual handling training.
19. Ensure compliance with GWH Trust arrangements for mandatory training.
20. Take responsibility for enhanced continuing professional development (CPD) to meet GDC / CoRHP registration requirements – 50 hours verifiable in a 5‑year cycle.
21. Ensure annual registration with the GDC.
22. Work as part of a team to deliver high quality dental care to patients.
Working Conditions
* Occasional exposure to unpleasant conditions, working in confined spaces in patient homes including verbal aggression.
* Frequent contact with body fluids, blood and saliva.
Physical Effort
* Involves walking, standing, sitting, carrying, pushing and pulling trolleys during clinics – alongside SSOW.
* Requires operation of dental equipment for domiciliary, radiography, sedation, epidemiology and dental clinics.
Mental Effort
* Frequent requirement for intense concentration.
Emotional Effort
* Exposure to emotional or distressing circumstances including medical emergency.
* Caring for distressed and anxious patients who may be unwell.
Other Factors
* Required to travel to other clinics to maintain operational service cover and hold business insurance for driving during working hours.
* Requirement to work weekends and Bank Holidays.
* Ability to drive and access to a motor vehicle, with business insurance.
* Dealing with distressed patients/clients regularly.
* Regular VDU usage.
* Requirement to move small equipment between sites as required.
Person Specification
Qualifications
* Registration as DCP with the General Dental Council.
* NEBDN National Certificate, NVQ level 3 in Oral Health (Dental Nursing) (or an equivalent qualification plus appropriate experience).
* Willingness to study towards gaining the NEBDN Certificate in Dental Sedation Nursing via CPD funding.
* Special Care Dental Nurse Qualification (additional qualification).
* Understanding of the meaning of clinical supervision/mentoring.
Experience
* Experience of working as a Dental Nurse.
* Experience of Health and Safety practice relevant to this post.
* Wide range of experience in Dental procedures.
* Experience in operating IT systems.
* Experience operating SFD IT system.
* Experience of working within a Community Dental setting.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and requires a Disclosure and Barring Service check for any previous criminal convictions.
Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
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