Apprentice Dental Nurse

Site St Paul's Dental Centre Town Cheltenham Salary £15,600 Apprenticeship Salary for 12 months then NMW Salary period Yearly Closing 07/09/ :59

We love what we do and we think you will, too!

At Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust (GHC), we provide joined-up mental health, physical health and learning disability services to people of all ages across Gloucestershire. We run community hospitals and provide care and support in people’s own homes and in a range of other locations across the county .

We are on a mission to enable people to live the best life they can and we have a vision to work together to provide outstanding care . We put people at the heart of our services, focusing on personalised care by asking ‘what matters to you ’.

We’re passionate about making sure that everyone can contribute to achieving our mission and w e are continually working to support healthy and happy high-quality team s in all areas of the Trust .

Job overview

This role is offered on an Apprenticeship basis for 19 months.

The Level 3 Dental Nurse apprenticeship at Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust is an excellent opportunity to gain valuable clinical experience and training in community dental settings and achieve a Level 3 Diploma in Dental Nursing alongside the Level 3 Dental Nurse Apprenticeship Standard, recognised by the General Dental Council (GDC).

An apprenticeship is suitable for anyone who has an interest in pursuing a career within healthcare as well as gaining a Level 3 Diploma in Dental Nursing.

Alongside this full-time Dental Nurse role, you will be enrolled onto the Dental Nurse Apprenticeship Programme and will be expected to study and complete assignments to achieve a recognised Level 3 Dental Nurse qualification. The apprenticeship will include the expectation to complete the Level 3 Dental Nurse Apprenticeship within a 19 month timeframe which includes an end point assessment.

This post is open to candidates who are looking to start their career in a dental and healthcare environment with no previous experience or alternatively the more experienced healthcare worker looking for a change to further their clinical knowledge and skills.

Main duties of the job

Dental Nurses play a vital role with assisting in all clinical aspects within the surgery. Working under the direction of a Dental Officer they take care of the needs of patients by providing a high level of care.

The role of a Dental Nurse can be a physical one and successful apprentices will be expected to have an understanding of all patients’ needs. An apprentice can be exposed to distressing or emotional circumstances in relation to patients who may be in severe pain and anxious of dental treatment.

Dental Nurses are expected to be friendly, caring and sensitive with the confidence to communicate with patients and healthcare professional colleagues.

The key result areas for the role are that the apprentice will be required to:

• Assist Dental Officers in the provision of clinical dentistry within the Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust
• To support the Senior Nurse in the day to day running of clinics as required
• To provide a high standard of care to service users
• To maintain personal and professional development
• To ensure trust policies and protocols are adhered to
• Monitor and report the necessary for repairs/service/maintenance of equipment
• Participate in clinical audits

The qualification, training & experience requirements for the role are underlined in the Job Description/Person Specification.

Working for our organisation

We have a skilled and dedicated workforce of over 5000 colleagues working in a diverse range of services over 55 sites and within people’s homes. We strive to enable a welcoming workplace culture that builds and celebrates civility, inclusivity and diversity, while providing a sense of belonging and trust.

Annual staff surveys, regular Pulse surveys and other engagement opportunities provide our people with lots of opportunity to tell us about their experiences of working with us. In the latest staff survey, 61% of colleagues gave us their views. It was great to hear that:

• 72% of colleagues would recommend the Trust as a place to work, ranking us 1st for Provider Trusts in the South West region on this question.
• 76% would recommend the standard of care provided in our services if a friend or relative needed treatment, also ranking us 1st in the South West region.
• 81% said that care of patients and service users is the Trust’s priority, compared with an average in comparable NHS Trusts in England of 64%.

This high-level overview shows we are in a healthy position, with higher scores than average for comparable organisations, alongside a great response rate, indicating good staff engagement. However, we also know we have plenty of room for improvement in many areas. To that end, we continue to prioritise and invest in our commitment to genuinely becoming a Great Place to Work with consistent top-quartile performance in the annual staff survey and Pulse surveys.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

An apprenticeship is suitable for anyone who has an interest in pursuing a career within healthcare as well as gaining a Level 3 Diploma in Dental Nursing, whilst being fully paid, with no university fees.

Dental Nurses play a vital role with assisting in all clinical aspects, within the surgery and working under the direction of a Dental Officer, they take care of the needs of patients by providing a high level of care.

If you have a ‘can do’ attitude, and enjoy building good working relationships, we welcome your application.

At Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust, we are supportive of the people we care for in the community and aim to provide a fully responsive service to everyone who needs it. This is the same approach we take for our employees. We look to value the skills and experiences of those we work with, whether they are service users, carers, families or those looking to work with us.

The job of Dental Nurse can be a physical one and successful apprentices will be expected to have an understanding of all patients’ needs. An apprentice can be exposed to distressing or emotional circumstances in relation to patients who may be in severe pain and anxious of dental treatment.

Dental Nurses are expected to friendly, caring and sensitive, with the confidence to communicate with patients and healthcare professional colleagues.

The key result areas for the role are that the apprentice will be required to:

• Assist Dental Officers in the provision of clinical dentistry within the Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust
• To support the Senior Nurse in the day to day running of the clinics as required.
• To provide a high standard of care to service users
• To maintain personal and professional development.
• To ensure Trust policies and protocols are adhered to
• Monitor and report the necessary for repairs/service/maintenance of equipment
• Participate in clinical audits

Person specification

Qualifications

• Minimum of 3 GCSE's (or equivalent) including English, Mathematics
• Science or Health and Social Care based subject

Nature of Experience

• Ability to work on own initiative, independently and as part of a team and Evidence of good interpersonal skills working
• No previous experience is required although it would be desirable that the individual is able to demonstrate some prior experience and understanding of caring for others on a voluntary basis

Personal skills, abilities and attributes

• Communication skills; verbally, in writing and the use of IT skills with basic knowledge of Microsoft Office Word and e-mail programmes
• Eager and committed to learning
• Ability to prioritise and plan workload and meet tight deadlines

When joining us, as well as becoming part of a team that makes a difference, we also offer:

• Free car parking at many of our sites
• 27 days leave plus bank holidays, increasing up to 33 days with long service
• A broad range of training and development opportunities, including apprenticeships up to Level 7 qualification.
• A multi-professional preceptorship programme for all Newly Qualified; Nurses, Nursing Associates, Internationally Educated Practitioners, Allied Health Professionals and Return to Practice Practitioners.
• Generous NHS pension and enhanced pay when if you work unsocial hours
• Flexible, family friendly and agile working opportunities
• Recognition and long service awards
• Fast Track physiotherapy
• Access to discounts and salary sacrifice schemes; including Cycle to Work, Car scheme and discounts on travel, leisure and retailers.

Applicants are advised to apply early as if a large number of applications are received for this post, we reserve the right to close the vacancy prior to the advertised date.

If you are aged 16-30, you may be eligible for financial and pastoral support from the King’s Trust, with who we are in partnership with to support your first 6 months in role. We will pass on your details to the King’s Trust who will be in touch with you if you are eligible. If you would rather not be contacted, please let us know.

For more information please see the attached 'Additional Information for Applicants' document.

Good luck with your application.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

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.

Name Sarah Kemmett Job title Dental Nurse Manager Email address Telephone number Additional information

For enquiries regarding the apprenticeship, please contact Alice Walker

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