Band B Senior Dental Officer

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Main Job responsibilities: 

• To organise, monitor and evaluate the provision of dental care and provide information for the development of services and training of staff
• Provide and evaluate specialised treatment services for adults and children with special needs within the clinic, and domiciliary setting. 
• Provide advice and receive patients for specialised care from Clinical Dental Officers and any other legitimate referral agency.
• Provide treatment under conscious sedation where appropriate. 
• Provide treatment under general anaesthesia for patients with special needs. This will involve participation in best interest meetings and a thorough understanding of the Mental Capacity Act, and relevant guidelines on the provision of dental care under general anaesthesia.
• Be responsible for relevant assessment and advice where necessary for school children with developmental difficulties.
• Support the Consultant and Clinical Leads for CDS with the monitoring and evaluation of all service elements and any subsequent programmes of development.
• Take a lead on the monitoring, evaluation and delivery of the different service elements:

(a) General Anaesthesia

(b) Sedation

(c) Domiciliary

• Provide information for the planning of services in liaison with other Senior Dental Officers.
• Work on a multidisciplinary basis with all other services within GEH in provision of co-ordinated care for patients with special needs.
• Liaise with all branches of the profession, other health professionals, education and social services and voluntary agencies over the dental needs and service provision for people with special needs. 
• Work closely with the CDS Oral Health Improvement Service in the provision of services to priority groups and increasing awareness of the requirements of special needs patients in terms of oral health.
• Undertake and participate in clinical audit.
• Undertake the normal duties expected of all dental officers.
• Work to NHS dental regulations and procedures involved with the administration and collection of patient charges and the submission of patient information to the Business Services Authority.
• Participate in service discussions and contribute to the development of priorities and strategies in agreement with the Consultant and Clinical Leads of CDS.
• Act as deputy for the Clinical Lead of CDS in their absence.
• Work with the policies and procedures of GEH and CDS
• Ensure the provision of integrated pathways for patients accessing CDS by developing and maintaining effective working relationships.
• Effectively manage the clinical development of team members ensuring individual staff needs are identified and supported through appropriate training, personal development and effective appraisals.
• Contribute to the continued improvement in health, safety and security by sharing learning from incidents and implementing and reviewing appropriate action plans.
• Assist the Consultant and Clinical Leads for CDS with the management of clinical risk within the service.
• Promote a culture where staff feel empowered and accountable for service improvement at local level.

Communication

• Develop and maintain effective working relationships within and across professional groups to promote and sustain a multidisciplinary / multi-agency approach to the assessment and treatment of patients accessing the CDS.
• Demonstrate the ability to deliver difficult diagnoses and prognosis with tact and empathy, managing distressed or aggressive patients or relatives.
• Demonstrate skills in dealing with challenging behaviour.
• Communicate with other professional staff in the patient’s best interest.
• Network nationally across other Community Dental providers and educators for the development of best practice.
• Provide and receive complex and sensitive information, verbally, written and / or electronically (where available), to and from consultants, GDP’s, patients, colleagues, and other agencies

Analytical and Judgemental Skills / Freedom to Act

• Act independently in making decisions and judgements involving highly complex facts or situations.
• Demonstrate a high level of analytical ability, clinical reasoning and practical skills which enable independent (autonomous) working.
• Discharge patients in accordance with your own clinical assessment and clinical reasoning skills, following the service’s discharge policy.
• Ensure effective and timely triaging of referrals made to the service, offering advice on the appropriateness of the referrals delegated.
• Working alongside Clinical Lead  to act on activity data and report on findings to support service development.

Planning and Organisational Skills

• Provide spontaneous and planned advice, teaching and instruction to patients and their relatives / carers to promote understanding of the patient’s condition and the aims of the service.
• Monitor, evaluate and modify treatment plans regularly in response to patients’ needs to measure progress and ensure effectiveness of interventions.
• Supervise staff working within CDS, including any work delegated to them, ensuring the quality, safety and effectiveness of their intervention.

Physical Skills

• Demonstrate highly developed dexterity and co-ordination for assessment and treatment.
• Undertake a wide range of clinical dental treatments appropriate to CDS patients.
• Provide appropriate procedures within the boundaries of professional competency once appropriate training is completed. 
• Standard keyboard skills.

Responsibility for Patients / Clients

• Be responsible for the assessment of patients referred to the service and onward referral to other services where appropriate.
• Maintain an up-to-date awareness of the infection control precautions relevant to your area of work and implement these in practice.  As a minimum, this must include hand hygiene, the use of personal protective equipment, the use and disposal of sharps and communicating the importance to patients, relatives and other healthcare staff you are working with. 
• Be consulted as a source of information by other team members seeking advice / information.
• Ensure the discharge of patients in accordance with own and team members clinical assessment and clinical reasoning skills, following the discharge policy.
• At all times, act in such a way that safeguards the health and wellbeing of children and vulnerable adults.
• Ensure familiarisation with, and adherence to, Trust Safeguarding policies and participate in related mandatory / statutory training.
• Accept and make appropriate referrals in the patient’s best interest:

(a) Within the Dental Service

(b) At Trust level

(c) Secondary care – in particular colleagues in the Acute Trusts

(d) Other service groups e.g. Social Services, schools, specialist nurse services and carer groups

• Ensure the views of clients are actively sought and acted upon to identify gaps in service provision.
• Work with Dental staff to ensure appropriate clinical dental care is provided to a high standard for clients accessing the CDS, complying with the Trust’s and recognised professional standards.
• Identify and provide for the development of reliable procedures for assessing user requirements.
• Participate in the development of multi-disciplinary programmes of care and ensure that Oral Health Information plays a full and effective role in overall health strategies.
• Support the development of evidenced-based practice in all aspects of CDS care.

Policy and Service Responsibilities

• Support the Consultant and Clinical Leads for CDS to strategically plan service developments and redesign in response to local health needs, demographics, contractual requirements, policy and clinical/professional clinical expertise at all levels through the organisation.
• Provide clinical leadership, using best practice and a variety of resources.
• Support the Consultant and Clinical Leads in the development of clinical procedures, protocols and guidelines, including participating in the presentation of clinical procedures as appropriate.
• Ensure the reporting of accidents or incidents promptly and co-operate with any investigation and subsequent actions.
• Contribute to the clinical governance arrangements and quality agenda, including assisting with the setting and monitoring of practice standards.
• Contribute to the identification and implementation of evidence-based practice and quality indicators to support delivery of safe and effective care.
• Comply with all Trust policies and procedures and any other Trust policy related statements as required (for example, completion of sickness management paperwork, risk assessments etc)
• Work collaboratively with other services and agencies, internal and external to the Trust to achieve Care Quality Commission standards.