Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust

Dental Nurse

The closing date is 19 October 2025

Job summary

We're looking for hardworking, reliable, and compassionateDental Nurses who take pride in delivering excellent care. If you thrive both independently and as part of a supportive team, are highly organised, and able to use your initiative, we'd love to hear from you.

As part of our Special Care Dental Service, you'll help provide specialist dental treatment for patients referred by General Dental Practitioners, GPs, and other health and social care professionals. Running Monday to Friday across the county, plus opportunities to support domiciliary visits, general anaesthetics and sedation sessions,.

We have a variety of posts available across our five sites in Chichester, Worthing, Brighton, Haywards Heath, and Crawley. Please let us know your preferred location(s) when applying.

This is your chance to join a friendly and dedicated NHS team where your skills, commitment, and compassion will be truly valued.

Please note: Due to recent changes in UK immigration and visa rules, this role may not be eligible for Skilled Worker visa sponsorship. Applicants who do not currently have the right to work in the UK may not be considered. Candidates requiring sponsorship should review the eligibility criteria on the gov.uk website before applying to assess their eligibility for a Certificate of Sponsorship for this role.

Skilled Worker visa: going rates for eligible occupation codes - GOV.UK

Health and Care Worker visa: If you'll need to meet different salary requirements - GOV.UK

Main duties of the job

Clinical support: Provide chairside assistance to Consultants, Specialists, Dental Officers, and Therapists during treatments in surgery, including sedation procedures, general anaesthetic sessions, and domiciliary (home) visits.

Flexibility: Provide cover at other clinics if needed, including both clinical and administrative duties

Patient care: Provide care before, during, and after treatment; offer reassurance, oral health advice, and post-operative instructions.

Infection prevention & safety: Prepare and maintain the clinical environment, follow decontamination and infection control procedures, ensure safe waste disposal, and meet Health & Safety requirements. Complete all associated quality assurance processes

Equipment & materials: Maintain and monitor dental equipment, stock levels, expiry dates, emergency drugs, and laboratory work.

Emergency readiness: Participate in management of medical emergencies and quality assurance checks (e.g. radiography, decontamination, emergency drugs).

Administrative duties: Carry out reception tasks (appointments, payments, correspondence), maintain accurate records, arrange transport/translators, and support CQC evidence collation.

Community & outreach: Support domiciliary visits

Professional standards: Maintain GDC registration, continuous professional development, and adhere to SCFT policies, guidelines, and values.

About us

We are the main provider of NHS community services across East and West Sussex, with 6,000 staff serving 1.3 million people. We deliver essential care to adults and children, helping them manage their health, avoid hospital admissions, and reduce hospital stays.

Our Trust vision is to provide excellent care at the heart of the community. We offer opportunities across medical, clinical, support, and corporate services.

Why work for us?o Positive 2023 NHS Staff Survey results, highlighting compassionate leadership and wellbeingo Varied environments: community hospitals, patients' homes, and bases across Sussexo Flexible working options: part-time, flexi-time, annualised hours, and flexi-retiremento Excellent training, development, and research opportunitieso Cost-effective workplace nurseries in Crawley, Hove, and Brightono Active EMBRACE, Disability & Wellbeing, LGBTQIA+, and Religion & Belief networkso Level 3 Disability Confident Leader and Veteran Aware Trusto Beautiful Sussex location near the South Downs and coast

Our values--Compassionate Care, Working Together, Achieving Ambitions, Delivering Excellence--guide everything we do.

We embrace diversity and encourage applications from all backgrounds, particularly from ethnically diverse, disabled, and LGBTQIA+ individuals. We aim to create an inclusive environment and support reasonable adjustments during recruitment.

This post may close early if sufficient applications are received.

Details

Date posted

07 October 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 4

Salary

£27,485 to £30,162 a year per annum pro rata

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time, Part-time, Job share

Reference number

150-CP2115-PC

Job locations

Haywards Heath Health Centre

Heath Road

Haywards Heath

RH16 3BB


Job description

Job responsibilities

  • To maintain high professional standards with a commitment to compulsory & continual professional development, as outlined by GDC and as applicable to Statutory Registration
  • Liaise with doctors, dentists and care staff in clinics, hospitals and residential homes respecting their particular contributions within the care team
  • Maintain accurate, computerised and paper dental records of patients to comply with the Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust policies
  • To conform to all Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust and Special CareDentistry policies, procedures and guidelines
  • Provide nursing cover at short notice and possibly for an extended period atany clinic throughout the county/ within regional area), (including the administrative responsibilities usually undertaken by the dental nurse in post) if alternate cover cannot be appointed
  • Participate supervision in line with trust polic
  • Participate in evidence collation for The Care Quality Commission (CQC)

Please see the job description and person specification.

Job description

Job responsibilities

  • To maintain high professional standards with a commitment to compulsory & continual professional development, as outlined by GDC and as applicable to Statutory Registration
  • Liaise with doctors, dentists and care staff in clinics, hospitals and residential homes respecting their particular contributions within the care team
  • Maintain accurate, computerised and paper dental records of patients to comply with the Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust policies
  • To conform to all Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust and Special CareDentistry policies, procedures and guidelines
  • Provide nursing cover at short notice and possibly for an extended period atany clinic throughout the county/ within regional area), (including the administrative responsibilities usually undertaken by the dental nurse in post) if alternate cover cannot be appointed
  • Participate supervision in line with trust polic
  • Participate in evidence collation for The Care Quality Commission (CQC)

Please see the job description and person specification.

Person Specification

Work History

Essential

  • Stability and commitment to the service

Desirable

  • Personal motivation
  • Evidence of caring

Skills & Knowledge

Essential

  • Demonstrate effective communication skills
  • Ability to work well within a team and be able to support colleagues
  • Able to Ability to remain calm and focused under pressure, ensuring tasks are completed efficiently
  • Working knowledge of IT systems- Windows

Desirable

  • Reception/Admin Duties
  • Knowledge Dental Software

Qualifications

Essential

  • NEBDN National Diploma in Dental Nursing or equivalent
  • GDC Registrant

Desirable

  • Post qualification or working towards

Experience

Essential

  • Good understanding of decontamination and infection control procedures

Desirable

  • Special Care experience
Person Specification

Work History

Essential

  • Stability and commitment to the service

Desirable

  • Personal motivation
  • Evidence of caring

Skills & Knowledge

Essential

  • Demonstrate effective communication skills
  • Ability to work well within a team and be able to support colleagues
  • Able to Ability to remain calm and focused under pressure, ensuring tasks are completed efficiently
  • Working knowledge of IT systems- Windows

Desirable

  • Reception/Admin Duties
  • Knowledge Dental Software

Qualifications

Essential

  • NEBDN National Diploma in Dental Nursing or equivalent
  • GDC Registrant

Desirable

  • Post qualification or working towards

Experience

Essential

  • Good understanding of decontamination and infection control procedures

Desirable

  • Special Care experience

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Additional information

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details

Employer name

Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Haywards Heath Health Centre

Heath Road

Haywards Heath

RH16 3BB


Employer's website

https://www.sussexcommunity.nhs.uk/work-with-us/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer details

Employer name

Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Haywards Heath Health Centre

Heath Road

Haywards Heath

RH16 3BB


Employer's website

https://www.sussexcommunity.nhs.uk/work-with-us/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Senior Dental Nurse Manager

Victoria May

v.may@nhs.net

07799661340

Details

Date posted

07 October 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 4

Salary

£27,485 to £30,162 a year per annum pro rata

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time, Part-time, Job share

Reference number

150-CP2115-PC

Job locations

Haywards Heath Health Centre

Heath Road

Haywards Heath

RH16 3BB


Supporting documents

Privacy notice

Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust's privacy notice (opens in a new tab)