Job summary
Oral Health Promoters ( 0.4 wte)
Whittington Health Dental Service
Band 5
Whittington Health Community Dental Service (CDS) operates across ten boroughs in North West and North Central London providing a comprehensive service for patients with complex needs, as well as evidence-based oral health promotion to key population groups, in line with national and local strategies for reducing inequalities in oral health. Socially excluded and vulnerable people suffer the effects of poor oral health with the added disadvantage of poor access to dental care and preventive services.
We are looking for an Oral Health Promoter to join our dynamic dental team, supporting the implementation and delivery of Supervised tooth brushing scheme across NCL along with our established core community based OHP programmes.
The post holder will be expected to work closely with members of the community dental team as well as liaising with other professional and carers in the Health Service, Social Care, Educational and Voluntary sector.
For further details / informal visits contact:
Farheen Naqvi, Oral Health Improvement Lead, Whittington Health Dental Services on 0203 316 8353 / farheen.naqvi@nhs.net
Main duties of the job
This post will be based in the Community Dental Service. The principle care groups covered by Community Dental Services are:
- children with high levels of dental decay or with special needs,
- people with profound physical, mental or medical disabilities
The purpose of this job is to contribute toward the improvement of oral health and reduction of oral health inequalities by
- providing education and support
- maximising the availability of fluoride
- building skills, capacity and confidence in local people
- increasing access to local NHS dental services
About us
Whittington Health serves a richly diverse population and works hard to ensure that all our services are fair and equally accessible to everyone. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the way we look after our staff. We aim to employ a workforce which is as representative as possible of this population, so we are open to the value of differences in age, disability, gender, marital status, pregnancy and maternity, race, sexual orientation, and religion or belief. The Trustbelieves that as a public sector organisation we have an obligation to have recruitment, training, promotion and other formal employment policies and procedures that are sensitive to these differences. We think that by doing so, we are better able to treat our patients as well as being a better place to work.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Support implementation and delivery of our established core community-based OHP programmes, including:
- Supervised tooth brushing scheme
- Brushing for Life
- Fluoride Varnish
- OHP outreach for vulnerable groups
- CQC OH standards in care homes
- Train and support frontline staff to make every contact count, following the train the trainer model Tooth Champion training. Partner groups will include
- Schools and Early Years settings
- Children services including looked after children services
- Social care and home-support services including care homes
- Hospital and community-based health professionals
- Charity and voluntary sector organisation
- Provide oral health promotion and preventive care where appropriate to vulnerable groups and the general population in line with current guidelines such as Delivering Better Oral Healt
4.Work in a variety of settings including schools, children centres, nursing and residential homes, sheltered accommodation, hospital wards, day centres for adults and children with special needs.
- To work with communities to identify and address barriers and opportunities for oral health improvement e.g. Children Centre HEY award, Healthy school London award etc.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Support implementation and delivery of our established core community-based OHP programmes, including:
- Supervised tooth brushing scheme
- Brushing for Life
- Fluoride Varnish
- OHP outreach for vulnerable groups
- CQC OH standards in care homes
- Train and support frontline staff to make every contact count, following the train the trainer model Tooth Champion training. Partner groups will include
- Schools and Early Years settings
- Children services including looked after children services
- Social care and home-support services including care homes
- Hospital and community-based health professionals
- Charity and voluntary sector organisation
- Provide oral health promotion and preventive care where appropriate to vulnerable groups and the general population in line with current guidelines such as Delivering Better Oral Healt
4.Work in a variety of settings including schools, children centres, nursing and residential homes, sheltered accommodation, hospital wards, day centres for adults and children with special needs.
- To work with communities to identify and address barriers and opportunities for oral health improvement e.g. Children Centre HEY award, Healthy school London award etc.
Person Specification
Education / Qualifications
Essential
- A relevant qualification in oral health promotion
- Significant experience in primary health care in the UK, part of this should have been in a work setting with relevance to oral health education or oral health promotion
Skills & Abilities
Essential
- oAbility to deal with patients and carers needs in a caring and sensitive manner.
- oAbility to manage difficult or challenging behaviours in clients or patients
- oKnowledge and understanding of inequalities and barriers to oral health for socially excluded and vulnerable people and their relevance to oral and general health
- oKnowledge and understanding of equal opportunities and relevance to delivery of oral health initiatives
- oKnowledge of evidence-based and contemporary oral health promotion and preventive strategies
- oGood interpersonal and liaison skills
- oGood interpersonal and liaison skills
- oGood group work and training skills oGood leadership and teamwork skills
- oAbility to manage workload and time
- oAbility to set up and implement a project within a short timescale
- oInitiative and flexibility in dealing with unfamiliar issues
Knowledge & Experience
Essential
- oExperience of working in primary health care in the UK
- oExperience of carrying out oral health promotion activities
- oExperience of delivering training sessions and presentations to groups
- oExperience of project planning and implementation
Desirable
- oExperience of working in the Community Dental Service
- oExperience of working with people with challenging behaviour and special care needs
- oExperience of working with other agencies in meeting needs of patients
- oExperience of involvement in community-based oral health prevention and promotion programmes
- oExperience of training and supervision of staff
Person Specification
Education / Qualifications
Essential
- A relevant qualification in oral health promotion
- Significant experience in primary health care in the UK, part of this should have been in a work setting with relevance to oral health education or oral health promotion
Skills & Abilities
Essential
- oAbility to deal with patients and carers needs in a caring and sensitive manner.
- oAbility to manage difficult or challenging behaviours in clients or patients
- oKnowledge and understanding of inequalities and barriers to oral health for socially excluded and vulnerable people and their relevance to oral and general health
- oKnowledge and understanding of equal opportunities and relevance to delivery of oral health initiatives
- oKnowledge of evidence-based and contemporary oral health promotion and preventive strategies
- oGood interpersonal and liaison skills
- oGood interpersonal and liaison skills
- oGood group work and training skills oGood leadership and teamwork skills
- oAbility to manage workload and time
- oAbility to set up and implement a project within a short timescale
- oInitiative and flexibility in dealing with unfamiliar issues
Knowledge & Experience
Essential
- oExperience of working in primary health care in the UK
- oExperience of carrying out oral health promotion activities
- oExperience of delivering training sessions and presentations to groups
- oExperience of project planning and implementation
Desirable
- oExperience of working in the Community Dental Service
- oExperience of working with people with challenging behaviour and special care needs
- oExperience of working with other agencies in meeting needs of patients
- oExperience of involvement in community-based oral health prevention and promotion programmes
- oExperience of training and supervision of staff
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.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
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.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
