About this role
Job summary
Do you want to make a difference?
If you are well organised, able to prioritise and work on your own initiative without direct supervision but also enjoys working as part of a team to provide excellent patient care, then we look forward to hearing from you.
The Special Care Dental Service is part of a countywide service providing NHS Dental treatment to patients on referral, from General Dental Practitioners, GPs and other health and social care professionals. We have clinics across the county, operating Mondays to Fridays, 08:30am to 4:30pm, as well as a domiciliary service.
The role is primarily based in Worthing (2days) and Chichester (1day), with one of these days in Brighton (alternate weeks supporting the GA session). Occasional cover at other clinics may be required.
Planned interview date: 4th June 2026.
Main duties of the job
a) The post is mainly based at Worthing and Brighton (and Crawley until relocation to Worthing), with outreach activity across all clinics. Flexibility is required, as the successful applicant may be expected to work at any clinic location in line with service needs.
The post holder will liaise with a wide range of teams both clinical and non-clinical under the guidance of the Clinical Head of Service, Consultant in Special Care and Operational Head of Service.
The post holder will be expected to provide dental treatment under local anaesthesia +/- sedation and under day case general anaesthesia sessions. Treatments will include dento-alveolar surgery and restorative treatment. This will include patients who have a physical, sensory, intellectual, mental, medical, emotional or social impairment or disability or a combination of these factors. The post holder will be expected to treat medically compromised patients.
The post holder will supervise and develop teaching for the whole dental team. Supervise dental therapists, Band A and Band B dentists
You will work in close co-operation with, and support other clinical, medical professional and managerial colleagues in providing high quality healthcare to the Trust's patients.
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 2024 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 Accredited Living Wage Employer, we ensure fair pay for all our staffo 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 Trust
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.
Job description Job responsibilities
a) Provision of specialist NHS dental care to the children and young people with complex needs and/or disabilities in primary care clinical settings, under general anaesthesia and occasionally by a domiciliary visit, with the completion of associated clinical records.
b) Support the Consultant in Special Care Dentistry and specialists in managing referrals into the service.
c) Organising and actively leading on outreach within the dental service to support the development of the clinicians.
d) Management of line reports.
e) Training, development and mentorship of clinical staff in the service.
f) When opportunity arises, support the Specialty TrainingProgramme in Paediatric Dentistry, with a consideration for the development of a formal training pathway in Paediatric Dentistry StR training programme linked to an academic centre.
g) Create a climate where excellence in practice flourishes and where individuals are respected and valued for their role and contribution.
h) Set, monitor, implement and maintain excellent standards of practice and patient care through a range of quality improvement activities that include clinical practice benchmarking, clinical audit, patient feedback measures, performance and outcomes review and professional accountability. Ensure all standards are aligned to all relevant Trust strategies.
i) Undertake all work in accordance with the Trusts procedures and operating policies/procedures.
j) Conduct clinical practice in accordance with contractual requirements and within the parameters of the Trusts service plans.
k) Maintain the confidence of business plans and development strategies formulated for the specialty, the division or the Trust.
l) Monitor performance activity.
m) Contribute to the planning, development and day to day operational management of the service.
n) Assist and deputise for senior colleagues as required, including service representation at meetings within and external to the Trust related to the dental service.
o) It is envisaged that the appointee will be able to actively contribute to the development and delivery of the service.
Please see attached Job Description and Person Specification for further information on the role.
Person Specification
Qualifications Essential
Full GDC registration (E) Inclusion on the GDC Specialist List in Paediatric Dentistry A valid NHS Primary Dental Care Performer Number Recognised Professional Dental Qualification
Experience Essential
Experience in Paediatric dentistry, sedation techniques and general anaesthetic Experience of providing dental care for children with co-morbidities including those with complex medical problems, learning disability, communication and/or behavioural problems Experience in Clinical Leadership of staff
Skills and Knowledge Essential
Ability to appraise own performance, demonstrate insight into own strength/weaknesses and act on feedback Ability to work within a team and to co-operate with all dental and DCP staff
Other Essential
Experience of providing clinical supervision and training in Paediatric Dentistry. Understanding of the role of governance in ensuring high quality care and safe practice
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.
Certificate of Sponsorship 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).
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 Special Care Dental Service Worthing
Worthing Integrated Care Centre, 1 Civic Place
Worthing
BN11 1TF
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.sussexcommunity.nhs.uk/work-with-us/ (Opens in a new tab)