Band 7 Dental Staff Hygienist

Job description

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

General Duties

• To be fully conversant with basic first aid and resuscitation techniques, attending regular training.
• Comply with local rules relating to radiography, IRMER and the Dental Radiographic Quality Assurance Audit Policy.
• Comply with the departmental and Trust policy on the control of infection.
• Assess new instruments in terms of performance and feedback evaluations.
• Adhere to Trust policy on Manual Handling, participating in mandatory training.
• Actively participate in Team Briefing meetings and peer group reviews.
• Participate in the training of other grades of Trust staff as required.
• Participate in activities related to the promotion of quality of service, including schemes for clinical audit and standard setting.
• Participate in such continuing professional development and training that may be necessary for personal development, as identified jointly with the head of the service.
• Ensure effective and efficient use of resources.
• Agree personal objectives related to the delivery of the service. Agree and manage time effectively to ensure that the workload is scheduled and completed on time.
• Administrative duties include monitoring of referrals and managing appointments directly with patients and reception staff.
• Monitor personal workload and communicate to clinical lead periodic variations in service requirements
• Support the clinical team in reviewing services and implementing service developments, proposing changes and innovations
• Contribute to the development, interpretation, implementation, and review of national and local policies as well as the service's policies, procedures and standard.
• To undertake other duties commensurate with this grade of post in agreement with the relevant line manager.

To minimise the Trust's environmental impact wherever possible, including recycling, switching off lights, computers, monitors and equipment when not in use. Helping to reduce paper waste by minimising printing/copying and reducing water usage, reporting faults and heating/cooling concerns promptly and minimising travel. Where the role includes the ordering and use of supplies or equipment the post holder will consider the environmental impact of purchases.

Person specification

Personal qualities

Essential criteria

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Professional approach
• Work as part of a multidisciplinary team
• Problem-solving skills.
• Prioritising and planning skills
• Commitment to personal development
• Flexible and responsive to change
• Motivated
• Empathise with patients/carers/relatives
• Responsible and accountable for own professional actions
• Willing to work in other areas of the Hospital in order to accommodate service requirements, as directed by the Head of Department
• Work with direct supervision and make appropriate clinical decisions
• Work in confined spaces which may require periods of sitting or standing
• Safe use of specialist dental and dental radiography equipment if required

Qualifications / training

Essential criteria

• Degree in Dental Hygiene/Therapy
• Compulsory annual registration with the General Dental Council with a specific medical or dental society is advisable
• Personal indemnity insurance
• Current GDC registration
• Competency in permitted extended duties:- Local infiltration analgesia
• Inferior dental nerve block analgesia
• Dental impressions

Skills/Knowledge

Essential criteria

• Good empathic interpersonal and communication skills (written & verbal) beyond those required for routine dental care in general dental practice.Good knowledge of the role of the Special Care/Restorative/Paediaitric Dentistry in secondary and tertiary care.
• Analytical and problem solving skills appropriate to the provision of specialist care in a specialist environment and those required in the learning environment
• Collaborate and interact professionally with individuals.
• Maintain knowledge of current dental hygiene practice
• Ability to work under pressure and on own initiative
• IT skills in clinical software and Microsoft office
• Participate in and evaluate audit and research.
• Safe use of specialist dental and edental radiography equipment
• Receive and analyse complex information and determine individual care packages in own clinical practice and for multiple patients at one time during clinical supervision of undergraduates
• Concentrate for long periods of time.
• Work without direct supervision and make appropriate clinical decisions
• Be competent in dealing with emotional and distressing situations and possible verbal aggressive behaviour
• Familiarity with all policies and procedures determined locally and within the PCT.
• Ability to source knowledge in order to provide clinical care under quality assurance.
• High quality clinical skills beyond those required for routine dental care in general dental practice
• Ability to empathise with students needs and provide effective feedback
• Knowledge of specific needs of patients with complex medical conditions, eg complex respiratory conditions, bariatric patients and those with dermatological conditions (eg, Epidermolysis Bullosa) to enable safe practice
• Work in confined spaces which may require periods of sitting or standing

Desirable criteria

• Management of patients with craniofacial abnormalities/disease

Experience

Essential criteria

• Experience in working/dealing with special needs groups including the elderly, young patients, medically compromised patients and those patients with differing abilities, challenging behaviour and those with neuro diversities.
• Significant experience as a dental hygienist and therapist in restorative treatment for adults and managing patients with advanced periodontal disease.
• Experience of providing treatment for adults with severe dental anxiety
• Experience of treating adults with a range of disabilities
• Evidence of participation in clinical audit/peer review

Desirable criteria

• Experience of treating adults with a range of disabilities
• Previous relevant teaching experience

UK Home Office Visa Sponsorship requirements

In accordance with UK Home Office requirements, Band 2 clinical and non-clinical roles and Band 3 Non-Clinical roles are not eligible for sponsorship.

Please note that the majority of non-clinical roles (Agenda for Change Band 3 - 6) with the exception of those which appear on this list -