Detailed job description and main responsibilities

CLINICAL

 a)    To provide Specialist Paediatric clinical care to Children with additional or special care needs.  The following main care groups are included under this description:

 §  Oral Health care of anxious children

§  Children with challenging behavioral disorders

§  Children with complicated Social Histories, including Looked after Children or children who are subject to shared care with Social work departments

§  Children with autistic spectrum disorders

§  Children with attention Deficit Disorders

§  Children with Special Needs

§  Complicated Medical Histories

§  Children with neurological difficulties

§  Specialised Management of children with oral and dental developmental problems including

-       Dental anomalies, e.g. amelogenesis imperfecta, hypodontia, MIH, osteogenesis imperfecta

-       Cleft lip and Palate

§  Management of damage to teeth and mouth following traumatic injury

Patients may be referred by community dental officers, general dental practitioners and hospital consultants, in addition to those referred from staff in the health, local authority and voluntary sectors. 

 b)    To provide a comprehensive dental treatment service for patients who require special paediatric care

 c)    To manage the delivery of specialist Paediatric dentistry within dental surgeries and in other sites, and to ensure that treatment is provided safely, effectively and efficiently.

d)    To provide clinical care under sedation, or general anaesthesia as required.

 e) To demonstrate professional and clinical leadership in the clinical setting in providing treatment safely and to a high standard,

 f)     To provide clinical care for other CDS patients, according to the needs of the service

g)    To comply with all relevant professional and organisational policies, guidelines and standards including mandatory training, health and safety and infection control

 h)    To provide clinical cover, including treatment planning sessions when required, in health centres other than their base clinic, and in other settings such as special schools and hospitals

LEADERSHIP and MANAGEMENT

 a)    To provide clinical supervision of staff, potentially including trainees in paediatric dentistry.

b)    To carry out appraisals of colleagues and implement appropriate training programmes. Potential to provide line management

c)    To demonstrate leadership in the development of paediatric dentistry, offering professional leadership, promoting children’s oral health and enabling the development of clinical care networks in partnership with others for the effective and efficient provision of care for children

 d)    To aide development of integrated care pathways across primary, secondary and social care   

e)    To make presentations to staff, stakeholders and commissioners where appropriate

 f)     Work with dental leadership team and others to develop and deliver efficient cost-effective strategies for the improvement of the oral health in the child population.

  ORAL HEALTH PROMOTION AND PREVENTION

 a)    To develop and evaluate health promotion and preventive programmes, in collaboration with others, that reflects the need to improve the oral health of children with special needs and their carers.

b)    Development of oral health care strategies for children at a local level

c)    Influencing on a local level, measures to improve children’s oral health care services.

d)    Acting as an advocate for children to ensure that their oral health needs are adequately met

 COLLABORATION

a)    Contribute to and support teams involved in the care of children with complex problems

b)    Offering advice and support to health professionals in other disciplines, including physicians, surgeons, medical practitioners, health visitors and other health professionals, with the aim of contributing to effective holistic care of children

c)    To work with others in the health, local authority and voluntary sectors to raise awareness of the oral health needs of children with special needs, promote oral health and to improve access to dental services

 d)    To work with colleagues in other sectors of dentistry to ensure that children with special needs receive high quality care in the most appropriate setting. This may involve working with shared care principles, secondary care teams and clinical network arrangements

 NEEDS ASSESSMENT

 a)    To support screening and surveys of children with special needs to identify their oral health needs.

b)    To provide written reports, as required to commissioners.

 TRAINING

a)    To provide induction, support and training to community dental staff, including professions complementary to dentistry, as part of developing dental services for children with complex needs

b)    To provide essential dental education to dental professionals at all levels including:

·         dental undergraduates

·         primary care dentists and generalists

·         other dental care professionals (DCPs),such as dental therapists, dental hygienists and dental nurses

c)    To be responsible for your own current and future development needs and be highly motivated in updating knowledge, skills and abilities relevant to a leadership role

 RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

 a)    To undertake programs of research in the area of care for children with special needs that has been approved by the Clinical Director (CD) and which are relevant to the development of the service

 b)    To advise the CD and commissioners on the oral health needs of children with special needs and how services might be developed to meet those needs.

c)    To both lead and contribute to departmental programmes in quality improvement, audit, innovation and service development

 d)    Advise in the development of new strategies for improving the oral health and dental health needs of children with serious medical disorders, disabilities or complex social histories