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Job summary

Main area
Dentistry
Grade
Band 5
Contract
Permanent
Hours
Full time - 37.5 hours per week (Monday to Friday- 8.30am to 16.30pm)
Job ref
267-CH7995710
Employer
Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Murray House Dental Clinic
Town
Oxford
Salary
£32,073 - £39,043 Per annum
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
08/06/2026 23:59

Employer heading

Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust logo

Dental Nurse Assessor

Band 5

Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust has been rated as Good by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

We are a responsive and innovative Foundation Trust that places our values of Caring, Safe and Excellent at the heart of everything we do. We take great pride in our staff and believe that investing in you is key to us achieving our vision of outstanding care delivered by outstanding people.

We work with a wide range of partner organisations to deliver care and support to people in their own homes and from a number of hospitals and community bases. We focus on delivering care as close to home as possible for people of all ages across Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Swindon, Wiltshire, Bath and North East Somerset.

We actively support anti-racism, equality, diversity, and inclusion so, if you’re excited about this job opportunity and you meet our Trust values, but feel unsure about applying, then please get in touch and we will be happy to have a conversation with you.

We are also committed to increasing diversity in the workforce, that is why we actively encourage applications from those groups of people who are currently under-represented, which include amongst others: people with disabilities; men from all socio-economic backgrounds; people from diverse ethnic backgrounds; and people from the LGBTQIA+ community.

Good luck and we hope to hear from you.


 

Job overview

We are seeking a knowledgeable and motivated Dental Nurse Assessor to support and assess learner dental nurses throughout their training journey.

The role involves mentoring apprentices, assessing practical competence and underpinning knowledge, maintaining accurate learner records, and ensuring training meets awarding body and regulatory standards. The postholder will also work clinically as part of the dental team, maintaining professional practice and supporting the delivery of high-quality patient care.

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced dental professional who is passionate about education, quality, clinical excellence, and developing the next generation of dental nurses.

Main duties of the job

  • Assess and support apprentice dental nurses in the workplace through planned reviews.

  • Monitor learner progress against qualification standards, apprenticeship requirements, and awarding body criteria.

  • Provide coaching, guidance, and constructive feedback to help learners develop their clinical knowledge, practical skills, and professional behaviours.

  • Carry out observations, reviews, and assessments, ensuring all evidence is valid, accurate, and completed within required timescales.

  • Work clinically as part of the dental team, maintaining professional competence and supporting the delivery of safe, effective, high-quality patient care.

  • Ensure all delivery and assessment activities comply with safeguarding, equality, health and safety, GDPR, and regulatory requirements.

  • Keep up to date with developments in dental nursing practice, education, and apprenticeship standards.

Working for our organisation

Oxford Health is a great place to work and to be able to showcase the best of yourself when making an application please read the “candidate guide to making an application” and ensure your supporting statement is tailored to the role you are applying for and addresses any essential criteria.

As a Trust we provide physical, mental health and social care for people of all ages across Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Swindon, Wiltshire, Bath and Northeast Somerset. Our services are delivered at community bases, hospitals, clinics and people’s homes, delivering care as close to home as possible. Our vision is that no matter who you are or where you are, you will tell us that you receive: “Outstanding care delivered by an outstanding team”

Our values are: “Caring, safe and excellent”

We offer a wide range of benefits designed to support your career and wellbeing. These include:

•    Excellent opportunities for career progression
•    Access to tailored individual and Trust wide learning and development
•    27 days annual leave, plus bank holidays, rising to 33 days with continuous service
•    NHS Discount across a wide range of shops, restaurants and retailers
•    Competitive pension scheme
•    Lease car scheme
•    Cycle to work scheme
•    Employee Assistance Programme
•    Mental Health First Aiders
•    Staff accommodation (please note waiting lists apply)
•    Staff networking and support groups hosted by our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion team

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

  • Plan and deliver a caseload of workplace-based assessments for Apprentice Dental Nurses undertaking the NEBDN National Diploma, in line with programme requirements and agreed assessment plans. 
  • Carry out direct observations in the clinical setting and assess knowledge, skills and behaviours against agreed criteria. 
  • Conduct weekly supervision sessions, deliver constructive feedback, and establish agreed action plans to facilitate learner development and ensure safe clinical practice. 
  • Review learner portfolios/evidence, set targets, and monitor progress to support achievement of the NEBDN National Diploma within required timescales. 
  • Maintain accurate, auditable records of learner contact, assessment activity, feedback and outcomes, including portfolio/evidence documentation, in line with Trust and NEBDN programme requirements. 
  • Liaise with internal clinical teams and the NEBDN training providers/Centre to ensure learners received appropriate support and that NEBDN programme requirements are met. 
  • Deliver or facilitate tutorials, workshops and skills updates for learners and/or the dental nursing team, as agreed with the Dental Nurse Team Manager. 
  • Support learners to develop clinical competence while promoting patient-centred care, infection prevention and control and safeguarding practice.

We hope that the advert has given you a clear understanding of the skills we are seeking and the opportunity at hand. You will need to use the “supporting statement” element of your application form to demonstrate your suitability for this role and you should refer to the job description, person specification and the guidance notes attached to this role to help you tailor your application.

The essential and desirable criteria will be used to shortlist for interview and you should ensure that you refer to these within your application to increase your chances of being selected for interview.

We are aware that some candidates may choose to use AI tools to support their application. We kindly remind applicants that submissions should remain an honest and accurate representation of their experience and must take care to ensure the use of AI tools does not generate an application that does not accurately reflect their knowledge, skills and values.

Person specification

Knowledge

Essential criteria
  • Familiarity with NEBDN National Diploma requirements and portfolio/evidence expectations.

Qualifications

Essential criteria
  • Dental Nurse National Certificate/NVQ Level Oral Health Care.
  • GCSE’s, or equivalent, in Literacy and Numeracy.
  • Recognised assessor qualification suitable for assessing the NEBDN National Diploma.
  • Registration with the General Dental Council.
  • Full and valid UK driving licence and access to own vehicle

Further Training or Job-Related Aptitude and Skills

Essential criteria
  • Literate, numerate and able to communicate at all levels
  • Basic computer skills; familiar with dental software package
  • Able to supervise trainees and unqualified staff

Experience

Essential criteria
  • Experience of working in the general community or hospital dental service.
  • Experience in working within general and aesthetic/sedation/special needs environment.
  • Experience of supporting learners/trainees in practice, including giving feedback and contributing to development plans.
Desirable criteria
  • Previous supervisory/line management experience.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Apprenticeships logoNo smoking policyPositive about disabled peopleCare quality commission - GoodArmed Forces Covenant Gold AwardMindful employer.  Being positive about mental health.Disability confident employerStep into healthNHS 75th BirthdayDefence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) - Gold

Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Kerry McGann
Job title
Dental Nurse Team Manager
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
01865 904 075
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