The Role
The Childsmile programme is tasked with reducing inequalities in oral health and ensuring access to dental services for every child across Lanarkshire.
Childsmile combines targeted and universal approaches to tackling children’s oral health improvement through the four programme components (Childsmile Toothbrushing Programme, Childsmile Practice & Community Programme, Childsmile Fluoride Varnish Programme). This combination will provide a comprehensive pathway of care that is tailored to the needs of individual children.
This post is primarily focused on Childsmile Practice & Community and Childsmile Fluoride Varnish. Childsmile Practice provides a universally-accessible, child-centred NHS dental service, through a network of independent and public dental service providers. Childsmile is introduced to the family by the health visitor or public health nurse who refers them straight to a dental practice or to the Dental Health Support Worker (DHSW) who will provide help with getting children registered with a dental practice. Childsmile Fluoride Varnish provides clinical prevention programmes offering twice-yearly fluoride varnishing, through public dental services for children attending priority nurseries and primary schools. The post holder will be involved in supporting Extended Duty Dental Nurses with delivering oral health advice, tooth brushing advice and making fluoride varnish. The post holder will spend some of their time working in these components of Childsmile.
Childsmile Toothbrushing is a Scotland-wide initiative to help improve the health of our children's teeth, through the distribution of free dental packs and supervised tooth brushing programmes in all nurseries and in priority primary schools. On occasions time will be spent supporting Oral Health Educators with the delivery of the tooth brushing programme in nurseries and primary schools
The post holder will also be involved in supporting Oral Health Educators with delivering oral health advice, tooth brushing advice and supporting the staff who apply fluoride to suitable residents in Care Homes throughout Lanarkshire. On occasions some of the post holder’s time will be spent on this programme.
A key role is to educate and promote awareness of oral health issues and to help deliver new initiatives in compliance with national requirements or as directed by the Childsmile Coordinator
NHS Lanarkshire
Have you always wanted to work with NHS Lanarkshire? Then this might be the opportunity for you to join Team Lanarkshire!
Here at NHS Lanarkshire, we put the patient at the heart of everything we do. Each colleague within the organisation plays a key role in how we deliver our healthcare services.
We proudly serve a population of 655,000 across rural and urban communities in both North and South Lanarkshire. NHS Lanarkshire is comprised of Acute Services (which currently provide hospital based services over 3 main sites), Corporate & Property & Support Services, North and South Lanarkshire Health and Social Care Partnerships which provide integrated primary healthcare and social care services to local communities and surrounding areas.
What we'll need you to bring
* SVQ III in Health Care, or working towards, or equivalent experience working within a caring environment/ role
* Ability to work with people as part of a multidisciplinary/ agency team
* Ability to carry out assigned patient care and tasks effectively within a busy environment
* Ability to work unsupervised
* Good communication(spoken and written) & interpersonal skills
* A flexible and adaptable approach to work.
* Good organisational and administration skills
* Must have a valid full driving licence
Please note for all vacancies where a driving licence is required this must be a full UK/EU/EEA licence.
It would be great if you also have
* Evidence of attendance at training programmes
* (Childsmile)
* Working within care sector
* Reporting Mechanisms
* Understanding roles And responsibilities, nature of service provision
* Knowledge of NHS Lanarkshire (Main Locations)
* Working knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel
* Effective written and verbal communication skills
* Ability to manage time effectively
* Flexible
* Drive electric vans
Contract type
Permanent
Full time
37 hours
Location and Working Pattern
This role will be based in Childsmile within Buchanan Centre
The working pattern for this role Mon-Fri 8.30-4.30
Whilst this advertisement may be for a specific post(s) in a particular location, applicants who are shortlisted for interview may be considered for similar vacancies in alternative locations.
Looking to find out more?
If you’re looking to find out more, then we would love to hear from you!
Please contact Gillian Shaw, Child smile Coordinator (Dental) on Gillian.Shaw@lanarkshire.scot.nhs.uk
For enquiries regarding the application form or recruitment process, please contact Adnan Saddique, Recruitment Administrator on adnan.saddique@lanarkshire.scot.nhs.uk (Please remember to include the job title and reference number in your email)
Why NHS Lanarkshire?
Join us and you will discover a supportive environment where you will have the chance to add to your skills and further your career.
Some of NHS Lanarkshire’s benefits include:
* A minimum of 27 days annual leave increasing with length of service
* A minimum of 8 days of public holidays
* Membership of NHS Pension Scheme, with life insurance benefits (for more information on the NHS Pension Scheme visit the Scottish Public Pension )
* Paid sick leave increasing with length of service
* Occupational health services
* Employee counselling services
* Work-life Balance policies and procedures
NHS Lanarkshire have a range of support services on topics that can impact both on your working and personal life including occupational health, spiritual care and independent counselling. This support can be accessed using the links on this page.
Further Information
For more information on the role, please refer to the Job Description. If you’re looking for more information on the recruitment process, organisation or the services we provide, please refer to our information pack, or our recruitment webpage .
Additional Information for Applicants
* Posts close at midnight on the indicated date. However, if there are a high level of interest in this position, we may close the advert once sufficient applications are received. Please complete and submit your application early.
* For help to complete an application on Jobtrain please follow this link:
* Please check your e-mail regularly (including junk & spam folders) as well as your Jobtrain account for updates.
* We recommend using the Internet Browser "Google Chrome" or "Microsoft Edge" when using Jobtrain
* Once you have submitted your application form you will be unable to make any amendments
NHS Lanarkshire is dedicated to building a diverse workforce where everyone can thrive, develop, and succeed based on their skills, knowledge, and talent—regardless of race, disability, gender, sexual orientation, or care experience* or any other dimension that can be used to differentiate people from one another.
*Care experienced applicants include those who have lived with foster parents, kinship carers, or in residential/secure children’s settings.
Candidates should provide original and authentic responses to all questions within the application form. The use of artificial intelligence (AI), automated tools, or other third-party assistance to generate, draft, or significantly modify responses is strongly discouraged. By submitting your application, you confirm that all answers are your own work, reflect your personal knowledge, skills and experience, and have not been solely produced or altered by AI or similar technologies. Failure to comply with this requirement may result in your application being withdrawn from the application process.
Right to Work within the UK
NHS Lanarkshire has a legal obligation to ensure that it does not employ any worker who has not been granted the relevant permission to work in the UK.
We are required to check the entitlement to work in the UK of all prospective employees, regardless of nationality or job category. UK Visas & Immigration rules are available at www.bia.homeoffice.gov.uk .
Prospective applicants are encouraged to check eligibility in advance of applying for vacancies in NHS Lanarkshire.
Please note that all Band 1 and Band 2 posts are not eligible for sponsorship through the Skilled Worker route.