About Hampshire Dentists:
Hampshire Dentists is an award-winning, technology-led private dental practice dedicated to delivering exceptional patient care in a warm, caring and non-judgmental environment.
We combine advanced clinical dentistry with outstanding customer service and are committed to helping both our patients and our team thrive.
We don't simply repair teeth—we help people regain confidence, overcome dental anxiety and enjoy visiting the dentist again.
Lead Dental Nurse
Location: Hampshire Dentists, Southampton
Reports to: Practice Owners
Responsible for: Dental Nursing Team
Works closely with: Compliance & Patient Experience Lead, Operations & Finance Lead,
Principal Dentist and Clinical Team
Role Purpose
The Lead Dental Nurse is responsible for leading and developing the dental nursing team
and maintaining exceptional standards of clinical care, clinical compliance, organisation and
patient experience across Hampshire Dentists.
This is a hands-on leadership role. The Lead Dental Nurse will lead by example, bringing
a positive, proactive and solutions-focused attitude to the team. They will remain clinically
active and be willing to support across all areas of dental nursing when required, including
routine chairside nursing.
A key responsibility is taking day-to-day ownership of nursing and clinical compliance,
ensuring clinical policies, procedures, checks, audits and records are understood,
implemented and consistently maintained.
We are looking for someone with a genuine growth mindset who is committed to
continually developing themselves, their team and the way we work. They will be confident
in raising concerns, open to feedback and willing to learn from challenges, with a positive,
solutions-focused approach to making things better.
The successful candidate will also bring strong clinical experience in dental implants,
orthodontics, radiography, intra-oral scanning and digital dentistry.
1. Clinical Leadership, Compliance & Policies
Take day-to-day ownership of nursing and clinical compliance across the practice.
- Maintain excellent knowledge of current dental regulations, guidance and best practice relevant to dental nursing.
- Ensure clinical and nursing policies, protocols and procedures are understood, implemented and consistently followed.
- Support the review and development of clinical and nursing policies and ensure changes are communicated and embedded within the nursing team.
- Maintain high standards of infection prevention and control, including relevant HTM 01-05 requirements.
- Ensure required clinical checks, logbooks, cleaning and water records, equipment checks and validation records are completed accurately and on time.
- Undertake regular surgery spot checks and coordinate required clinical audits.
- Maintain appropriate oversight of medicines, COSHH, clinical waste, equipment maintenance and other delegated areas of clinical compliance.
- Ensure actions arising from audits, checks or identified concerns are completed and followed through.
- Maintain appropriate records and evidence to demonstrate compliance.
- Support the practice in maintaining readiness for relevant inspections and regulatory requirements.
- Raise significant clinical, regulatory or patient-safety concerns promptly with the Practice Owners and/or Principal Dentist.
- The Lead Dental Nurse is expected to identify concerns, understand why they have occurred and take appropriate action to implement/modify systems to greataddress them.
- They should encourage an open culture of learning and continuous improvement and, where appropriate, contribute practical recommendations for making things better.
2. Leadership & Management
- Lead, motivate and develop the dental nursing team, setting clear expectations for standards, performance and behaviour.
- Create a positive, supportive and accountable team culture.
- Lead from within the team and willingly undertake the full range of appropriate dental nursing duties when required.
- Plan and oversee nursing rotas and allocate nurses appropriately according to clinical requirements, skills and competency.
- Hold regular 1:1s and performance reviews, agreeing clear objectives and development plans.
- Lead nursing meetings and ensure agreed actions are followed through.
- Obtain appropriate clinician feedback and provide nurses with timely, constructive feedback.
- Recognise excellent performance and address concerns promptly, fairly and constructively.
- Support recruitment, induction, training, development and retention of dental nurses.
- Escalate significant or formal people-management matters to the Practice Owners. Formal disciplinary, grievance and capability processes will be managed with the Practice Owners and in accordance with Hampshire Dentists' policies.
3. Clinical Nursing & Digital Dentistry
- Maintain exemplary clinical standards and provide high-quality chairside support across general and complex dentistry.
- Be experienced and confident in dental implant nursing.
- Be experienced and confident in orthodontic nursing, including fixed orthodontics and clear aligners.
- Be confident working within digital dental workflows.
- Be competent and experienced in taking high-quality intra-oral digital scans.
- Hold a recognised Dental Radiography qualification and be competent in taking dental radiographs within professional scope and competence.
- Understand the role of CBCT and other digital imaging within the clinical workflow.
- Ensure surgeries are appropriately prepared, organised and equipped for treatment.
- Maintain excellent infection prevention, decontamination, documentation and patient-safety standards.
- Support efficient use of surgery time and minimise avoidable clinical disruption.
4. Training & Development
- Maintain oversight of nursing qualifications, training, competencies and development requirements.
- Maintain an accurate and up-to-date nursing training matrix.
- Identify individual and team skills gaps and ensure appropriate training or support is arranged.
- Provide a structured induction for new nurses.
- Support nurses undertaking additional qualifications and professional development.
- Develop nursing capability across implants, orthodontics, radiography and digital dentistry.
- Ensure nurses only undertake duties for which they are appropriately trained and competent.
- Support trainee dental nurses and fulfil any additional responsibilities where formally appointed as a named supervising GDC registrant.
- Maintain your own knowledge, skills and CPD.
Clinical Operations & Patient Care
- Oversee clinical stock, ordering, expiry dates and appropriate stock levels while minimising unnecessary waste.
- Ensure clinical equipment is appropriately maintained and serviced and faults are addressed promptly.
- Ensure clinical areas remain organised, safe, appropriately stocked and ready for use.
- Lead the nursing team in delivering warm, compassionate and consistently exceptional patient care.
- Demonstrate particular sensitivity when supporting nervous, anxious or vulnerable patients.
- Maintain patient confidentiality and professional standards.
- Work collaboratively with the Practice Owners, Operations & Finance Lead, Compliance
Patient Experience Lead, Principal Dentist and wider team.
- Continually identify opportunities to improve clinical systems, efficiency, patient care and the way the nursing team works.
Essential Qualifications & Experience
- GDC Registered Dental Nurse with significant post-qualification experience.
- Clear evidence of successfully leading, supervising or managing other people.
- Previous Lead Dental Nurse or Senior Dental Nurse
- Strong knowledge of infection prevention and control, HTM 01-05 and dental clinical compliance.
- Experience of clinical audits, compliance monitoring and implementing resulting actions.
- Experience nursing for dental implant treatment.
- Experience nursing for orthodontic treatment.
- Experience working with digital dentistry and intra-oral scanning.
- Strong organisation, attention to detail and communication skills.
- Confidence addressing situations where standards are not being met.
- A positive, proactive and flexible attitude, with a willingness to support wherever needed and undertake the full range of appropriate dental nursing duties.
- A growth mindset, with a commitment to learning, seeking feedback and continually improving themselves, their team and the way we work.
- Confidence to raise concerns constructively and contribute practical ideas and solutions.
- Commitment to exceptional patient care and ongoing professional development.
Desirable
- Recognised Dental Radiography qualification.
- Experience supporting complex or full-arch implant treatment.
- Broad orthodontic experience across fixed appliances and clear aligners.
- Experience training or mentoring dental nurses.
- Experience contributing to regulatory inspection readiness and wider clinical governance.
Key Measures of Success
Performance will be reviewed against agreed objectives and key measures, including:
- Clinical compliance: Required checks, logbooks, audits and records are accurate, complete and on time, with identified actions followed through.
- Clinical standards: Surgery checks and audits demonstrate consistently high standards, with concerns identified and addressed promptly.
- Team leadership: 1:1s, performance reviews and nursing meetings take place as scheduled, with clear actions and follow-up
- Training & competency: Training and competency records remain current and identified skills gaps are actively addressed.
- Clinical readiness: Surgeries are appropriately staffed, equipped, stocked and prepared, with avoidable disruption minimised.
- Stock & equipment: Appropriate stock levels and servicing requirements are maintained, with waste, expired stock and unresolved equipment issues minimised.
- Continuous improvement: Opportunities for improvement are identified, appropriate solutions are proposed and agreed actions are followed through.
- Patient & clinician experience: The nursing team provides consistently professional, reliable and compassionate support.
Professional Responsibilities
The Lead Dental Nurse must maintain GDC registration and appropriate CPD, work within
their professional scope and competence, comply with GDC Standards for the Dental Team
and Hampshire Dentists' policies and procedures, maintain patient confidentiality and raise
concerns appropriately where patient or team safety may be compromised.
The Lead Dental Nurse is responsible for the day-to-day delivery, monitoring and escalation
of nursing and clinical standards within their delegated areas of responsibility. This does not
replace the individual professional responsibilities of other registered dental professionals
or the statutory and regulatory responsibilities of the Practice Owners, Principal Dentist or
other designated individuals.
About the Role:
Full time
Monday to Wednesday: 7:45am to 5:15pm
Thursday 7:45am to 7:15 pm
Friday: 7:45am to 4:15 pm
Why Join Hampshire Dentists?
Joining Hampshire Dentists means becoming part of a practice that genuinely cares.
We offer:
- A beautiful, modern five-surgery private practice.
- Opportunities to work alongside clinicians providing implant, orthodontic and cosmetic dentistry.
- Advanced digital technology and equipment.
- Ongoing CPD and career development.
- Support to develop additional nursing qualifications.
- A supportive, friendly and highly experienced team.
- Staff social events and team-building activities.
- Inhouse Staff Plan for Dental Health Checks and Dental Hygiene
- Dental Uniform provided.
- Staff discounts.
- A positive workplace built on kindness, respect and continuous improvement.
Equality, Diversity & Inclusion
Hampshire Dentists is committed to equality of opportunity and creating an inclusive
working environment. We welcome applications from suitably qualified candidates from all
backgrounds and do not discriminate unlawfully on the grounds of any protected
characteristic.
Recruitment and employment decisions are based on the requirements of the role, skills,
qualifications and experience, with reasonable adjustments considered where required.
Privacy Notice for Job Applicants
Information provided during the recruitment process will be handled in accordance with
Hampshire Dentists' Privacy Notice for Job Applicants, available on our website:
https://hampshiredentists.com/privacy-notice-for-job-applicants/
Accessibility
Please note that this role involves welcoming patients throughout our Grade II listed building. It requires regular movement around the practice, including using stairs and assisting patients between different areas of the building. We are happy to discuss reasonable adjustments with applicants where possible.
Please refer to our Privacy Notice for Job Applicants on: https://hampshiredentists.com/privacy-notice-for-job-applicants/
Please note: This job description outlines the principal duties and responsibilities of the role. It is not intended to be an exhaustive list, and duties may reasonably change to meet the needs of the practice and the ongoing development of Hampshire Dentists.
Please note that due to the volume of applications, we are unable to respond to everyone directly. If you have not heard from us by Monday 24th August 2026, please be advised we will not be progressing with your application at this time.
Job Type: Permanent
Pay: From £15.00 per hour
Benefits:
Application question(s):
- Please describe the breadth of your dental nursing experience and the areas in which you feel most clinically confident. Please include your experience of general and complex dentistry, digital dentistry, intra-oral scanning and radiography, together with any experience or additional training in areas such as implants and orthodontics.
- Are you able to reliably commute to SO15 2EZ for the advertised working hours?
- Monday 7:45am – 5:15pm
- Tuesday 7:45am – 5:15pm
- Wednesday 7:45am – 5:15pm
- Thursday 7:45am – 7:15pm
- Friday 7:45am – 4:15pm
(Full time, One hour Lunch Break)
- Tell us about a time when you faced a difficult situation within a dental nursing team. What was the situation, what did you do, and what was the outcome?
- Tell us about a time you identified something within a dental practice that could be improved. What did you do, and what changed as a result?
- Tell us about a time you took the initiative to support your team or improve the way something was done. What did you do, and what did you learn from it?
Work Location: In person
