Apprentice Dental Nurse

Job summary

Apply today to start your journey in becoming part of our future Healthcare Workforce!

This role is offered on an Apprenticeship basis for 19 months.

The Level 3 Dental Nurse apprenticeship at Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust is an excellent opportunity to gain valuable clinical experience and training in community dental settings and achieve a Level 3 Diploma in Dental Nursing alongside the Level 3 Dental Nurse Apprenticeship Standard, recognised by the General Dental Council (GDC).

An apprenticeship is suitable for anyone who has an interest in pursuing a career within healthcare as well as gaining a Level 3 Diploma in Dental Nursing.

Alongside this full-time Dental Nurse role, you will be enrolled onto the Dental Nurse Apprenticeship Programme and will be expected to study and complete assignments to achieve a recognised Level 3 Dental Nurse qualification. The apprenticeship will include the expectation to complete the Level 3 Dental Nurse Apprenticeship within a 19 month timeframe which includes an end point assessment.

This post is open to candidates who are looking to start their career in a dental and healthcare environment with no previous experience or alternatively the more experienced healthcare worker looking for a change to further their clinical knowledge and skills.

Main duties of the job

Dental Nurses play a vital role with assisting in all clinical aspects within the surgery. Working under the direction of a Dental Officer they take care of the needs of patients by providing a high level of care.

The role of a Dental Nurse can be a physical one and successful apprentices will be expected to have an understanding of all patients' needs. An apprentice can be exposed to distressing or emotional circumstances in relation to patients who may be in severe pain and anxious of dental treatment.

Dental Nurses are expected to be friendly, caring and sensitive with the confidence to communicate with patients and healthcare professional colleagues.

The key result areas for the role are that the apprentice will be required to:

• Assist Dental Officers in the provision of clinical dentistry within the Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust
• To support the Senior Nurse in the day to day running of clinics as required
• To provide a high standard of care to service users
• To maintain personal and professional development
• To ensure trust policies and protocols are adhered to
• Monitor and report the necessary for repairs/service/maintenance of equipment
• Participate in clinical audits

The qualification, training & experience requirements for the role are underlined in the Job Description/Person Specification.

About us

We have a skilled and dedicated workforce of over 5000 colleagues working in a diverse range of services over 55 sites and within people's homes. We strive to enable a welcoming workplace culture that builds and celebrates civility, inclusivity and diversity, while providing a sense of belonging and trust.

Annual staff surveys, regular Pulse surveys and other engagement opportunities provide our people with lots of opportunity to tell us about their experiences of working with us. In the latest staff survey, 61% of colleagues gave us their views. It was great to hear that:

• 72% of colleagues would recommend the Trust as a place to work, ranking us 1st for Provider Trusts in the South West region on this question.
• 76% would recommend the standard of care provided in our services if a friend or relative needed treatment, also ranking us 1st in the South West region.
• 81% said that care of patients and service users is the Trust's priority, compared with an average in comparable NHS Trusts in England of 64%.

This high-level overview shows we are in a healthy position, with higher scores than average for comparable organisations, alongside a great response rate, indicating good staff engagement. However, we also know we have plenty of room for improvement in many areas. To that end, we continue to prioritise and invest in our commitment to genuinely becoming a Great Place to Work with consistent top-quartile performance in the annual staff survey and Pulse surveys.

Details

Date posted

19 August 2026

Pay scheme

Other

Salary

£15,600 a year Apprenticeship Salary for 12 months then NMW

Contract

Apprenticeship

Duration

19 months

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

327-26-669

Job locations

St Paul's Dental Centre

121 Swindon Road

Cheltenham

GL50 4DP

United Kingdom

For further information and to apply, click on the APPLY BUTTON at the bottom of this advert to view the supporting documents or apply online