Advanced Clinical Practitioner - Diabetes Service

Job overview

• To be the expert ACP for the diabetes service providing operational day to day leadership for the diabetes service across the organisation.
• To be responsible for the teaching, development and assessment of all staff working in the service
• To provide line management to the diabetes and endocrinology specialist nursing team.
• To be a visible leader for the service working collaboratively with the MDT to support and maintain all aspects of service delivery and development.
• To ensure the principles of evidence based practice and adherence to current best practice guidelines is adopted across the service.
• To drive the research and audit programme for the diabetes service.
• To be aware and up to date of changes to local and national rheumatology services and pathways to ensure the Trust is equipped and ready to support the healthcare system in implementing these changes at Trust level.
• To provide education, development and training opportunities for the MDT working within diabetes services on both sites.
• To develop a workforce strategy for diabetes services.
• The ACP will undertake the role in accordance with Trust and Departmental guidelines but have freedom to act within broad policies and protocols, in accordance with professional responsibilities and boundaries.

Main duties of the job

• Uses highly developed clinical knowledge to independently assess, diagnose, plan, implement and evaluate treatments and interventions for patients presenting to the specialty with complex undifferentiated or undefined presentations.
• Undertakes physical examination as indicated by the patient’s condition; autonomously analysing complex clinical signs and investigation results to consider differential diagnoses and diagnose conditions, initiating treatment as required, while working within their area of expertise and the Diabetes MDT.
• Performs clinical procedures appropriate to the history and physical examination of the patient, including further invasive testing and treatments requiring highly developed skills and precision, including (but not limited to) catheterisation, cannulation, peripheral arterial blood gas sampling.
• Requests investigations such as blood, urine and other laboratory tests, electrocardiographs (ECGs), ultrasound scans, X-Rays and computed tomography (CT) scans in accordance with IR(ME)R regulations and as local policy allows.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• Continuously revaluates findings and clinical response to treatment and establishes an appropriate ongoing management plan accordingly with the support of the Diabetes MDT when required.
• Prioritises health problems and intervenes appropriately in complex, urgent and emergency situations, including initiation and leadership of resuscitation, for example in severe hypoglycaemia.
• Manages clinical events involving patients, often requiring unpredictable and high levels of mental and/or physical effort according to the patient’s dependency and clinical need.
• Provides clinical cover to the specialty wards according to patient and staffing needs.
• Prescribes and reviews medication (as an independent prescriber) for therapeutic effectiveness appropriate to patient need and in accordance with best/evidence-based practice and national and local protocols and within the role’s scope of practice and legal framework.