Clinical Nurse Specialist (Diabetes and Long Term conditions)

Job overview

This is an an exciting new role in GMMH.

The Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) for Diabetes and Long-Term Conditions at Greater Manchester Mental Health (GMMH) Trust provides expert leadership in physical healthcare for people living with both mental illness and long-term physical conditions. The role helps ensure that people with severe mental illness receive equitable, proactive, evidence-based diabetes care, reducing health inequalities and improving long-term outcomes.

The CNS works across inpatient units, prisons, community teams, and other GMMH services to provide specialist assessment, care planning, staff education, and integrated care pathways that respond to the close link between mental and physical health. The role supports teams to deliver safe and effective care for patients within a mental health trust and acts as the Trust’s subject matter expert, linking with key people across the wider system.

Main duties of the job

Specialist Clinical Practice

Leadership & Service Development

Education & Workforce Development

Collaborative & Integrated Working

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Specialist Clinical Practice

• Support with Diabetes Management — Provide day‑to‑day guidance on blood glucose monitoring, oral diabetes medications, insulin administration, and recognising early signs of hypo‑ or hyperglycaemia.
• Support with Long term condition management -Recognise and provide day to day support with
• Monitoring Metabolic Side Effects — Support teams to complete regular physical‑health checks for service users on antipsychotic medication, including weight, blood pressure, and blood tests, and ensure results are followed up appropriately.
• Inpatient Support — Assist ward staff with safe diabetes care including other long term conditions, including meal planning, medication timing, and responding to common issues such as missed doses, fluctuating blood sugars, CPAP administration and peak flow management.
• Patient Education — Provide simple, accessible information to service users and carers about healthy eating, medication routines, and how to manage diabetes and other long term conditions alongside mental health needs.
• Care Coordination — Help link service users with GP practices, community diabetes teams and other long term conditions teams and acute hospitals to ensure they receive the right physical‑health support at the right time.
• Record Keeping & Documentation — Maintain accurate, timely clinical records and contribute to care plans that reflect both mental and physical‑health needs.
• Comprehensive Specialist Assessment — Undertake advanced diabetes and long‑term condition assessments, interpreting clinical data and developing personalised care plans.
• Physical‑Health Assessments — Carry out routine diabetes and long‑term condition assessments, including blood glucose checks, foot checks, vital signs, and metabolic monitoring, and escalate concerns to senior clinicians when needed.

Leadership & Service Development

• Clinical Leadership — Lead on the development and implementation of Trust‑wide diabetes and LTC pathways, policies, and guidelines.
• Conduct audits (e.g., metabolic monitoring compliance, inpatient diabetes safety) and contribute to quality improvement initiatives.
• Support delivery of the NHS Long Term Plan priorities for physical‑health improvement in severe mental illness.

Education & Workforce Development

• Staff Training & Competency Development — Deliver structured training for mental health nurses, support workers, and MDT colleagues on diabetes management, physical‑health monitoring, and NICE‑aligned practice.
• Provide clinical supervision, mentorship, and expert advice to support safe, consistent care across the Trust.

Collaborative & Integrated Working

• Multidisciplinary Collaboration — Work closely with psychiatrists, GPs, endocrinologists, dietitians, pharmacists, and community services to ensure seamless care.
• Strengthen links between mental health, primary care, and acute diabetes services to reduce fragmentation and improve continuity.