Diabetes Specialist Nurse

Job overview

We are looking to recruit a motivated practitioner with initiative and drive to join our small Community Diabetes Team.

The ideal candidate should be able to demonstrate flexibility and creative thinking in respect of service delivery.

Excellent communication and interpersonal skills are required with a commitment to team working as well as being able to demonstrate working using own initiative. You will work closely with the Acute Trust and Services within the Community.

This is a permanent part time post (18.25 hours) working across Monday to Friday with no on-call.

Main duties of the job

• Accountable for own professional actions, specialist for a defined area of diabetes care. Assesses, plans and implements care for patients with diabetes, providing specialist advice.
• Providing safe care to patients in line with NICE guidelines and other local and national guidance relevant to role.
• Maintaining accurate patient records in line with trust policy and professional guidance.
• Provides specialist education and training to other staff and students on all aspects of diabetes management.
• Offer support and guidance to the Community Diabetes & Desmond Team.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Planning and Organisational Duties

Assesses, develops and implements specialised programmes of care providing specialist advice on all aspects of diabetes management to patients and relatives.

Advises medical and nursing staff on appropriate treatment regimes for patients on a daily basis and is responsible for the continued management of cases in nurse run clinics and home visits.

Establish and maintain effective communication with various individuals and groups on potentially stressful topics in a range of situations.

Collect, collate and organise data on the health and well being and related needs of people with diabetes and the associated complications drawing the appropriate conclusions and making them available to relevant people.

Contributes to the development of specialist evidence based protocols for use within their own area of diabetes care.

Raise communities and populations awareness of health and well-being and the actions that can be taken to address issues.

Prioritise and monitor workload within own specialist area, recognising change in priorities and implementing corrective actions where necessary.

Contributes to the planning and delivery of specialist education for health professionals working within the community across the borough of Wigan.

To assist with the review of services

Communications and Key Working Relationships

Accept direct referrals from other health care professionals and through the utilisation of relevant diagnostic investigations makes a diagnosis and generates treatment options.

Analyse and rigorously review all aspects of the patients programme of care interpreting information and using knowledge and judgement to provide specialist advice to recommend new course of action where necessary.

Skilled in the assessment of the special needs of the elderly and their limitations which have to be considered when producing individualised treatment regimes (eg cognitive function, manual dexterity)

Explain clearly to patients/carers the benefits and risks of different interventions, the alternative approaches available and the role of individual members of the team.

Communicates empathetically comprehensive and detailed sensitive information to patients and carers regarding both the diagnosis and the development of long-term life-threatening complications.

Utilise highly developed physical skills where accuracy is important, eg teaching home blood glucose monitoring.

Support patients/carers encouraging them to promote their own health and well-being and to express their interests and concerns.

Identify potential communication difficulties, relevant contextual factors and the risk of not communicating information at an appropriate time. (eg providing individualised patient education at level and appropriate timing for them, taking into account barriers to communication such as language, physical disability and environment.)

To maintain effective professional relationships with Acute Diabetes services and other relevant Health & Social Care services within Wigan & Leigh.

To inform and negotiate with the Multidisciplinary Team and outside agencies the need for care interventions. Communicating sensitive and often complex information.

Responsible for ensuring systems and processes are in place for the allocation of link roles/champions to ensure wider learning fed back to the whole team.

Accept designated responsibilities from senior leaders.

Responsibility for Finance

Ensure efficient and effective use of material resources/supplies within the team

Monitor, control and store resources/supplies according to the requirements and specifications of the clinical environment

Identify any problems with resource use/availability and make recommendations for corrective action which are consistent with team objectives and organisational policies

Ensure patients valuables and belongings are documented and managed according to trust policy.

Responsibility for Teaching

Identify the wider benefits, and influence and prioritise the development of knowledge, ideas and work practice in self and others to meet the demands of the job

Establish with others goals and methods for developing knowledge, ideas and work practice within diabetes care across the borough of Wigan (eg teaching sessions, education forums)

Take an active part in sharing achievements and developing knowledge, ideas and work practice (organising and contributing to departmental, trust, local and national education forums)

Promote awareness for national policies and other initiatives related to diabetes, eg NSF, NICE Guidelines and local Guidelines. To provide managerial supervision and leadership to team members.

Ensure student learners are supported on clinical placement, are appropriately supervised and have an effective learning experience.

Support junior staff with route planners and reviews.

Please see the full Job Description and Person Specification for full details

Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.