Diabetes Specialist Nurse

Job overview

This is an exciting opportunity to work as part of the multi-disciplinary Diabetes Service with Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust based at Torbay Hospital.

We are seeking a dynamic and compassionate registered Nurse with clinical knowledge of diabetes care and a keen interest to work in this specialised area.  A strong interest in developing a proactive approach to the delivery of high standards of evidence-based care is essential.

Main duties of the job

You will join a multidisciplinary team to carry nursing responsibility for both inpatient, outpatient and community patients with diabetes. You will be required to work as a skilled practitioner assessing, implementing and evaluating treatment and care based on best evidence based clinical practice in a range of settings.

The service provides a number of routine and specialist clinics including, preconception, antenatal, insulin pump therapy, multidisciplinary foot clinics.  The team also has responsibility for managing routine and urgent ward referrals and providing both opportunistic and organised education to health care professionals.

The service is responsible for the delivery of both the local Torbay type 1 diabetes education and Torbay insulin food adjustment diabetes structured patient education programmes. We provide diabetes support service visits for primary care and support community nurses in managing complex care needs.

You will need excellent clinical, organisational, IT and communication skills.

You will need to be flexible in your approach to work and in the hours that you may be required to work.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• To be a source of advice and expertise providing support for patients, carers and health care professionals with supervision
• To tailor advice to patients needs whilst respecting their individuality
• To provide a high-quality service.To work with a wide range of healthcare professionals and patients themselves to optimise their care
• Provide and receive routine information, utilising tact or supportive communication if needed
• Support patients with diabetes to achieve shared goals or outcomes
• Showing compassion when dealing with distressing or emotional circumstances
• To work as a member of the Diabetes multidisciplinary team by providing specialist knowledge, skills and advice to improve the standards of care for patients with diabetes as defined by national competencies and guidelines
• Assess, treat and support patients with diabetes who are at risk of developing    acute and chronic complications. Agree a care plan / management strategy which will support patients, carers and healthcare teams to manage their diabetes more effectively
• To liaise with and give advice to other members of the team and other healthcare professionals regarding the management of patients with diabetes problems, have knowledge of disease management pathways within secondary and primary care and refer on where appropriate
• Manage caseloads of people referred to the service that have a diagnosis of diabetes in nurse led clinics, community visits and joint clinics within secondary care
• To support the diabetes multidisciplinary team and actively participate in the continued development of the diabetes service.