Paediatric Diabetic Nurse Specialist

Job overview

• Do You have a passion for Diabetes and sharing your knowledge and skills. Are you able to lead a team and ensure service delivery and growth We’re looking for an experienced Paediatric Diabetic Nurse to join our Diabetes team. As the Team lead for the Paediatric Diabetic Nursing service; the role involves leading the Band 6 and Band 5 diabetes team members, and working closely with the Paediatric diabetes consultants and wider MDT. You will be supported and encouraged to develop your existing skills and gain new ones within our wider outpatient and paediatric team. As a PDSN you will be involved in clinics, teaching and establishing pump starts. This is an exciting opportunity to take the lead in developing the Diabetic service. You’ll help build stronger links between Paediatric and Adult services, while also working directly with young people in adult settings to support their transition, Liaising with the Transition lead nurse. You’ll play a key role in supporting children and young people needing Diabetic care. This includes leading on care planning, advocating for patients and families, and facilitating multi-disciplinary meetings. A core part of the role is ensuring that services are accessible, inclusive, and responsive to individual needs. As a Specialist Nurse, you will be confident working autonomously when required and able to plan and manage your workload effectively.

Main duties of the job

• You will work with your team to provide expert clinical care and expertise within the diabetic service. The role involves supporting children and young people with diabetes to access appropriate care, while empowering them to make informed decisions and confidently manage their condition, care and health . You will also be expected to teach and support colleagues across the Trust, sharing knowledge and promoting consistent, high-quality care. As a Diabetes CNS you will advise and liaise with professional colleagues in both secondary and primary care ensuring optimum co-ordination of care and initiating changes in clinical management as appropriate.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Core Knowledge and Understanding

• Has specialist knowledge of glucose monitoring equipment, injection devices and HbA1c monitoring equipment.  Has knowledge of specialist expertise in IT software for use with blood monitoring and insulin delivery devices.

• Understands the business of each of the departments, wards and speciality services
• Understanding of the local and national nursing agenda
• Understanding of relevant national service guidance pertinent to the service
• Awareness of Royal Surrey County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust guidelines and policies
• Understanding of organisational structures
• Commitment to clinical audit, research and evidence-based practice
• Awareness of budget management
• Awareness of Human resources policies and guidance as pertinent to the management and leadership of the clinical team
• Knowledge and understanding of current issues in health and social care
• Awareness of, and engagement with the regional system providers and healthcare organisations across the region
• Has a clear understanding of different insulin formulation and delivery regimes

Clinical Practice

• Provide visible clinical leadership and acts as a role model to the nursing and wider team by delivering high quality compassionate care as an expert practitioner
• Promote and maintain positive working relationships between all staff, internal and external to the Trust, involved in the care of patients
• Work at an advanced level of practice autonomously and self-directed
• Plan, prioritise, and manage complete episodes of care in partnership with multidisciplinary teams. Delegate and refer appropriately to optimise health outcomes and ensure effective use of resources, while providing direct support to patients and clients, including the arrangement of patient management meetings in a variety of settings, preparing and presenting reports as required.
• Devise, negotiate, implement, supervise, and review individualised treatment plans in collaboration with service users, their families, and carers, ensuring care is person-centred and responsive to changing needs
• Educate and empower children, families, and carers to understand and manage diabetes by providing tailored support, education, and counselling. Work collaboratively to assess needs, plan and implement care through individualised care programmes, enabling informed decision-making and fostering confidence in self-management of their condition and overall health
• Draw upon an appropriate range of multi-agency and inter-professional resources in their practice. To advise and liaise with professional colleagues in both secondary and primary care ensuring optimum co-ordination of care and initiating changes in clinical management as appropriate.
• Ensure that documentation standards are maintained in accordance with NMC and RSFT guidelines, whether written or computerised. To be responsible for contemporaneous patient record keeping and recording activity data on trust systems. ●        Will function as a nurse independent prescriber in accordance with the service need and in line with professional registration or will work under the Non-medical Prescribing standing operating procedure to enable insulin adjustment within own competence and scope of practice.
• Be familiar with all the hybrid closed loop systems currently available in the UK.
• Download and interpret HCL system download data and make dose/setting adjustments accordingly in line with scope of practice
• Promote a high standard of advanced specialist nursing by initiating and coordinating
• the assessment, planning, delivery and evaluation of the holistic needs of patients/families through evidence-based practice following agreed policies, protocols and guidelines.
• Practice a high standard of communication including highly sensitive and complex information to develop and sustain partnership working with individuals, groups, communities and agencies.
• Balance clinical risk and clinical decision making against context
• Help to set, monitor and seek to continuously improve standards and the quality of patient care, including those standards defined in local and national guidance
• Maintain a safe working environment
• Ensure the safe use and efficient management of equipment and supplies
• Promote compassionate evidence-based practice, wherever possible
• Act in such a way that safeguards the health and wellbeing of children and vulnerable adults at all times.
• Is familiar with and adheres to the RSFT safeguarding policies.
• Act in accordance to the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s Code: Professional Standards Practice and Behaviour
• Fulfils the requirements as directed by the Nursing and Midwifery Council to maintain and revalidate registration

Leadership and Service Development

• Provides support and line management structure for the band 6 Diabetes Nurse Specialist and the Band 5 staff nurse. In conjunction with the OPD 6 Band 7- provide support to the endocrine (Growth) Band 6 Nurse.

• Collaborate with the multi professional team to develop a shared vision of the service.
• To manage own time, having accountability for own professional actions, effectively prioritising clinical and non-clinical workload.
• Work collaboratively with colleagues to develop effective documentation, pathways, protocols and guidelines for care.
• Demonstrate a commitment to share expertise and disseminate information.
• Contribute to the development of the teams and the service to continuously improve patient care
• Participate in implementing national standards and frameworks at a local level.
• Network locally, regionally, nationally and internationally and seek opportunities to develop the transition nurse role.
• Use effective change management skills to initiate and implement service and practice development, making the best use of resources to improve practice and health outcomes.
• Participate in the selection, interviewing, appraisal and professional development of team members.
• Maintain involvement and active input in multidisciplinary meetings and appropriate local bodies / forums to contribute to practice and service development
• Support and inspire staff to provide efficient, effective, safe, quality care to patients
• Deliver a positive patient experience
• Promote the building of effective teams and collaboration between teams
• Support the Matron to investigate and respond to accidents, complaints, untoward incidents and other significant events
• Support in the delivery of an effective, safe, quality service within budgetary envelope
• Raise and respond to concerns with regards to risk, danger, malpractice or wrongdoing by following the Trust whistle blowing policy and supporting processes

Quality Improvement

• Contribute and organise data for National Paediatric Diabetes Audit (NPDA) submission/reports on care processes and outcomes.

• Through the use of audit, local research, metrics and feedback continually seek to identify practice that needs improvement. Implement and evaluate any resultant improvement plan.
• Plan, develop and evaluate methods and processes for gathering, analysing, interpreting and presenting data and information to support service development and improvement.
• Support the implementation and use of innovative software or techniques to support service improvement and development, for example Quality Improvement tools.
• Actively coordinate and promote patient involvement and feedback within service improvements to promote a positive patient experience
• Evaluate clinical practice in relation to its evidence base and clinical effectiveness including policy and guidance
• Identify areas of risk and poor quality, and address these through appropriate governance structures and forums.
• Maintain and sustain the momentum of improvements until they are firmly embedded into the values and culture of the clinical area
• Participate and actively seek peer review in practice and sound evidence for assurance purposes
• Work collaboratively with the paediatric multidisciplinary team to promote effective feedback and communication, ensuring the voice of the child is actively sought, heard, and reflected in care planning and decision-making.

Educational

• Develop and maintain a peer network of support, information and learning with other Lead Nurses at a local and National level.
• Contribute to the development and acquisition of specialist knowledge and skills to enhance and extend the practice of other nurses and health care professionals within the service and beyond
• Identify and address the educational needs of patients, families, carers and staff involved in the delivery of this service.
• Participate in personal appraisal and mandatory training at the required time periods
• Support and facilitate re-validation for registered nursing staff, and self.
• Promote a learning and development culture to improve staff skills, knowledge and competence
• Contribute to relevant educational programmes and in house study days.
• Promote a positive learning environment within the clinical area to support the development of knowledge and skills in learners.
• Support and facilitate work-based inter-professional learning