Band 7 Diabetes Clinical Nurse Specialist

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

 Facilitate and participate in Trust wide groups that require senior diabetes specialist nurse input

 Provide regular reports as requested by the service manager to allow for regular evaluation of the service

Deputise for the Service Lead Nurse – Diabetes and participate in the Senior Nurse on call rota. 

In addition to your clinical role you will aim to raise the awareness and improve standards of diabetes care through planning and implementation, of specialised programmes of education and training within your area of specialty.

Through effective working practices you will continue the philosophy of jointly working with other health care professionals to develop a holistic support network for people with diabetes within the Trust, Specialist Units and primary care.

Facilitate effective communication between primary, secondary, community, social care and voluntary settings to promote best possible outcomes through meetings and educational events.

Provide an evidence-based proactive nursing service, which is responsive to the user’s need, to a cohort of patients.  Care will reflect current local protocols and national guidelines and will be delivered through face-to-face or virtual consultation on a day-to-day basis.

To act as an autonomous practitioner.

Autonomously participate in the triage of referrals into the service, collaborating with medical staff where required, to ensure that individuals are prioritised according to their clinical need.

Using virtual and face – face consultations deliver specialist nurse clinics and multidisciplinary diabetes clinics in various community locations across the Trust, managing own case load and ensuring clinical documentation and correspondence is completed and agreed within service and Trust parameters.

Using expert knowledge, advanced skills/practice and autonomous decision making skills, manage a case load of patients with diabetes.

Order appropriate investigations for their patients, interpret and act upon the results within the local guidelines and where necessary refer to the appropriate medical team or general practitioner.

Communicate complex and sensitive information to the service user, carer, families and community and specialist staff regarding management plans.

Produce accurate, contemporaneous and complete records of patient’s assessment and care consistent with legislation and Trust policy, ensuring clinical information is conveyed in a timeframe that ensures patient safety, both electronic and paper formats.

Participate in clinical supervision and understand when it is necessary to access advice and support from senior colleagues and consultants.

In the role as an autonomous practitioner to provide expert and advanced specialist advice and support to patients, their families and other health care professionals.

Work clinically for a minimum of 80% of the role.

As a nurse prescriber demonstrate advanced knowledge of and experience in the use of Oral Hypoglycaemic Agents (OHA’s), insulin and other treatment regimes relating to diabetes.

 As a nurse prescriber advice on the stabilisation of patients on all oral agents, insulin and other injected therapies according to locally formulated guidelines and protocols.

Use knowledge of medicines and prescribing skills to influence the reduction of risk and complications associated with medication and to work closely with the Trust prescribing lead and Medicines Management as appropriate.

 Educate, counsel and empower patients to take control of their diabetes and assist them to be able if appropriate to self-titrate their insulin.

Educate and empower patients to take control of their diabetes wherever possible and assist them in self-management skills, encouraging the use of such facilities as Assistive Technology (AT) equipment, therefor reducing the need for hospital admission.

 When necessary support ward areas across the hospital sites, bedded areas and care homes with management of diabetes in collaboration with the Consultant diabetologist and wider diabetes and multidisciplinary teams.

You will be expected to handle complex and sensitive information, using appropriate communication skills to persuade, motivate and re-assure patients and their families as required. 

You will be expected to be able to explore empowerment/counselling skills as an aid to assisting patients in attaining self-management of their condition, or identifying and realising goals as part of their management plan.

Have an understanding of the national, strategic and local guidelines which underpin chronic disease management and specifically diabetes eg: NICE, National Service Framework for Diabetes (NSF).