Diabetes Specialist Nurse

Job description

Job responsibilities

Job Description

Job title: Primary Care Diabetes Specialist Nurse

Pay: £45,780 - £51,393 inc.

Hours: 37.5 hours

Contract: Fixed Term

Responsible to: Senior Diabetes Specialist Nurse

Accountable to: Operational Manager (Diabetes) Camden Health Partners

Responsible for: Camden Integrated Diabetes Service

OVERVIEW

The Camden Diabetes Integrated Practice Unit (IPU) Service is a nationally recognised service. It has been commissioned through a partnership agreement and has a shared governance approach. It is in line with the Diabetes Guide for London, the white paper Our Health, Our Care Our Say; A New Direction for Community Services, and the 2011 NICE Guidance (National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence) quality standards for adults with diabetes.

The aim of the service is to improve diabetes care at all levels of the health service and ensure all those living with diabetes are known to health services to reduce their likelihood of developing complications and improve their ability to manage their own diabetes. Thus ensuring integration of streamline processes, reduced duplication, improved communication and delivery of cost-effective, evidence-based, patient-focused diabetes care. It is expected that the integration will assist in building confidence at all Tiers of Diabetes Care allowing patients to be managed in the most clinically appropriate, cost-effective setting.

JOB PURPOSE

This role provides nursing support within the community diabetes service, providing tier 3 intermediate service and supporting primary care ( Tier 1 and 2) allowing appropriate Secondary Hospital (Tier 4). The post will be within the Camden GP Federation, Camden Health Partners, but work very closely with the diabetes staff at Royal Free, CNWL, UCLH and all other key stakeholders, not least all the GP practices.

The role of the Diabetes Specialist Nurse (DSN) service is to promote the health and wellbeing of people with diabetes enabling them to achieve optimum Glycaemic, Blood Pressure, Cholesterol and other key parameters. The nurse role is key to encouraging compliance with medication through informed self management.

MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Professional

• The post holder will work as a member of a team made up of Specialist Diabetes Nurses, dietitians, podiatrist and consultants

• Work with members of the community diabetes service, secondary care colleagues and other agencies on implementing local policies in the management of diabetes

• Will liaise on regular basis with GPs and practice nurses to assist in the development of diabetes services within these identified practices.

• Will contribute to the co-ordination of care between primary and secondary care diabetes services to ensure high quality of patient care and the continuity of services across both Trusts.

• Work in partnership with the other diabetes specialist nurse and will act as an expert resource to health care professionals, family and carers within community and primary care services.

• Develop and participate in local public health diabetes initiatives.

• Be responsible for maintaining a professional profile at all times.

• Act in accordance with local policies and procedures

• Conform to the regulations laid down by the Data Protection Act and also respect confidentiality of all staff and patient information.

Ensure the health and safety of staff, patients and visitors, recording and reporting actual or potential problems promptly as outlined in Trust policies.

• Identify actual or potential clinical risks and take appropriate action, using when required the appropriate reporting structures

Demonstrate sound IT skills and be prepared to undergo training to use electronic patient record system e.g. RIO or EMIS.

• To undertake an annual appraisal to identify organisational and professional objectives and developmental needs.

Clinical

• Maintain effective communication with patients, carers and professionals to ensure seamless service delivery, and to act as a first line contact resource, using highly developed specialised knowledge underpinned with experience and theoretical knowledge for diabetes related issues.

• Be able to impart highly complex information, which requires developed communication and reassurance skills in order to empower people with diabetes to self-care, such as starting people on insulin therapy where English is not a first language. Having the ability to deal with distressing circumstances associated with diabetes, eg loss of vision, amputation, heart attacks etc.

• To participate in Diabetes Clinics, formulating individualised patient treatment care programmes in conjunction with the patient, multidisciplinary team and initiating changes in management of care.

• To be responsible for assessing patients diabetes needs, identifying physical, psychological, physiological, emotional, spiritual and cultural needs in relation to their condition and proposed treatment.

• Provide a pathway of diabetes specialist nursing care for the patient, referring to secondary care, multidisciplinary teams and voluntary services unsupervised.

• To act as a clinical expert in advising patients who present with diabetes related problems and provide clinical advice and support to community based staff and junior members of the team.

• To request and interpret diagnostic investigations and inform patients and GPs of results.

• To act as the patients advocate when relevant and educate on all the treatment options to enable a patient to make an informed choice, negotiating with the medical team to agree a care pathway.

• To ensure patients, carers and health care professionals are given verbal and written information regarding planned care.

• To identify vulnerable groups and provide support, care and education to enable them to be self-caring in the management of their condition.

• Be responsible and accountable as a named nurse for an identified locality/group of general practices.

• Receive/triage patient referrals received through the central point of referral within the community diabetes service according to agreed protocol.

• Manage a complex caseload, autonomously in a primary care setting.

• To work across organisational boundaries and in conjunction with the multidisciplinary team at other sites within the borough.

• Facilitate District nursing teams in the assessment, development, implementation and evaluation of programmes of care that meet the needs of the individual patient with diabetes in terms of treatment and referral.

• Under agreed guidelines, protocols and using non-medical prescribing undertake the initiation and stabilisation of insulin and oral hypoglycaemics agents.

• Advise general Practitioners, practice nurses and District nurses on oral hypoglycaemic medication and insulin dose changes.

• Participate in case conference in relation to future management or discharge arrangements.

• Maintain adequate patient records and ensure all relevant information is documented using EMIS as per agreed protocol.
• Prescribe in accordance to locally agreed guidelines and advise GPs of any medication changes.

• Maintain adequate prescribing documentation.

• Network with other Prescribers to maintain and keep up to date to minimise variation in practice.

Educational

• The post holder will deliver Primary care patient and professional education programmes in partnership with a multidisciplinary team of health professional.

• Identify training needs, initiate and participate in up-to-date training programmes for a variety of multidisciplinary professionals, including general practice staff, community nurses, residential and nursing homes.

• Train to be an educator in structured patient education, such as DESMOND

• Plan, deliver and evaluate DESMOND education programme and maintain accreditation.

• Develop appropriate materials to facilitate the training and education of patients and health care professional.

• To develop, co-ordinate and provide the teaching of post-registration educational programmes at local education providers including universities.

• Be involved in the provision of mentorship for practitioners undertaking nurse training and post graduate diabetes courses

Deliver education and training on a one to one basis to support practice nurses and GPs to develop their skills in diabetes management e.g. insulin initiation and management.

Attend multidisciplinary team local diabetes educational meetings.

Provide support to the Diabetes GP Lead to ensure that standards and targets within the NSF for Diabetes are met.

Provide information to primary care clinicians on services and other available resources that can be accessed for diabetic patients.

• To represent the Trust in internal/external forum in relation to specific educational initiatives.

Research, Training and Development

• Identify areas for and participate in, nursing and multi-disciplinary research.

• Actively participate in clinical audit programmes, collecting and evaluating data and present audit/research topics/data at directorate meetings.

• Develop agreed protocols, local guidelines, integrated Care pathways and audit tools, which monitor practice.

• To identify own educational requirements in order to maintain specialism and to be responsible for own professional development, and support other staff in this activity. This includes participating in clinical supervision, maintaining Professional Development Plan, meeting with Specialist representatives, attending conferences and reading relevant literature etc.

• Maintain and further develop clinical expertise within diabetes nursing.

• Be prepared to undertake relevant education and training at Masters Level.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Registered Nurse
• Diabetes qualification

Desirable

• On-going post graduate education and development
• Post-graduate qualification
• Non-medical prescriber (or willing to undertake)
• Teaching qualification (PGCE or equivalent)

Experience

Essential

• Experience of running diabetes clinics in community or primary care setting.

Desirable

• Experience of working in a trained capacity in more than one care setting e.g. primary care, community, hospital.
• Experience in more than one borough of London or geographical area, so aware of differing aspects of focus and priorities.
• Developing, interpreting & implementing of local, Trust and National policies
• Experience within NHS Camden (in any capacity).
• Experience in delivering either staff or patient education in group setting.

Skills and Knowledge

Essential

• Good diabetes knowledge with ability to work autonomously in the treatment and management of complex patients, using decision-making skills that reflect a patient focus.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, including observation, listening and empathy skills.
• Ability to communicate highly complex and sensitive information using the highest level of interpersonal and communication skills.
• Ability to work effectively with a range of stakeholders including people with diabetes, voluntary groups, social work, acute providers and commissioners.
• Excellent negotiation and problem solving skills, analytical and reflection skills
• Excellent organisational and prioritisation skills
• In-depth knowledge of national policies and procedures across Health, its local implementation or application
• Self-motivated and able to work independently

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details

Employer name

Camden Health Partners Ltd

Address

St Pancras Hospital

St Pancras Way

London

NW1 0PE

Employer's website

https://www.haverstockhealth.com (Opens in a new tab)