Diabetes Specialist Nurse

Job responsibilities

Key Responsibilities:

Clinical/Professional

• Promote and set high standards of professional nursing care and maintain the delivery of quality care within the trust policies, protocols and guidelines. Implement the trust values and beliefs ensuring they are embedded into everyday practice and evaluate their impact on the patients experience.
• Provide professional nursing leadership to MDT within sphere of clinical responsibility. Lead and motivate others by giving clear direction and setting achievable objectives (where applicable).
• Continuing responsibility for the assessment of care needs and the development, implementation and evaluation of programmes of care.
• Act as a specialist clinical practitioner demonstrating developed clinical skills and knowledge.
• Develop a service philosophy and models of care to ensure that all policies and procedures are implemented and to lead on the development of nursing practice. Monitor any impact on the patient experience.
• Ensure that any patient quality and safety issues are addressed in a timely manner. This includes monitoring and evaluating standards of care by the clinical team and providing regular feedback to the specialty team on the standards of care.
• Implement evidence based practice, identify, initiate, manage and evaluate changes that lead to improved and high standards of care and in particular any service changes following feedback from patients. Use information to inform Business Plans for the specialist area.
• Communicating, influencing and working with the multidisciplinary team in different ways to improve quality of care, and informed clinical decisions. Promote innovation and participate in benchmarking and quality audits to measure effectiveness of current practices.
• In collaboration with members of the multidisciplinary team, ensure that the users of the service and their families have a positive experience and using feedback (Elephant Surveys, Family and Friends Test, concerns and complaints) evaluate patient processes and pathways of care are redesigned as required.
• Ensure concerns raised by patients and their families are dealt with in an open, honest and transparent way, quickly and effectively, in line with trust policies, procedures and Duty of Candour legislation.
• Ensuring that accurate and timely MDT records are maintained, monitoring standards and taking corrective action as required.
• Ensure the MDT are competent in the use of any medical devices/equipment and have access to training and monitoring compliance.
• As part of the Multidisciplinary team (MDT) communicate the breaking of bad news in an empathetic manner, appropriate to the situation and patients level of understanding.
• Make independent clinical, psychological and social assessments of patients and initiate/interpret investigations/treatments.
• Reduce emergency admissions by providing timely telephone advice and education to patients and their families. In addition provide education to health care professional both in hospital and in the community.
• Accept referrals and refer patients to other health care professionals as required in the hospital and/or in the community.

Management/Leadership

• Responsible for the organisation and management of the service alongside the lead consultant.
• Provide clinical expertise and leadership to relevant staff within and outside PHT, in order to inform service provision and development.
• Demonstrate awareness of national and local guidelines relating to specialty (e.g. NICE guidelines) and influence care developments in accordance with these.
• Identify, contribute to or lead on aspects in the development and dissemination of evidence-based guidelines, standards and protocols as required and implement change to improve the quality of nursing care.
• Contribute to trust peer reviews and any focused CQC style reviews.
• Actively contribute to achieving the clinical governance goals/targets set by the trust and department and comply with reporting schedules for monitoring and reporting on clinical outcomes. Includes auditing of services.
• Implement the Nursing Strategy by setting clear achievable objectives into any staffs annual performance and development reviews and evaluate performance (where applicable).
• Be proactive in the prevention and management of complaints (formal and those via Patient Advice and Liaison Service) and when they occur investigate and respond in a timely manner. Use any learning to share widely with the multidisciplinary team and to improve care delivery.
• Responsible for the management of staff performance and attendance in line with trust policies (if applicable). Set objectives for specialty ward link nurses (If applicable) in conjunction with their line manager and set at the Annual Performance Development Reviews (APDR).
• Promote effective communication with staff members across organisational boundaries and provide support to those dealing with patients.
• Promote the health and well-being of MDT, patients and their carers.
• Comply and promote compliance with Trust policies and guidelines e.g. Health and Safety, Clinical Risk and Infection Control.
• Take appropriate action to address unexpected changes and situations, informing the Matron/HoN or manager if unable to resolve.
• Responsible for any pay and non-pay budgets to ensure good housekeeping and economic use of resources.
• Work closely with partners i.e. Engie, resolving any relevant issues and escalate when issues cannot be resolved.
• Utilise user feedback to inform oncology team and to facilitate service development.
• Contribute to operational policies to ensure the appropriate use of the diabetes team and its resources within the Trust.
• Attend relevant department and management meetings. Work closely with ward link nurses (as applicable) to ensure ward training needs are met to ensure high quality evidence based care delivery; there is good communication and dissemination of information.
• Network with other specialty teams to share good practice and bring back new ideas to improve the local service.
• Attend local, regional and national networks/meetings and working parties as required ensuring learning contributes to the evidence base.
• Present at seminars/conferences/meetings to raise profile of team and department. Submit articles for publication in peer review or other appropriate journals.

Research

• Develop a research culture within the MDT team to identify current knowledge and deliver evidence based care.
• Support local research teams, actively contribute to local department multidisciplinary audits, represent the clinical area at governance meetings and highlight areas for change.
• Liaise with the relevant research nurse to ensure patients are identified to take part in clinical research studies and research is delivered safely on the ward.
• Embed in the team culture the concept of recruitment to clinical trials which is a national performance indicator.
• Report research activity as standard practice and as part of the ward accreditation process.

Education

• Feed agreed development opportunities into department training plan and ensure there is a fair and equitable approach to post registration nurse education that is aligned to service delivery and succession planning. Educate ward link nurses.
• Responsible for ensuring staff who the post holder lines manages undertake essential training (if applicable).
• Succession plan with the specialty Matron for replacement of CNS posts and use Talent Management skills to identify key staff for further development.
• Lead the multidisciplinary education and training provision for health care professionals involved in relevant specialty area across organisational boundaries by developing and coordinating education and training programmes and evaluating their effectiveness. Mentor and coach students, support staff and other registrants.

Communication and Working Relations

• Communicate highly sensitive and complex information with empathy ensuring that information is understood.
• Ensure patients, their carers and the MDT have access to specialist information and provide care that that meets individual patients needs at all stages of the care pathway. This includes the provision of telephone support/ advice.
• Frequent exposure to distressing events. Working and supporting staff and patients/family/carers within a highly emotive environment (if applicable).
• Communicating and cooperating with other specialist areas, promoting and maintaining good working relationships within own clinical area and across the organisation, giving accurate information as required.
• An active member of the clinical nursing team contributing to Trust wide nursing groups and meetings.
• Develop expertise in dealing with interpersonal conflict and be responsible for the resolution of any adverse situation/incidents. Comply and promote compliance to Trust policies e.g. Harassment and Bullying.

Working Conditions

• Working within a team caring for patients that require complex interventions and liaison with partner agencies.
• Working within an environment that requires rapid response to unpredictable events.

Qualifications

Essential

• Current RN +/- RN, registration with NMC and any other relevant post registration qualifications.
• BSc Degree in relevant field.
• Post Reg. qualifications for specialist area (eg ENB 928 or equivalent).
• Leadership development programme.
• Teaching qualification /experience with an accredited NMC mentorship course.

Desirable

• Masters degree and evidence of working towards.

Skill and Knowledge

Essential

• Clinically competent.
• Clinical decision making skills.
• Advanced Communication Skills Training.
• Effective leadership skills.
• Organisational skills and forward planning.
• Flexibility.
• Able to support development of others.
• Coaching and mentoring skills.
• Critical appraisal skills.
• Strong customer service skills.
• IT literate.
• Experience of leading/undertaking audit.
• Ability to gather data and create reports.
• Understanding of the principles and application of effective budgetary management.
• Understanding of the principles and application of effective staff / HR management.
• Understanding of the theory and application of Clinical Governance.
• Demonstrable experience of effective management and supervision of staff and taking charge of ward /unit.
• Articulate and knowledgeable around health policy and the national and local agenda around diabetes service provision.
• Ability to maintain a calm, professional manner whilst juggling many priorities.

Experience

Essential

• Minimum of 5 years post registration experience.
• Significant demonstrable experience within specialty with evidence of professional development.
• Evidence of change management with relevant management/leadership course.
• Evidence of leading a team or projects and evidence of outcomes from this.
• Evidence of developing policy, guidelines and managing resources
• Counselling and research awareness.
• Clinical supervision where applicable monthly attendance.
• Independent prescriber.
• Experience of undertaking nurse led clinics.

Skill and Knowledge

Essential

• Clinically competent.
• Clinical decision making skills.
• Advanced Communication Skills Training.
• Effective leadership skills.
• Organisational skills and forward planning.
• Flexibility.
• Able to support development of others.
• Coaching and mentoring skills.
• Critical appraisal skills.
• Strong customer service skills.
• IT literate.
• Experience of leading/undertaking audit.
• Ability to gather data and create reports.
• Understanding of the principles and application of effective budgetary management.
• Understanding of the principles and application of effective staff / HR management.
• Understanding of the theory and application of Clinical Governance.
• Demonstrable experience of effective management and supervision of staff and taking charge of ward /unit.
• Articulate and knowledgeable around health policy and the national and local agenda around diabetes service provision.
• Ability to maintain a calm, professional manner whilst juggling many priorities.

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration

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