Diabetes Practice Nurse

Job summary

The post-holder will be an experienced nurse, who is responsible for the delivery of practice nursing services care to the practice population

Supported by the Lead Nurse Practitioner acting within their professional boundaries of their scope of practice, they will demonstrate safe, clinical decision-making and expert care for patients within the general practice.

They will focus upon supporting patients to be healthy, monitoring and management of long-term conditions; specifically, diabetes, health prevention and screening activities, immunisations and may include cervical screening.

The post-holder will work collaboratively with the multi-disciplinary general practice team to meet the needs of patients, supporting the delivery of policy and procedures.

The post-holder will build effective working relationships with other health care professionals.

The post-holder will work within the team of GPs, nurses and health care assistants to deliver excellent primary health care services within the Practice

Main duties of the job

To ensure that the Practice’s diabetes care is delivered in a timely, professional manner to include Diabetic Reviews, Diabetic Foot checks and insulin management

To identify patient’s diabetes care needs and to assess and offer advice

Chronic disease management – assess, plan, implement and evaluate individual treatment plans for patient

Review medication for therapeutic effectiveness, appropriate to patient needs and in accordance with evidence-based practice and national and practice protocols

To demonstrate a positive supportive approach to patients at diagnosis and/or patients with the development of diabetes related complications

Work with patients in order to support adherence to prescribed treatments

Venepuncture, handling of specimens

Undertaking diagnostic tests and screening procedures within agreed practice protocols (e.g. ECG and cervical cytology)

Immunisation and vaccination of children, adults and travellers

Ear examination and syringing

Wound care, dressings and removal of sutures

First aid and management of emergencies e.g. burns, haemorrhage, shock cardiac arrest. Triage of injuries

Care and maintenance of equipment

To provide appropriate signposting to the relevant clinician or external organisation whilst ensuring that the patient receives appropriate ongoing care

To promote high standards of patient care by the application of a systematic triage approach and undertake comprehensive holistic assessments of person-centred care needs