Newport Pagnell Medical Centre

JOB DESCRIPTION

JOB TITLE Practice Nurse with Special Interest in Diabetes

REPORTS TO Lead Nurse

RESPONSIBLE FOR Acting in a supportive role in the care of treatment of people with diabetes, including insulin initiation and patient education.

LIAISES WITH Primary Care Health Care Professionals, Diabetes related teams, Patient User Group and Medical Centre Staff

Job summary

The post holder is an experienced nurse who, acting within their professional boundaries, will provide care for all people with diabetes. Initially the role involves being a key part of leading the practice in implementing the care planning approach to diabetes care, including initiating insulin. The role requires a motivated and optimistic nurse who is able to work at an advanced level. They will demonstrate safe, clinical decision-making and expert care, including assessment and diagnostic skills. The post holder will demonstrate critical thinking in the clinical decision-making process. They will work collaboratively with the general practice team to meet the needs of patients, supporting the delivery of policy and procedures, and providing nurse leadership as required. In order to work at this level, NMC requirements for advanced practice must be met.

Clinical Practice

·  To assess, plan and implement effective specialist diabetes care interventions.

·  To monitor and evaluate the outcome of planned care; manage the care of people with diabetes including people who have been newly diagnosed, people with diabetes complications, associated conditions, cardiovascular risk factors including hypertension, and care planning skills.

·  Provide support, advice, education and information relating specifically to diabetes for patients, carers and health professionals at Newport Pagnell Medical Centre.

·  To use specialist skills and high level decision making, including the evaluation of research and evidence in the assessment and management of complex cases.

·  To advise and collaborate with professional colleagues on management of physiological/psychological symptoms and the consequences of living with a chronic condition.

·  Prescribe and review medication, including insulin, for therapeutic effectiveness, in accordance with evidence-based practice and national and practice protocols, and within scope of practice

·  Work with people with diabetes in order to support compliance with and adherence to prescribed treatments

Prescribing

·  Non – medical prescribing (NMP) will be competent to take a patient history, undertake clinical assessment and diagnose.

·  NMP will demonstrate a clinical need within their role to justify prescribing.

·  NMP will have sufficient knowledge to apply prescribing principles to their field of practice.

·  NMP will be able to demonstrate appropriate numeracy skills for prescribing practice.

·  Diagnosis of clinical need to include patient history, clinical assessment, including physical examination where appropriate.

Communication

·  Utilise and demonstrate sensitive communication styles, to ensure people are actively involved in deciding agreeing and owning how their condition is managed. This includes sharing information about their issues and concerns including clinical issues and the person’s experience of living with a long term condition. Jointly agree the priorities or goals and what actions to take in response to these. This needs to form the basis of the persons individual care plan.

·  Communicate effectively, recognising the need for alternative methods of communication to overcome different levels of understanding, cultural background and preferred ways of communicating

·  To use advanced communication skills to negotiate, influence and challenge practice in all settings.

·  To organise and participate in meetings related to diabetes services using professional communication and interpersonal skills to positively affect the delivery of the diabetes care.

Delivering a quality service

·  To adhere to the NMC Code of Professional conduct, participate in Individual Performance Review and Appraisal, formal and informal peer support and clinical supervision.

·  Produce accurate, contemporaneous and complete records of consultations, consistent with legislation, policies and procedures. Review and process data using accurate read codes in order to ensure easy and accurate information retrieval for monitoring and audit processes

·  Collate, analyse and present clinical data and information to the team

·  To maintain knowledge of current research and diabetes best practice and disseminate to colleagues and other appropriate disciplines.

·  Deliver care according to NSF, NICE guidelines and evidence-based practice

·  Assess effectiveness of care delivery through self and peer review, benchmarking and formal evaluation

·  Evaluate peoples response to health care provision and the effectiveness of care

·  Understand and apply legal issues that support the identification of vulnerable and abused children and adults, and be aware of statutory child/vulnerable patients health procedures and local guidance

·  To have the emotional and intellectual capacity to practice autonomously, manage a clinical caseload and be responsible for an efficient and effective diabetes nursing service.

·  Provide an occaisional home visit service to housebound and vulnerable patients with diabetes who need support to manage their condition.

Management Function

·  Actively promote the workplace as a learning environment, encouraging everyone to learn from each other and from external good practice

·  Critically evaluate and review innovations and developments that are relevant to diabetes.

·  Take the lead role in planning and implementing changes within the area of Diabetes

·  Contribute to the development of guidelines, protocols and standards

Leadership- personal and people development.

·  Understand own role and scope and identify how this may develop over time

·  Work as an effective and responsible team member, supporting others and exploring the mechanisms to develop new ways of working

·  Delegate clearly and appropriately, adopting the principles of safe practice and assessment of competence

·  Work effectively with others to clearly define values, direction and policies impacting upon diabetes care delivery

Audit and Research

·  To assimilate and critically evaluate research as part of the clinical role.

·  To undertake the audit cycle and use analytical skills to interpret and implement findings for service development and to enhance patient/client care.

Health and Safety

·  Monitor work areas and practices to ensure they are safe and free from hazards and conform to health, safety and security legislation, policies, procedures and guidelines

·  Apply infection-control measures within the practice according to local and national guidelines

Learning and Development

·  Ensure own professional development is up to date in order to maintain the quality of evidence based care.

·  Undertake mentorship for more junior staff, assessing competence against set standards

·  Work alongside the GPs, PNs, DNs, Matrons, HCA teams by supporting them through education updates and mentoring their practice within Newport Pagnell Medical Centre.

Professional effectiveness and skills

·  Motivated and optimistic individual

·  Specialist clinical expertise

·  Advanced communication and negotiation skills

·  Proactive professional and personal development of knowledge and skills

·  Innovative practitioner

·  Analytical reporting and problem solving skills

·  Leadership skills

·  Effective presentation and teaching skills

·  Ability to negotiate, influence, challenge and change practice

·  Computer literate


Newport Pagnell Medical Centre

Practice Nurse with Special Interest in Diabetes

Person Specification

Criteria / Essential / Desirable
Knowledge / ·  Diploma, degree or masters level diabetes qualification or;
·  Diploma, degree or masters level long term condition qualification, for example the diploma of higher education in chronic disease management (including the diabetes stream) from Education for Health.
·  Advanced diabetes prescribing skills including ability to prescribe and manage insulin initiation
·  Advanced clinical practice skills
·  Management of people with long-term conditions including hypertension
·  Management of people with complex needs
·  Accountability of own role and other roles in a nurse-led service
·  Local and national health policy
·  Wider health economy
·  Clinical governance issues in primary care
·  Patient group directions and associated policy / ·  Knowledge of public health issues
Skills / ·  Clinical leadership skills
·  Communication skills, both written and verbal
·  Care planning and empowering patient skills.
·  Negotiation and conflict management skills
·  Change management
·  Teaching and mentorship in a clinical setting
·  Resource management
Experience / ·  Minimum 5 years post registration experience
·  Minimum 2 years insulin initiation experience.
·  At least 2 years recent primary and community nursing experience
·  Compiling protocols and clinical guidelines
·  Leadership in quality initiatives such as clinical benchmarking
·  Audit
·  Research
·  Nurse prescribing / ·  Project management
·  Working with community development initiatives
·  Health-needs assessment
Qualifications / ·  Registered first level nurse, MSc or equivalent
·  Relevant nursing/health degree
·  Extended/independent nurse.
·  Independent nurse prescriber / ·  Community nursing specialist
qualification
·  Mentor/teaching qualification
·  Clinical supervision training and experience
Other / ·  Self-directed practitioner
·  Effective communicator (verbally and written)
·  Highly motivated
·  Flexible
·  Team player
·  Ability to work across boundaries
·  Positive outlook
·  Approachable, honest, enthusiastic and reliable

DH/January 2012