Diabetes Specialist Nurse

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced and compassionate Diabetes Specialist Nurse to join Modality East Surrey Medical Practice and help shape the development of specialist diabetes care within primary and community care. We support approximately 45,000-46,000 patients across our sites in Horley, Smallfield and Townhill in Caterham. You will join an established multidisciplinary team working closely with GPs, nurses, healthcare practitioners, clinical pharmacists, healthcare assistants, community services and Consultant Endocrinologists. Our current Diabetes Specialist Nurse is moving on to pursue a different venture, providing an opportunity for a new colleague to build on the strong foundations already established while bringing their own expertise and ideas to the service. The role combines autonomous specialist practice with clinical leadership, education and service improvement. You will support adults with Type 1, Type 2 and complex diabetes, including treatment intensification, insulin management, diabetes technology and multidisciplinary care., The Diabetes Specialist Nurse will manage a specialist caseload and provide expert assessment, treatment, care planning and follow-up for patients whose needs extend beyond routine long-term-condition reviews.

Responsibilities

• Assess and manage Type 1, Type 2 and complex diabetes within competence and agreed pathways.
• Develop personalised management plans, including monitoring, follow-up, safety-netting and escalation.
• Initiate, optimise and monitor diabetes treatments, including insulin, GLP-1-based therapies and SGLT-2 inhibitors, within competence and prescribing arrangements.
• Interpret glucose profiles, flash monitoring and CGM data and support complex insulin management and insulin-pump therapy where competent.
• Contribute to specialist clinics, including CGM and diabetic-foot assessment.
• Recognise and manage hypoglycaemia, hyperglycaemia, sick-day risks and potential diabetic emergencies.
• Identify complications and arrange appropriate investigation, treatment, referral or escalation.
• Support management of cardiovascular, renal and hypertension risk in people living with diabetes.
• Work closely with GPs, Consultant Endocrinologists, pharmacists, community teams and other professionals.
• Provide specialist advice, clinical leadership, supervision, mentoring and education to colleagues.
• Educate patients, carers and families on diabetes, medicines, insulin, glucose monitoring, foot care, lifestyle and diabetes technology.
• Use audit, clinical data and service improvement to identify care gaps and improve outcomes.
• Contribute to clinical pathways, policies and service development.

You will maintain high standards of professional practice, documentation, patient safety and information governance in accordance with the NMC Code, NICE guidance, CQC requirements and organisational policies. Overview of the Organisation Modality East Surrey Medical Practice is an award-winning training practice committed to high-quality, compassionate and accessible care. We are part of Modality Partnership, providing the benefits of local general practice alongside wider professional networks, shared learning and development opportunities. We are proud of our multidisciplinary approach, innovation and commitment to education and continuous improvement. Staff wellbeing, inclusion and professional development are central to how we work.

Benefits

• Comprehensive induction and support to develop primary-care competencies.
• Clinical supervision, mentorship and access to senior clinical advice.
• Continuing professional development and education opportunities.
• Support to work towards independent prescribing where appropriate.
• The opportunity to shape a developing specialist diabetes service.
• Opportunities in teaching, clinical leadership, audit, innovation and quality improvement.

We are seeking a confident, experienced and compassionate nurse passionate about improving outcomes for people living with diabetes.

Qualifications

• Current NMC registration as an Adult Nurse.
• Recognised post-registration diabetes qualification or equivalent specialist expertise.
• Substantial experience managing adults with diabetes, including complex Type 2 diabetes.
• Experience working at Band 6 level or equivalent.
• Experience in insulin management, dose titration and contemporary diabetes treatments.
• Experience interpreting glucose-monitoring data, including flash monitoring or CGM.
• Knowledge or experience of Type 1 diabetes management within specialist or shared-care pathways.
• Ability to undertake comprehensive assessment and develop safe management plans.
• Strong communication, patient-education and multidisciplinary working skills.
• Experience supporting, supervising, mentoring or developing colleagues.
• Understanding of clinical governance, patient safety and evidence-based practice.
• Current Basic Life Support certification.

V300 Independent Prescribing is desirable but not essential. Candidates without the qualification should be willing to work towards it where required. Primary-care or community diabetes experience, insulin-pump knowledge, diabetic-foot expertise, teaching qualifications and service redesign experience are also desirable.

If you are an experienced diabetes nurse who would value the opportunity to bring specialist care closer to patients, support colleagues and help shape an ambitious primary care diabetes service, we would be delighted to hear from you.