Diabetic Nurse Specialist

Location: Thornhills Medical Practice, Kent. ME20 6QJ

Starting: February 2027

Hours: Parttime 20 hours / 2 days per week.

Aboutthe Role

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experiencedDiabetes Nurse Specialist to join our team at Thornhills Medical Practice. Thisis a permanent position with an expected start date of early February2027. Working in accordance with agreed protocols and current guidelines, thesuccessful candidate will provide expert clinical management for patients withdiabetes, supporting early intervention, effective disease management, and theprevention of long‑term complications.

Main duties of the job

KeyDuties Include:

Structured diabetes reviews and annualassessments

Initiation and adjustment of treatmentand medication

Ongoing monitoring and supporting patients with self‑management

Reducing diabetes‑related complications through education and regular clinical review

Contribute to local and national practicequality targets eg. QOF, prescribing incentive scheme, National benchmarking.

Requirements:

Registered Nurse with currentregistration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC)

Diabetes qualification at diploma levelor equivalent specialist diabetes training and experience

Evidence of continuing professional development relevant to diabetes care.

Excellent communication skills (oral and written)

Ability to work well in a team and adapt to change

Independent/Supplementary Nurse Prescriber qualification isdesirable

Experience in a GP surgery is desirable

About us

AboutUs

Thornhills Medical Practice has a strong emphasis onhigh‑quality patient care, education, and personal development. We serveapproximately 14,800 patients and are proud of our happy, reliable, and forward‑thinking team.

Job responsibilities

Diabetic Care Management

To ensure thatthe Practice's diabetes care is delivered in a timely, professional mannerwhilst maintaining equity of access to a coordinated and seamless service.

To identify patients's diabetes care needs using a holistic approach and to assess and offer highly specialist advice in all aspects of complex diabetes management to all members of the multidisciplinary team.

Chronic diseasemanagement - assess, plan, implement and evaluate individual treatment plans for patients, including insulin initiation.

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

Establish and maintain highly effective communication skills with patients, carers/relatives, and professionals across health and social services. This may involve the giving of sensitive and complex information.

On occasion the post holder may be required to visit patients in their own home e.g. to conduct Diabetic chronic disease reviews.

Perform advancedclinical skills in assessment, diagnosis and treatment.

Assess, plan, implement and evaluate care delivery according to changing health care needs. Collect, collate, evaluate and report information, maintaining accurate patient records.

Involve patients and carers/relatives in the planning and delivery of care and development of services.

Work collaboratively with the multidisciplinary team and outside agencies to ensure patient needs are met, especially in relation to ongoing care needs

Act as a resource for specialist advice and expert clinical knowledge across the Practice, giving advice to colleagues on the clinical management of patients.

Provide expert specialist advice and education to patients and carers/relatives to enable the safe and independent management of their diabetes.

Undertake clinical supervision and education of nursing colleagues on an individual or group basis.

Assist with providing a triage service, including telephone advice and assessing patients in the surgery, and liaising with nurses, doctors and outside agencies as appropriate

Maintain clinical areas and equipment, sterilisation of instruments and stock control and drugs and sundry items

Keep accurate, contemporaneous records, both written and electronic

Qualifications

• Post graduate diploma or degree (Primary Care)

Experience

• Diabetes
• Experience of working in a primary care environment
• Experience of working as a practice nurse or community nurse
• Experience of infection prevention and control measures
• Experience of chronic disease management
• Experience managing patients with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes in a primary care, community, or specialist setting.
• Experience initiating, monitoring, and adjusting diabetes treatments, including insulin therapy.
• Experience undertaking comprehensive clinical assessments and developing personalised care plans.
• Requesting pathology tests and processing the results, advising patients accordingly
• Evidence of continuing professional development relevant to diabetes care.
• Chaperone procedure
• Understanding the importance of evidence based practice
• Broad knowledge of clinical governance
• Ability to record accurate clinical notes
• Ability to work within own scope of practice and understand when to refer to GPs
• Understanding of infection prevention and control measures
• Knowledge of public health issues in the local area
• Awareness of issues within the wider health arena
• Knowledge of health promotion strategies
• Understand the requirement for PGDs and associated policy
• Immunisations (routine, childhood and travel)
• COPD
• Asthma
• CHD
• Wound care/removal of sutures and staples
• ECGs
• Venepuncture
• New patient medicals

Skills

• Excellent communication skills (written and oral)
• Clear, polite telephone manner
• Competent in the use of Office and Outlook
• Effective time management (planning and organising)
• Ability to work as a team member and autonomously
• Good interpersonal skills
• Problem solving and analytical skills
• Ability to follow clinical policy and procedure
• Experience with audit and able to lead audit programmes

Personal Qualities / Other requirements

• Polite and confident
• Flexible and co-operative
• Motivated, forward thinker
• Problem solver with the ability to process information accurately and effectively, interpreting data as required
• High levels of integrity and loyalty
• Sensitive and empathetic in distressing situations
• Ability to work under pressure/in stressful situations
• Effectively able to communicate and understand the needs of the patient
• Commitment to ongoing professional development
• Punctual and committed to supporting the team effort
• Flexibility to work outside of core office hours
• Occupational health clearance
• NMC registration

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.

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