About this role
Job summary Job summary
Would you like to use your diabetes experience to make a real difference to patients who need more than a routine annual review?
The Cornerstone Practice is looking for an experienced Diabetes Practice Nurse to join our friendly and supportive team.
A key part of the role will be helping patients with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes achieve better control. You will independently assess patients, identify what may need to change and agree individual management plans.
You will review and optimise treatment, initiate and manage GLP-1 medicines, review and adjust insulin within your competence, and monitor each patients progress. Experience of initiating insulin is desirable.
Applicants must already have the knowledge, experience and clinical competence to manage poorly controlled type 2 diabetes, as this role goes beyond routine annual reviews.
Alongside the diabetes work, you will provide the usual treatment-room nursing service, including advanced wound care, compression therapy, HRT and menopause reviews, cervical screening and vaccinations.
This is a varied role offering 22 hours per week at £26.00 per hour. We are happy to discuss the working pattern.
We care for approximately 9,500 patients and use SystmOne. You will join a supportive clinical and non-clinical team.
An immediate start is available, but we are happy to wait for the right person.
Main duties of the job
This is a varied, hands-on nursing role combining advanced diabetes care with day-to-day treatment-room work.
Your duties will include:
Managing patients with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes from assessment through to follow-up
Identifying factors affecting diabetic control and agreeing individual management plans
Reviewing symptoms, observations, blood results and medicines
Setting realistic goals and supporting patients to improve their diabetes control
Reviewing and optimising diabetes treatment within your competence
Initiating, titrating and monitoring GLP-1 medicines
Reviewing insulin and adjusting doses where trained and competent
Seeking GP or specialist advice when needed
Managing routine and complex wounds
Providing compression therapy, including Doppler/ABPI where competent
Undertaking HRT and menopause reviews
Undertaking cervical screening
Administering vaccinations, immunisations and prescribed injections
Monitoring other long-term conditions within your competence
Taking blood samples and completing routine clinical observations and tests
Maintaining accurate SystmOne records
Supporting infection prevention, vaccine management and the safe running of the treatment room
About us
The Cornerstone Practice is based in the centre of March and cares for approximately 9,500 patients. We use SystmOne.
You will join a team of GP partners, salaried GPs, advanced practitioners, treatment room nurses, healthcare assistants, a mental health practitioner and experienced reception and administration colleagues. We also work closely with pharmacy, physiotherapy and social prescribing colleagues.
We cannot promise quiet days in general practice. We can promise that you will not face the busy ones alone. Colleagues share their knowledge, ask one another for advice and step in when somebody needs a hand.
We are looking for someone who enjoys getting to know their patients, takes pride in providing safe and thoughtful care, and wants to be part of a team where people support one another.
Job description Job responsibilities
You will provide advanced diabetes nursing care alongside a full range of treatment-room services. You will have the opportunity to use your experience and clinical judgement while working within your training, competence and professional scope of practice.
Treatment room and wound care Assess and manage simple and complex wounds
Develop and review wound-management plans
Undertake post-operative wound checks and remove sutures, clips or staples
Assess and manage leg ulcers and chronic wounds
Provide compression bandaging and compression hosiery assessment and measurement
Undertake Doppler/ABPI assessment where trained and competent
Recognise wound infection, deterioration or safeguarding concerns and escalate or refer appropriately
Take wound swabs and maintain clear wound-care records
Diabetes care Undertake comprehensive diabetes reviews, including foot assessment and cardiovascular risk assessment
Assess diabetic control using relevant symptoms, observations, home readings, blood results and current treatment
Independently manage patients whose diabetes remains above their individual target, within professional scope and agreed clinical pathways
Identify the reasons for poor control and develop a clear, documented and individualised management plan
Implement the management plan, arrange appropriate monitoring and follow-up, and assess whether it is working
Adjust the management plan or escalate for GP or specialist advice when targets are not being achieved or risk is increasing
Agree individual goals and provide practical education on diet, lifestyle, blood glucose monitoring, medicines and self-management
Review and optimise oral and injectable diabetes medicines within competence and agreed clinical processes
Initiate, titrate, monitor and provide ongoing management of GLP-1 medicines
Assess suitability, contraindications, treatment response, tolerability and ongoing need for GLP-1 medicines
Provide education on injection technique, side effects, sick-day guidance, hypoglycaemia and when to seek help
Review insulin and adjust doses where appropriately trained, authorised and competent
Initiate insulin where the post-holder has the appropriate experience and competence
Identify patients at increased risk of diabetes-related complications and arrange timely follow-up or escalation
Work with GPs, pharmacy colleagues and specialist diabetes services when treatment needs fall outside the post-holder's scope
Women's health Undertake cervical screening in line with the NHS screening programme
Provide menopause advice and undertake HRT reviews within competence and agreed clinical processes
Monitor the effectiveness, safety and ongoing suitability of HRT and escalate concerns appropriately
Administer contraceptive injections and other prescribed treatments under the appropriate legal mechanism
Provide health promotion, breast-awareness and relevant signposting
Vaccinations, injections and routine clinical work Administer childhood and adult vaccinations in line with current programmes and authorised PGDs or PSDs
Administer seasonal vaccinations, including influenza and COVID-19 vaccinations
Administer prescribed injections, including vitamin B12 and hormone or contraceptive injections
Administer the NHS travel vaccinations provided under the practice's contractual requirements when clinically indicated: hepatitis A, typhoid, cholera and combined diphtheria, tetanus and polio
Undertake venepuncture, blood pressure checks, pulse and oxygen saturation checks, urinalysis, height, weight and BMI measurements
Record ECGs and undertake other routine tests within competence
Undertake NHS Health Checks and provide health promotion and lifestyle advice
Cornerstone does not operate a travel clinic. This role does not include providing a full travel-health assessment or privately funded travel vaccinations.
Long-term condition care Undertake structured reviews for diabetes, asthma, COPD, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, heart failure, stroke/TIA and atrial fibrillation, according to the nurse's training and competence
Provide inhaler-technique checks, peak-flow monitoring, action-plan advice and smoking-cessation support
Support prevention, screening, lifestyle change and self-management
Recognise abnormal findings or deterioration and arrange appropriate clinical review
Medicines, safety and professional responsibilities Administer and, where appropriately qualified, prescribe or adjust medicines within competence and agreed clinical processes
Work safely under relevant PGDs, PSDs and practice protocols
Maintain accurate, clear and timely SystmOne records and clinical coding
Follow safeguarding, confidentiality, consent, data protection, infection prevention and health and safety requirements
Recognise and respond to deteriorating patients, anaphylaxis, sepsis and other clinical emergencies
Maintain vaccine cold-chain records and support the safe storage and management of vaccines and medicines
Monitor treatment-room stock, equipment, expiry dates, sharps and clinical waste
Keep mandatory training and professional registration up to date
Participate in clinical meetings, audit, learning, significant-event reviews and service improvement
Share your knowledge and provide support to healthcare assistants and phlebotomists within your competence
Person Specification
Qualifications Essential
Applicants must meet all of the diabetes criteria below to be considered for the post. Registered Nurse with current NMC registration Recent experience working as an experienced diabetes nurse within UK general practice Recognised diabetes qualification or clear evidence of advanced diabetes training and assessed competence Advanced knowledge and substantial experience of assessing and managing type 2 diabetes Demonstrable experience of independently managing patients with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes, within professional scope Able to identify why diabetes is poorly controlled and create, document, implement and review an individual management plan Able to arrange appropriate monitoring and follow-up and modify or escalate the plan according to the patient's response Able to interpret diabetes-related observations and blood results and use them to support safe treatment decisions Experience of managing patients whose diabetes is not at their individual target Competent in reviewing and optimising oral and injectable diabetes treatments within professional scope Competent and experienced in initiating, titrating and monitoring GLP-1 medicines Able to provide clear diabetes education, self-management support and safety-netting Able to recognise when treatment needs specialist or medical input and escalate appropriately Essential treatment-room and general criteria Recent experience providing a full Treatment Room or Practice Nurse service in UK general practice Competent in routine and complex wound assessment and management Competent in compression therapy, including compression bandaging Experience of HRT and menopause reviews within general practice Competent in cervical screening Competent in administering routine vaccinations, immunisations and prescribed injections Able to work under PGDs, PSDs and agreed clinical protocols Understands safeguarding, consent, confidentiality and infection prevention Able to recognise clinical deterioration and escalate concerns appropriately Accurate clinical record-keeping and clear communication Able to manage a clinical workload and work well with clinical and non-clinical colleagues
Desirable
Experience and competence in initiating insulin Independent or supplementary prescribing qualification Competence in Doppler/ABPI assessment Additional training in wound care, respiratory care, women's health or long-term condition management Experience of using SystmOne Experience of supervising or supporting healthcare assistants, phlebotomists or learners
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.
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Employer details Employer name The Cornerstone Practice
Address Elwyn Road
March
Cambs
PE15 9BF
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.cornerstoneandmercheford.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)