Diabetes Nurse / Practice Nurse

The following

are the core responsibilities of the Diabetes Specialist Nurse There may be, on

occasion, a requirement to carry out other tasks. This will be dependent upon

factors such as workload and staffing levels:

a. To operate nurse led clinics to assess,

diagnose, plan, implement and evaluate treatment/interventions for patients for

patients presenting with diabetes, pre- diabetes or undifferentiated diagnosis.

b. In collaboration with other members of

the practice team, lead the planning and delivery of diabetes services,

promoting integrated and seamless pathways of care.

c. Initiate Insulin and GLP1s where

indicated

d. Provide support and mentorship to other

colleagues within the practice

e. Contribute to practice targets both

local and national, e.g. QOF.

f. Refer patients to other service/agencies as appropriate.

g. Promote health and well-being through

the use of health promotion screening.

h. Undertake home visits for patients with

diabetes as required.

i. To maintain accurate clinical records in conjunction with extant

legislation

j. To ensure clinical codes are used effectively by all members of the

nursing team

k. To ensure the appropriate use of chronic disease registers

l. Work to support compliance and adherence

to prescribed treatments by detecting and managing side effects and or adverse

reactions.

m. To request pathology services and process pathology results as

required.

n. To liaise with external services/agencies to ensure the patient is

supported appropriately (vulnerable patients etc.).

o. To delegate clinical responsibilities appropriately (ensuring safe

practice and the task is within the scope of practice of the individual)

In addition to the

primary responsibilities, the Diabetes Specialist Nurse may be requested to:

a.

Participate

in local initiatives to enhance service delivery and patient care

b.

Support

and participate in shared learning within the practice in order to improve

patient care

c.

Continually

review clinical practices, responding to national policies and initiatives

where appropriate

d.

Participate

in the review of significant and near-miss events applying a structured

approach, i.e., root cause analysis (RCA)

e.

Support

the practice team with the reviewing and implementation of practice policies

and protocols, ensuring conformance to extant legislation