Western Health & Social Care Trust
Branch: Western Health & Social Care Trust
Location: Trustwide post - base to be determined
Directorate: Women & Children's Service
Salary: Band 7 (£47,810 - £54,710)
Contract Type: Permanent
Opening date: 03/11/26
Closes: Tue, 17 November 2026 @ 3:30 PM
Interview Dates: TBC

Job Summary
The post holder is responsible for delivering diabetes structured patient education to children and adolescents. The post holder provides expert specialist nursing advice to children, adolescents, their families and carers to address issues relating to the management of diabetes.

The post holder will be expected to contribute to the pursuit of excellence by developing and implementing quality initiatives in all aspects of the role. The Diabetes Specialist Nurse will be expected to promote uniformity of practise throughout the service with the implementation of National and Regional Guidelines for practice and be actively involved in research and audit work relevant to Diabetes.

Other key responsibilities include assisting with the review of educational information as required, collecting statistical information for project evaluation, providing feedback to project manager as required for project board meetings, providing holiday relief cover as necessary to ensure the delivery of SPE is not interrupted and promoting the SPE programme amongst all relevant stakeholders to ensure maximum uptake.

Main Duties & Responsibilities

• To promote, co-ordinate and deliver age specific structured patient education programmes to children and young people, ensuring effective roll out of SPE across the Trust area and contributing to its evaluation
• To develop and maintain an advanced level of communication skills including counselling, motivational interviewing and behaviour change skills.
• To accept delegated authority for decision making where appropriate.
• To be professionally and legally accountable and responsible for all aspects of own work, including record keeping.
• To work in conjunction with the diabetes specialist nurses across the Trust area, to provide an arrangement for covering clinical workload during holidays/sickness or training, as required.
• To provide advice and guidance to children and young people with diabetes, using a broad range of in-depth knowledge to analyse and interpret biochemistry E.g., HbA1c, lipids, renal function tests, anthropometric results e.g. weight, BMI, waist circumference and clinical details e.g. multiple medical conditions, diabetes, weight, blood pressure.
• To assist with the review and development of educational information as required.
• To ensure relevant information is updated on relevant databases.
• To collect statistical information as required for project evaluation and provide feedback to the project manager for project board meetings.
• To pro-actively promote the availability of structured patient education for children and young people within the Trust to all stakeholders to ensure maximum service uptake.
• To be responsible for own Continual Professional Development and personal development with the support and guidance of the Head of Service
• To participate, if required, in the recruitment and selection of staff.
• To attend and participate in relevant meetings and working groups.
• To order and maintain stock of relevant materials/resources for patient education.
• Accurate keyboard and computer skills required for input of data into computerised records, word processing, Internet and the diabetes databases.
• To work independently within professional codes of practice and guidelines.
• To be able to respond to unpredictable circumstances such as a patient experiencing a "hypoglycaemic event".

Clinical Practice

• Closely liaises with all professionals involved in diabetes care, including Consultants, hospital and community diabetes nurse specialists, GPs, hospital, community and practice nurses, dietitians, podiatrist, psychologists and ophthalmologists, to ensure the provision of a co-ordinated patient focused service, as required.
• Actively manages a caseload of patients, assessing and managing the needs of children and young people with diabetes, while working closely with health care professionals and providing advice to parents/carers as required.
• Leads and participates in clinical practice development projects.
• Play a leading role in the development of Trust Diabetes policies and procedures reflecting current knowledge, research and regional policies.
• Work alongside and provide expert nursing advice to Diabetes Health Care Teams supporting and training them in providing services for people with diabetes.
• Follow-up patients who have attended SPE to ensure they are able to effectively self-manage and record outcomes.
• Assess, plan, implement and evaluate care for patients between face-to-face contacts by reviewing patients' progress via telephone or email.

Leadership and Management
In consultation with Line Manager, play a lead role in the management and strategic development of high quality, client centred diabetes services including:

• Co-ordination of annual leave with diabetes nurse specialists to ensure adequate service cover for annual and study leave.
• Form effective relationships within Primary and Secondary Health Care Teams, other partners in care and service users, facilitating the roll out of SPE across the Trust.
• In close partnership with Consultant Paediatrician for Diabetes Care, facilitate the ongoing development of community-based services for children with diabetes to prevent hospital admission and ensure co-ordination of appropriate support to the child and family. Liaises with the child's school, where appropriate, to explain the impact of diabetes on the child's education and ensure minimal disruption to the child's education.
• Attend project board meetings, workshops or subgroup meetings as requested.
• Participate in service planning, commissioning and contracting forums both within and outside the Trust area.
• Develop and implement a programme of continuous quality improvement within the diabetes service.
• Collect statistical data relevant to diabetes care.

Education and Development

• The post holder will take a lead advisory role in the development of age specific SPE programmes for children and young people with diabetes, including reviewing, updating and evaluating education programmes.
• To promote, co-ordinate and deliver age specific structured patient education programmes to children and young people, ensuring effective roll out of SPE across the Trust area.
• In discussion with Line Manager and in collaboration with other service providers including the hospital and community based diabetes nurse specialists, the post holder will: Identify the training needs of staff in relation to diabetes care, Support the development of appropriate education and training programmes, teach using a variety of methods and in collaboration with others, and evaluate the outcome of training on service quality and health gain.

Research

• Facilitates the provision of evidence based diabetes care by all members of the health care team.
• Initiates and participates in research projects where applicable to improve practice.
• Initiates and participates in university and multi professional standard setting and audit in association with the hospital and community based diabetes nurse specialists.

General Management Responsibilities
The post holder will promote and support effective team working, fostering a culture of openness and transparency. The post holder will ensure that they take all concerns raised with them seriously and act in accordance with 'Your right to raise a concern (Whistleblowing)' policy and their professional code of conduct, where applicable.

General Requirements
The post holder will be required to: Ensure the Trust's policy on equality of opportunity is promoted through his/her own actions and those of any staff for whom he/she has responsibility. Co-operate fully with the implementation of the Trust's Health and Safety arrangements, reporting any accidents/incidents/equipment defects to his/her manager, and maintaining a clean, uncluttered and safe environment for patients/clients, members of the public and staff. Adhere at all times to all Trust policies/codes of conduct, including for example Smoke Free policy, IT Security Policy and Code of Conduct, standards of attendance, appearance and behaviour. Contribute to ensuring the highest standards of environmental cleanliness within your designated area of work. Co-operate fully with regard to Trust policies and procedures relating to infection prevention and control. All employees of the WHSCT are legally responsible for all records held, created or used as part of their business within the WHSCT including patients/clients, corporate and administrative records whether paper-based or electronic and also including emails. All such records are public records and are accessible to the general public, with limited exceptions, under the Freedom of Information act 2000, the Environmental Information Regulations 2004, the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. Employees are required to be conversant with the WHSCT policy and procedures on records management and to seek advice if in doubt. Take responsibility for his/her own ongoing learning and development, in order to maximise his/her potential and continue to meet the demands of the post. Represent the Trust's commitment to providing the highest possible standard of service to patients/clients and members of the public, by treating all those with whom he/she comes into contact in the course of work, in a pleasant, courteous and respectful manner. The HSC Code of conduct sets out the standards of conduct expected of all staff in the Western Health & Social Care Trust and presents standards of conduct and behaviours required during and after employment with the Trust. Professional staff are expected to follow the code of conduct for their own professions as well as this code. Staff members are expected to involve patients, clients, carers and the wider community were relevant, in developing, planning and delivering our services in a meaningful and effective way, as part of the Trust's ongoing commitment to Personal and Public Involvement (PPI).

Employees must at all times abide by Trust policies and procedures and the terms of their contract of employment. They must conduct themselves with impartiality, integrity, objectivity and honesty and maintain high standards of personal and professional accountability. Employees are expected to demonstrate commitment to the Trust by ensuring regular attendance at work and efficient completion of duties. Employees must ensure that they comply with any risk management responsibilities specific to their post, and as set out in the Trust's Risk Management Strategy. The Trust is committed to the development and implementation of systems under Integrated Governance to ensure continuous improvement in the quality of services provided. Employees will be expected to co-operate and work with such systems. All information concerning patients and staff must be held in the strictest confidence and may not be divulged to any unauthorized person. Employees must ensure that equality and human rights issues are addressed within the post holder's area of responsibility in accordance with the Trust's Equality Scheme.

This Job Description will be subject to review in the light of changing circumstances and is not intended to be rigid and inflexible but should be regarded as providing guidelines within which the individual works. Other duties of a similar nature and appropriate to the grade may be assigned from time to time. It is a standard condition that all Trust staff may be required to serve at any location within the Trust's area, as needs of the service demand.

HSC Values

• Working Together: We work together for the best outcome for people we care for and support.
• Compassion: We are sensitive, caring, respectful and understanding towards those we care for and support and our colleagues.
• Excellence: We commit to being the best we can be in our work, aiming to improve and develop services to achieve positive changes.
• Openness & Honesty: We are open and honest with each other and act with integrity and candour.

All staff are expected to display the HSC Values at all times.