Trainee Orthopaedic Plaster Technician

Job overview

We are looking to recruit an experienced Diabetes Specialist Nurse to join our team at Maidstone & Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust who is enthusiastic, highly motivated and forward thinking, to help us drive improvements in service delivery.

The successful applicant, will have demonstrable experience of working as a diabetes specialist nurse with proven clinical skills. Practice nurses with strong experience within nurse led diabetes clinics, are also strongly encouraged to apply

The ideal candidate will have experience of working as a diabetes specialist nurse with specific experience running clinics; ideally Type 1 services such as YAC or pumps. Experience of antenatal care or spoke services would also be an advantage. Strong nurse led out-patient experience is essential, with either a working knowledge or willingness to learn developing diabetes technologies.

You will be self-motivated, organised, computer literate and able to demonstrate excellent interpersonal skills and committed to service provision whilst maintaining own continual professional development.

Although all roles are cross site, we are looking specifically for a Diabetes Specialist Nurse to support our service within Maidstone Hospital out-patients Monday - Friday 9-5.

Main duties of the job

We aim to offer diabetes specialist nurses the opportunity to work in any area of our service over time, to ensure a broad range of diabetes knowledge, experience and skills. Our service covers in-patient, out-patient and community diabetes CNS roles, so a unique place to work for any Diabetes CNS wishing to progress in the professional.

Responsibilities include:-

To work as an autonomous practitioner and effectively co-ordinate and deliver an expert nursing service within diabetes To manage patients/client caseloads To ensure that patients and their families are fully informed and supported by providing clinical and social support To be involved in the development of evidence based clinical nursing practice in line with current research and guidelines To work collaboratively with colleagues To establish clear lines of communication with primary healthcare.

To be involved in research/audit

We are a friendly team and a team who would support anyone new to our service.

If you are interested in applying for this role, please do make contact with the Diabetes CNS Lead for further details and/or to arranged an informal visit.

We ask that when completing your application, you clearly demonstrate where your skills and experience meet criteria for the role and your specific experience, skills and knowledge acquired since you became a DSN / PN or Spoke nurse.

Working for our organisation

MTW is a large acute hospital trust in the south-east of England. 

We provide a full range of general hospital services and some aspects of specialist and complex care to around 600,000 people living in west Kent and East Sussex. We have a team of over 8,000 full and part-time staff. We also provide specialist cancer services to around 2 million people across Kent and East Sussex via the Kent Oncology Centre. 

In the 2024 NHS staff survey, our employees ranked MTW among the top 10 NHS Trusts nationwide and the second-best Trust to work for in the South East.

Would you like to work flexibly? In the NHS, we are reminded every day of how important life is. As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us, for our patients and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Once your pre-employment checks have been completed you will be contacted by Recruitment to arrange your start date which will be in line with one of our Corporate Inductions. 

Following your Corporate Induction you will be expected to attend the Trust’s 2-week Induction Programme for RNs, NAs, RMs, ODPs and Paramedics. The programme is full-time (please email if this is problematic) and will involve travel to both Trust sites. The programme includes supernumerary shifts in the clinical area, classroom-based sessions and e-learning.

Please note that appointment to this post will be subject to a satisfactory Disclosure & Barring Service Check at Enhanced Level. (Enhanced level now includes regulated checks against vulnerable adults and children)

At MTW, we seek to develop a culture where everyone can reach their full potential with opportunities to grow and develop their career. We recognise and value the unique contributions that each of our staff bring, delivering the best quality care and service to our patients. We are committed to being a diverse employer and strive to reflect everyone in our local communities. We welcome applications from people of diverse backgrounds, perspectives and experiences and celebrate the diversity of thought, viewpoints and ideas that will make our Trust the best place to work.

We support our staff with disabilities to ensure they have the adjustments they need to be the best they can be in the workplace. Collaborating with Access to Work means that our staff are assessed by experts in the workplace and we ensure that their recommendations are implemented as quickly as possible. You can find out more here: Access to Work: get support if you have a disability or health condition: What Access to Work is - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Interview Date: To Be Confirmed 

Person specification

Qualification

Essential criteria

Level 1 NMC Adult Registered Nurse Relevant post registration qualification One of the following as a minimum - Diabetes Diploma/certificate or willingness to undertake, Non-Medical Independent Prescriber/ or willingness to undertake, teaching qualification or equivalent expert experience

Desirable criteria

Experience of managing diabetes in specialist clinics,( renal. pregnancy/gestational , pump, YAC) DAFNE qualification Mentorship qualification or willingness to undertake Counselling qualification or willingness to undertake Non-Medical Independent Prescriber/ Willingness to undertake.

Experience/Knowledge

Essential criteria

Post registration experience. Extensive knowledge of diabetes having previous experience in a DSN role. Ability to work independently and as part of a team within diabetes. Experience of clinical supervision and mentoring junior staff/nursing students. Able to demonstrate understanding and empathy To contribute to the development of policies and protocols to improve patient care Critical application of detailed knowledge in the field of diabetes. Diabetes ward / practice experience and a willingness to develop using the Trend Career competency document. A working knowledge of the management of Type 1 & Type 2 Diabetes Knowledge of diabetes specialist clinical treatments and technology

Desirable criteria

Experience with implementing change Knowledge of key resources Willingness to learn and acquire skills, training to meet needs of service. Knowledge of NSF and NICE Guidance for diabetes. Experience of teaching and presenting

Skills

Essential criteria

Excellent oral and written communication skills. Computer literacy Good clinical assessment skills or willingness to develop these Good listening, observational and interpretive skills. Demonstrate effective teaching skills Excellent interpersonal skills. Have awareness of own limitations and when to seek advice from senior members of the team

Desirable criteria

Effective presentation skills Experience of undertaking research/audits programmes. Project management skills

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