Paediatric Diabetes Clinical Nurse Specialist

Job description

NHS Band 7 Salary:    £49,387 - £56,515 per annum
Hours Per Week:    Full Time, 37.5 hrs (Part Time Considered)
Contract Type:    Temporary for 12 Months (Maternity Cover, Secondment Considered)
Location Base:  Queen Alexandra Hospital, Southwick Hill Road, Cosham, Portsmouth, PO6 3LY
Are you an experienced Diabetes Children’s Nurse looking for an opportunity to develop your specialist skills in paediatric diabetes care?
We are looking for an experienced Diabetes CNS and compassionate Paediatric Diabetes Clinical Nurse Specialist to join our friendly and supportive Children’s Diabetes Team at Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust.
This is a one-year fixed-term opportunity, covering maternity leave, offering the chance to gain valuable specialist experience within an established multidisciplinary service. Whether you already have experience in diabetes care or are looking to bring your transferable skills into a specialist role, you will be supported to develop your knowledge and confidence while making a genuine difference to children, young people and their families.
Working alongside an experienced team of consultants, specialist nurses, dietitians, psychologists and administrative colleagues, you will help provide high-quality, individualised care to children and young people living with diabetes.
As a Paediatric Diabetes CNS, you will support children, young people and their families across outpatient, inpatient and community settings. You will provide specialist education, clinical advice and ongoing support, working closely with families, schools and other healthcare professionals to help children and young people manage their diabetes with confidence.
You will manage your own caseload and play an important role in coordinating care. Previous caseload management experience is essential, but you will not be expected to do this alone. Our experienced team will provide structured induction, clinical support, supervision and opportunities for professional development throughout your time with us.
We would love to hear from you if you:
• Are a Registered Children’s Nurse with experience of caring for children and young people with long-term conditions.
• Have experience of managing a clinical caseload and coordinating patient care.
• Have strong communication, organisational and leadership skills.
• Feel confident working autonomously while enjoying being part of a multidisciplinary team.
• Are passionate about improving the care and experiences of children, young people and their families.
• Are keen to develop your knowledge and skills within paediatric diabetes care.
Previous diabetes experience would be an advantage, but it is not essential. We would particularly welcome applications from nurses with relevant transferable experience, a genuine interest in diabetes care and enthusiasm for developing within this specialist area.
What can we offer you?
• A 12-month opportunity to develop valuable specialist experience within paediatric diabetes care.
• A welcoming, knowledgeable and supportive multidisciplinary team.
• Structured induction, mentorship and ongoing clinical support.
• Opportunities to develop specialist knowledge and skills.
• Experience within an established paediatric diabetes service.
• A rewarding role where you can make a meaningful difference to children, young people and their families.
If you are ready for your next challenge and would like the opportunity to develop within a specialist service, we would be delighted to hear from you.
Join us and help shape outstanding diabetes care for children and young people across Portsmouth and South East Hampshire.
For full job details and person specification, please refer to enclosed job description
Qualifications
Essential
• Registered Child branch or Registered Sick Children’s Nurse (RSCN), current active registration with NMC.
• Educated to BSc Degree level in relevant field (i.e. child nursing/ long term conditions) or equivalent.
• Minimum 5 years post registration experience.
• At least 2 years working experience as a Paediatric Diabetes Nurse Specialist.
• Significant demonstrable experience within paediatric diabetes care with evidence of professional development within this specialism.
• Prior experience in working with CYP and families affected by complex, chronic conditions.
• Evidence of developing policy, guidelines and managing resources
• Willingness to undertake and attend relevant training, workshops and conferences as required
• Car owner with valid driving license
• Community experience eg health visitor, school nurse or children’s community nurse with relevant qualification
Desirable
• Educated to Master's degree/evidence of working towards Master's degree or willingness to undertake.
• Post Reg. qualifications for specialist area
• Previous experience in line managing staff
• Teaching qualification or equivalent
• Evidence of change management with relevant management/leadership course
• Previous experience in research and application of research in practice
• Clinical supervision
• Experience of working collaboratively with a range of other services within primary, secondary and tertiary care, social care and education
• An interest in coordinating and supporting the smooth transition of young people to the adult setting
Skills and Knowledge
Essential
• Direct care skills (i.e.insulin dose adjustment, able to run pump and CGM starts, nurse led clinics, understanding of the management of the acutely sick child e.g. DKA, able to recognize the acutely unwell CYP with type 1 diabetes).
• Ability to make autonomous clinical decisions and judgments
• Expert communication skills
• Experience of devising, delivering and evaluating teaching programs (formal or informal)
• Evidence of continuous professional development
• Clinical decision making skills
• Experience in clinical audit and benchmarking (this will be required locally, nationally and for RDMCC)
• Medicines management
• Effective leadership skills
• Organisational skills and forward planning
• Flexibility
• Able to support development of others
• Coaching and mentoring skills
• Critical appraisal skills
• IT literate
• Ability to gather data, compile information and write reports
• Knowledge and understanding of national diabetes guidelines
• Ability to deal with highly emotional and distressing situations/circumstances
• Ambition to develop within specialism and willingness to undertake further training/development.
Desirable:
• Advanced Communication Skills Training
• Understanding of health policy and the national and local nursing agenda
• Prior experience of conducting nurse-led clinics independently
Additional Information
At PHU, we know that exceptional patient care starts with supporting our people. That's why creating a positive, inclusive, and rewarding workplace is at the heart of everything we do.
We are proud to offer a range of benefits that help our colleagues thrive both professionally and personally, including our on-site nursery, access to a free staff beach hut, and our Wellness Centre with gym and swimming pool facilities. We also celebrate success through staff recognition awards and provide opportunities to connect through our vibrant staff networks, including LGBTQ+, Race Equality and Disability groups.
Most importantly, you'll be joining a Trust where teamwork, compassion and wellbeing are genuinely valued. Whether you're developing your career, seeking support during challenging times, or simply looking for a workplace where you can be yourself, you'll find a welcoming and supportive community here.
We believe that our diversity is one of our greatest strengths. We welcome colleagues from all backgrounds and are committed to creating an environment where everyone feels respected, included and empowered to succeed. Whatever your age, culture, ethnicity, disability, faith, gender identity, sexual orientation, life experience or perspective, your unique contribution will be valued and celebrated.
At PHU, you'll be more than an employee, you'll be part of a team dedicated to making a difference every day for our patients, our community and each other.
The health and wellbeing of our staff is at the forefront of everything we do. We are proud to be able to offer our staff some fantastic benefits including our on-site Nursery, access to our free Beach Hut for those long summer days, our on-site Wellness Centre including a gym and a swimming pool, access to our fantastic staff networks including LGBTQ, Race Equality and DisAbility, and awards ceremonies to recognise your achievements. We believe we can offer support to all of our staff when they need it the most.
We welcome the unique contributions that you can bring in terms of your education, opinions, culture, ethnicity, race, sex, gender identity and expression, nation of origin, age, languages spoken, veteran’s status, colour, religion, disability, sexual orientation, and beliefs.
For more information, please see our  People and OD Strategy 2026
Smoke Free Policy:
All of our hospitals operate a strict no smoking policy. Smoking cigarettes or tobacco products is not allowed on any of the grounds or in any of the buildings run by us. This applies to patients, staff, carers and visitors to Trust premises.
Our goal is to improve the health and wellbeing of everyone we care for and, by making sure that our NHS services are smoke-free, we benefit the health of people who use our services as well as the health of the people who work for us.
About the Company
Here at Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust, we are proud to provide expert, compassionate care for our local population. We are ranked as the third in the country for research, embedding education and training across the organisation. Our main hub is the Queen Alexandra Hospital, which is one of the largest hospitals on the south coast employing over 8,700 staff.
Our patients come from all walks of life and so do we. We hire great people from a wide variety of backgrounds because it makes our hospital stronger. If you share our values and our enthusiasm for getting it right for patients, colleagues, and our community, you will find a home at Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust.