Job overview

This post offers an exciting and rare opportunity for a candidate looking to advance their career as a Diabetes Nurse Consultant, leading an established Specialist Community Diabetes Service in Bedfordshire. The vacancy has arisen due to the current post‑holder retiring. We are seeking a highly motivated and dynamic individual to join Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust.

The successful candidate will provide clinical, strategic, and professional leadership for the Bedfordshire Integrated Community Diabetes Service (BICDS), ensuring the service supports primary care in delivering excellent, safe, and effective care. The post‑holder will act as a source of expert knowledge and work with a high level of autonomy while collaborating closely with senior medical colleagues.

You will lead a well‑established, supportive, and collaborative multidisciplinary team dedicated to delivering high‑quality care for people living with diabetes. As the professional lead for the BICDS nursing workforce, you will demonstrate a person‑centred, motivational approach and a strong ‘can‑do’ attitude.

You will also champion and develop strong partnership working to ensure truly integrated care across the local area, leading a responsive service that is fit for the future.

 

Main duties of the job

The Nurse Consultant provides overall leadership for the Integrated Community Diabetes Service, acting as the senior clinical expert for individuals with complex type 2 diabetes. They undertake assessment, diagnosis, prescribing, and management of high‑risk patients, while offering specialist guidance to GPs, practice nurses, community teams, and care homes. They also oversee senior diabetes nurses and ensure the delivery of safe, high‑quality clinical practice across the service.

They lead the development and delivery of all diabetes‑related education for both patients and healthcare professionals, including structured education programmes, insulin management training, and primary care workforce development. The role includes producing patient information resources, evaluating the quality of training, and supporting staff to develop advanced diabetes expertise.

At a strategic level, the post influences diabetes pathways across the ICB, drives service improvement, leads audits and research activity, and ensures compliance with national standards and commissioning requirements. Responsibilities also include managing the service budget, monitoring performance, contributing to business planning, and representing the service locally and nationally to promote excellence in diabetes care.

Working for our organisation

Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust provides hospital services to a growing population of around 700,000 people living across Bedfordshire and the surrounding areas across two busy hospital sites in Bedford and Luton.  Both hospital sites offer key services such as A&E, Obstetrics-led Maternity and Paediatrics. You will be joining a friendly, high performing Trust committed to ensuring the health and wellbeing of staff. As one of the largest NHS Trusts in our region you will have access to a programme of high quality training and development to help you grow your career. The Trust continues to be committed to delivering the best patient care using the best clinical knowledge and technology available.

We not only recruit based on qualifications and experience - we recruit individuals who demonstrate the behaviours which underpin our Trusts core values. We achieve this by using values based recruitment. We are dedicated to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible for everyone, we are committed to promoting equality and diversity, and creating a culture that values differences.

Please note that vacancies may close prior to the advertised closing date when sufficient number of applications have been received. All new staff will be subject to a probationary period covering first 6 months in post. Travel between hospital sites may be required. Please review all documents attached to ensure you familiarize yourself with all requirements of the job.

It is an exciting time to join the newly formed Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. We run two busy hospital sites in Bedford and Luton. Our 7,500 staff provide high quality care for a growing population of around 700,000 across Bedfordshire and the surrounding areas.

 

You will be joining a friendly, high performing Trust committed to ensuring the health and wellbeing of staff. As one of the largest NHS Trusts in our region you will have access to a programme of high quality training and development to help you grow your career. Travel between hospital sites may be required. We have state-of-the art facilities placing us at the heart of cutting edge health care. The Trust continues to be committed to delivering the best patient care using the best clinical knowledge and technology available.