Consultant in Stroke MedicineNHS

Job summary

Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is seeking to appoint a Consultant in Stroke Medicine (full-time or part-time) to join our team of eight consultants delivering high-quality specialist stroke care to around 1,100 stroke admissions annually.

The successful candidate will contribute to the delivery of hyperacute stroke services and rapid-access ambulatory neurovascular assessment through our innovative Brainsafe pathway at Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital (NSECH). They will also play a key role in providing subacute stroke care, inpatient rehabilitation and neurovascular outpatient services across our sites at North Tyneside , Wansbeck and Hexham General Hospitals.

The service benefits from rapid access to comprehensive neurovascular imaging, including CT, CT angiography (CTA), CT perfusion (CTP), MRI and carotid Doppler ultrasound, enabling timely diagnosis and treatment decisions.

This post offers an excellent opportunity to join a forward-thinking, high-performing stroke service with a strong track record of innovation, service development and quality improvement.

Opportunities to develop additional clinical responsibilities will be supported and can be tailored to the successful candidate's specialty background, expertise and professional interests.

Please note we reserve the right to close this vacancy prior to the closing date once the required number of suitable applications have been received.

Main duties of the job

During HASU weeks, the post holder provides

• 12 hour resident coverwith overnight on-call support from home.
• senior clinical leadership for the assessment and management of patients presenting with suspected stroke and transient ischaemic attack (TIA).
• oversees the care of all inpatients within the unit
• works closely with Stroke Nurse Practitioners assessing patients presenting through the Emergency Department.

During Stroke Recovery Unit weeks the post holder provides

• senior clinical leadership for in-patient stroke care and rehabilitation
• multidisciplinary team leadership
• Neurovascular outpatient care including both rapid-access assessment and longer-term follow-up for patients recovering from stroke and TIA.

The post will be flexibly time-tabled to meet the demands of the service and the timing of sessions may change as the service develops.

A typical week consists of 10 Programmed Activities (PAs), including an allocation of 1.5 for Supported Professional Activities (SPAs). Additional SPAs will be available for extra managerial, teaching, research or educational supervision activities, dependent upon service need and negotiated through job planning. Weekend duties are included in the 10 PAs and result in the equivalent time off in lieu. Overnight on call from home is remunerated by the higher band (5%) intensity payment. A proposed job plan has been outlined in Appendix 2 and will be agreed on commencement of appointment.

Job description

The service manages approximately 1,100 stroke admissions annually. On a typical day, the stroke team assesses around three new stroke admissions, two to three stroke mimics and two to three high-risk TIA presentations.

Our dedicated Hyperacute Stroke Unit (HASU) at NSECH comprises 11 monitored beds and serves as the regional front door for acute stroke assessment and treatment. Patients are typically managed within the HASU for 24 to 48 hours before transfer to one of the Trusts Stroke Recovery Units. During HASU weeks, the post holder will provide resident consultant cover between 08:00 and 20:00, with overnight on-call support from home. Supported by our highly experienced 24/7 Stroke Nurse Practitioner team, the consultant will provide senior clinical leadership for the assessment and management of patients presenting with suspected stroke and transient ischaemic attack (TIA).

Within each HASU shift, the post holder will oversee the care of all inpatients within the unit, supported by resident medical staff and aPhysician Associate, while working closely with Stroke Nurse Practitioners to assess patients presenting through the Emergency Department. The service benefits from rapid access to comprehensive neurovascular imaging, including CT, CT angiography (CTA), CT perfusion (CTP), MRI and carotid Doppler ultrasound, enabling timely diagnosis and treatment decisions.

Outside HASU commitments, the post holder will provide consultant leadership on one of the Trusts Stroke Recovery Units, supporting the delivery of high-quality inpatient stroke care and rehabilitation within a well-established multidisciplinary team. Neurovascular outpatient activity takes place across the Trusts base sites and includes both rapid-access assessment and longer-term follow-up for patients recovering from stroke and TIA. Each Stroke Recovery Unit is supported by resident medical staff and an experienced multidisciplinary team, ensuring comprehensive, patient-centred care throughout the recovery pathway.

The post will be flexibly time-tabled to meet the demands of the service and the timing of sessions may change as the service develops.

A typical week would consist of 10 Programmed Activities (PAs), including an allocation of 1.5 for Supported Professional Activities (SPAs). Additional SPAs will be available for extra managerial, teaching, research or educational supervision activities, dependent upon service need and negotiated through job planning. Weekend duties are included in the 10 PAs and result in the equivalent time off in lieu. Weekend HASU working is shared equitably across the consultant team and operates in line with the established weekday model. Overnight on call from home is remunerated by the higher band (5%) intensity payment. A proposed job plan has been outlined in Appendix 2 and will be agreed on commencement of appointment.

About us

We manage three major locality hospitals at North Tyneside, Wansbeck and Hexham, plus a number of smaller community hospitals and clinics from Tynemouth to Berwick on Tweed, covering one of the largest geographical areas of any NHS trust in the country. Leading in innovation and quality - opening a state of the art Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital, the first of its kind in England. Do you want to work in one of the best performing NHS organisations in England? Work in an organisation that supports its staff and focuses on staff experience as much as it does the experience of its patients? You can live and breathe in an area that has the cleanest air, cost effective living, great nightlife, some of the best schools with a wealth of history available on your doorstep. Sound too good to be true? Well it isn't, this is what you get when you work for Northumbria Healthcare, this is the Northumbria Way! Please read 'applicant guidance notes' before submitting your application.