Consultant in Stroke Medicine

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.