JOB SUMMARY

We have an exciting opportunity for a Band 6 Senior Community Stroke Nurse to join our Integrated Community Stroke Service Team in West Somerset. The role will be based at either South Petherton Community Hospital or Williton Community Hospital.
Our teams provide high quality stroke specialist support across the whole county. The successful applicant will manage a clinical caseload of stroke patients, lead and mentor junior nurses, and work alongside an established multidisciplinary team, including Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists, Speech and Language Therapists, Psychologists, and Rehabilitation Assistants.
Experience in stroke care, mentoring, and clinical supervision is essential, as well as excellent communication skills. You will support the development of the stroke nursing workforce, ensuring high-quality care across the county.
The successful applicant will be supported by the Band 7 LWAS Lead and Advanced Nurse Practitioner with access to ongoing development opportunities.
If you are passionate about stroke care and ready to take on a senior role within a supportive, collaborative team, we would love to hear from you.
The post is for 30 hours per week including bank holidays and weekends, with exact working pattern to be established at the time of appointment.

ABOUT US

At Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, we’re committed to supporting our employees with a range of benefits designed to enhance your professional and personal life. We offer:

• Flexible working options to help you balance work and life
• NHS pension scheme for long-term financial security
• Generous annual leave allowance to recharge and relax
• A strong focus on career development to help you grow and achieve your potential

Additionally, you’ll gain access to our Blue Light Card, unlocking exclusive discounts on shopping, dining, and leisure activities, as well as NHS-specific perks to support you both inside and outside of work.
We are proud to foster a diverse, skilled, and inclusive workforce, and we encourage applications from all backgrounds.
Why Somerset? Somerset offers the perfect blend of idyllic countryside, outstanding areas of natural beauty, and breathtaking coastlines, with vibrant cities like Bristol, Bath, and Exeter just a short drive away - and only two hours to London.
The region is home to excellent educational facilities, and with affordable housing compared to other parts of the country, it’s a great place to build both your career and your future.
Somerset truly has it all - the peaceful countryside and cosmopolitan city life, with something for everyone to enjoy.

JOB DESCRIPTION

Duties and Responsibilities

Communication and Key Working Relationships

• General Practitioners/primary care
• Infection Control Team
• District Nurses
• Community Hospital Ward Manager and Nurses.
• Integrated community stroke team
• Acute Trusts
• Patient / Carers
• Specialist Nurses
• Practice Nurses
• Stroke Team Leaders
• Integrated Community Stroke Nurse Lead
• Stroke Service Lead
• Consultant Therapist Stroke
• Other care staff including those from other agencies, eg Social Services, Community nurses, Care agencies, as part of clinical work.

Planning and Organisation

• To work alongside the nurse lead in the provision of clinical supervision and leadership for junior nurses within the team.
• Participate in projects in support of the nurse lead.
• To act as a role model for junior staff, with clear expectations of staff behaviour.
• As an autonomous practitioner, to consistently pursue self- directed support and learning, and formal agreed supervision according to Trust policy. Ensuring appropriate preparation for professional revalidation.

Analytics

• To participate in accurate and timely collection of data for the production of regular monitoring reports, for the activity in their own area of responsibility
• To participate in clinical audit and research.

Responsibility for Patient / Client Care, Treatment & Therapy

• The post holder will be responsible for ensuring the nursing components within an interdisciplinary assessment of patient care needs, the development, implementation and evaluation of treatment plans. To work alongside other professionals within the multidisciplinary team; ensuring high quality care and rehabilitation and effective communication. This will involve managing a caseload of appropriate patients.
• To use specialised skills to provide assessment and treatment of acutely and chronically ill/frail stroke patients, taking account of other pathologies and associated complex needs.
• To be aware of and appropriately manage sensitive and/or complicated information. To deal sensitively with patients who may have challenging behaviour, have high levels of anxiety and aggression caused by pain, cognitive change, dementia, limited mobility, terminal illness, degenerative disease etc.
• To develop and deliver an individualised treatment programme and agree patient centred goals in partnership with patients, carers, and other members of the health and social care team.
• To assist with implementation of consistent patient medication self-administration trials post discharge home to increase personal independence.
• To be able to utilise and promote specialist nursing skills e.g. understanding and management for VTE assessment and prophylaxis, physiological monitoring, bladder/bowel dysfunction, understanding and support of management of cardiovascular issues i.e. AF, blood pressure control, monitoring and management, identify complications of stroke and assess secondary prevention regarding reducing further incidence of stroke.
• To act as or support the role of key worker, this may include managing extremely complex cases and seeking support of outside agencies.
• To provide specialist nursing advice to the wider MDT.

Policy, Service, Research & Development Responsibility

• To manage, prioritise and triage referrals to the Community Stroke Nurses, including delegation of clinical work to the appropriate person.
• To triage all referrals into the Community Stroke Service, on a rostered basis.
• To assist the Integrated Community Stroke Nurse Lead with the development of the service with regard to Stroke nursing.
• Engage effectively with research to promote evidence-based stroke nursing practice.
• To be responsible for completing mandatory training in a timely manner

Responsibility for Finance, Equipment & Other Resources

• To be responsible for the safe and competent use of all resources, equipment and patient appliances.

Responsibility for Supervision, Leadership & Management

• The Band 6 Nurse will provide clinical leadership for more junior nurses and is accountable for ensuring that the patient care needs are met (with particular regard to medication, physiological monitoring and identifying deterioration and complications and secondary prevention).
• To deputise for the lead nurse, with prior arrangement and with support from the Stroke Service Lead.
• To work pro-actively with other partners, such as secondary care, to identify and refer patients for specialist advice
• Contributing to the education of the stroke team in the nursing referral criteria, monitoring of physiological signs of the patient, bladder/bowel dysfunction, secondary prevention and identifying complications associated with Stroke.
• Contribute to education and training of health and social care staff regarding Stroke Nursing which could include local induction and professional training sessions as required.
• To be professionally and legally responsible and accountable for all aspects of your own work including the management of patients in your care, (including care delegated to students and assistant staff). To ensure a high standard of clinical care for the patients under your management, and support more junior staff to do likewise.
• To provide supervision and mentorship of more junior nurses.

SKILLS & ABILITIES

• Listens to others’ views respecting and valuing individual needs.
• Provide enthusiasm, passion and energy to embed the Nursing role in the wider integrated community stroke service team.
• Professional and patient focussed approach with inspirational skills, acting as a role model to colleagues and junior staff members.
• Excellent organisational skills, ability to manage own time and plan timed activities.
• Ability to recognise and manage challenging situations in a calm and professional manner.
• Able to take instruction and direction and work effectively as part of a team.

patients and their families/carers and be a key link for the Integrated Community Stroke Service. They will ensure all patients in a defined area who have experienced a stroke, have access to specialist nursing assessment and associated care.
The senior community stroke nurse will be an autonomous clinician and accountable in practice. They will have the ability to support the service 7 days a week, which may include lates and weekends depending on service need. A high degree of competence and confidence is required in clinical decision making. In addition to direct patient care, as an experienced clinician they will act as a touchpoint for the West side of the county, ensuring optimum patient management in the community.
The senior community stroke nurse will consider the patient journey across the whole stroke pathway. They will assist the lead nurse with nursing service delivery and design for the community phase of their intervention. To work closely with the acute stroke services and community inpatient wards to ensure a seamless process of care and continuation of nursing intervention. Advocating for the patient through leading on the provision of excellent stroke specialist nursing care.
To deputise for the Lead Nurse when required, this may include working alongside the community stroke service team leads, clinical specialist’s, therapy consultant and service manager. To provide supervision and mentorship of more junior nurses