Stroke Specialist

at  Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust

Company Description
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
Job Description
The Stroke Service at Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust has developed and continues to evolve to meet the needs of the patients who require specialist Stroke care. We are focused on ensuring a high quality seamless patient pathway and patient experience from admission to discharge delivered by a highly skilled, motivated and compassionate clinical team.
Our services include 24/7 Thrombolysis provision, access to Thrombectomy services, Hyper Acute Stroke unit (HASU), Acute Stroke unit (ASU), inpatient Neuro Rehabilitation, Stroke specific Rehabilitation and Community Stroke Rehabilitation (CSRT). All of these areas are led by committed specialist multidisciplinary stroke experts.
As part of our commitment to review and improve our stroke services we are looking to expand our Hyper- acute stroke team to provide a 24/7 service therefore an exciting position has arisen for band 6 Stroke Specialist to join Portsmouth Stroke Services. We are looking for highly motivated and dynamic individuals who can demonstrate excellent communication and interpersonal skills, along with ensuring that your practice follows the 6C’s approach to care with an emphasis on compassionate care. This post is within our Hyper-Acute Stroke Team (HAST), supporting our emergency pathway. We are keen to recruit committed and reliable staff with established or emerging stroke skills, who would demonstrate a coaching approach to developing the staff across the stroke pathway. We would be keen to develop this post into a rotational role with the opportunity to work across HAST and HASU, in order to further develop skills, knowledge and experience. The successful candidate will be required to rotate onto nights once the team is established to provide the 24/7 cover.
We welcome all applicants to contact us for an informal visit and encourage you to make contact with us to arrange this. Please telephone Kayleigh Findlay, Lead Stroke Nurse Specialist, on 02392286000 ext 3464

’TIME LOST IS BRAIN LOST’

Stroke is a medical emergency. Brain tissue at risk of damage can be saved with active management in the initial hours after a stroke starts. Rapid admission to hospital and access to specialised stroke care, including brain scanning and assessment for thrombolysis, is vital for ensuring the best possible outcome for stroke patients. The Department of Health has encouraged the development of specialised stroke services and published the National Stroke Strategy for improving stroke care nationally. In Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust, we have used this to guide the development of our service and ensure these improvements are actually delivered in practice.
Job Description

SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE

Essential

• Excellent verbal, written and interpersonal communication skills
• Evidence of high level clinical skill
• Knowledge and clinical application of National Stroke Strategy (2007)
• Knowledge and clinical application of NICE and RCP guidelines.
• Knowledge and clinical application of evidence based stroke management across acute, rehabilitation and life-long care.
• Basic IT skills
• Evidence of engagement with research and/or evidence based practice
• Ability to make sound clinical judgements
• Level 2 dysphagia

Desirable

• Evidence of ability and confidence to work alongside different teams and with all levels of staff
• Evidence of engagement with research and/or evidence based practice
• Level 3 dysphagia
• Venepuncture, cannulation and/or ECG recording and interpretation competency

EXPERIENCE

Essential

• A minimum of 2 years post-registration experience, with a minimum of 1 year in stroke, neurology, ED or high-dependency care
• Evidence of developing staff

Desirable

• Evidence of previous autonomous working
• Evidence of innovation or quality improvement work

Additional Information
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

• Maintain effective communication with MDT- F4, Bed flow, ED, stroke consultants & Southampton General Hospital.
• Provide support and guidance for stroke patients on non stroke wards.
• Provide 24 hour cover 7 days a week for stroke service.
• Respond to all thrombolysis and thrombectomy calls as soon as referral received.
• Assess patients that have been referred and request appropriate investigations.
• Ensure assessments are within the stroke key performance indicators.
  Qualifications

Essential

• Registered Nurse/AHP Registered
• Relevant post registration qualifications / CPD including mentoring / coaching

Desirable

• Educated to first degree level
• History taking and physical assessment course
• Management and / or leadership course
• Formal teaching qualification
• IMER qualification