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A fantastic opportunity has arisen for an enthusiastic and motivated Consultant Physician in Stroke Medicine to join a highly dedicated and progressive Stroke Service in the North West. This full-time role offers flexible working arrangements, including weekend commitments, and provides an excellent platform for delivering high-quality stroke care across acute, rehabilitation, TIA, and ambulatory pathways.

 

Primary Duties of the Job

The post holder will work within a 4-Consultant model, rotating every two weeks through the following key areas:

Acute Stroke (Consultant 1)

• Daily consultant ward rounds for approximately 16 acute stroke patients.
• Daily board rounds with the multidisciplinary team.
• Ensuring all new stroke admissions receive consultant review within 14 hours, in line with SSNAP standards.

Stroke Rehabilitation (Consultant 2)

• Twice-weekly ward rounds for stroke rehabilitation patients.
• Two outpatient stroke clinics each week.
• Attend one multidisciplinary team (MDT) meeting weekly.
• Clinic support provided by junior medical staff.

Rapid Access TIA Clinics (Consultant 3)

• Daily TIA clinics, supported by an on-site Carotid Doppler Ultrasound service.
• Ensuring all TIA referrals are assessed within 24 hours, in line with NICE guidelines.

Ambulatory Stroke Service / Ward Referrals (Consultant 4)

• Managing minor stroke cases, stroke mimics, and inpatient referrals.
• Reviewing stroke outliers as required.
• Providing prospective annual leave and sickness cover for colleagues.

On-Call & Tele-Stroke Thrombolysis

• Participation in the regional out-of-hours tele-stroke thrombolysis rota.
• On-call rota arrangements are under review to optimise service provision and patient care.

Programmed Activities

• 8 PAs Direct Clinical Care (DCC), including on-call commitments.
• 2 PAs Supporting Professional Activity (SPA):
  • 1.5 SPA covering CPD, revalidation, appraisal, job planning, teaching, and supervision.
  • 0.5 SPA supporting governance activities (e.g., M&M reviews, incident investigation, and complaint responses).
• Additional formal roles (education, management, research) may attract further SPA time upon agreement.

General Consultant Responsibilities

• Maintain up-to-date clinical practice and adopt evidence-based, cost-effective approaches.
• Participate in postgraduate and continuing medical education activities.
• Fulfil all administrative duties related to patient care, documentation, and departmental management.
• Participate in annual job plan review and appraisal processes.
• Maintain a portfolio suitable for GMC revalidation.

Clinical Governance

The post holder will play an active role in:

• SSNAP and Advancing Quality audit programmes.
• Mortality reviews, performance monitoring, and clinical incident investigation.
• Risk management activities and complaints handling.
• Supporting user involvement in service planning and quality improvement.
• Promoting an environment where excellence in stroke care can flourish.

Research & Development

• Expected to participate in research activities under NIHR standards.
• Must obtain Good Clinical Practice (GCP) certification.
• Support recruitment into national and international stroke trials (target ?100 patients/year).
• Opportunity to develop local research projects for national/international presentation.
• Potential for honorary academic appointments (Lecturer / Senior Lecturer / Reader / Professor).

Teaching & Training

• Provide supervision, teaching and mentorship to speciality doctors, junior trainees, and medical students.
• Participate regularly in postgraduate training programmes and formal teaching sessions.
• Support undergraduate education from regional medical schools.
• Engage in clinical skills training and multidisciplinary teaching.

Equal Opportunities, Health & Safety & Risk

• Demonstrate commitment to equality and diversity in all aspects of work.
• Comply with health and safety requirements, reporting risks and incidents promptly.
• Promote safe working environments across clinical areas.
• Uphold infection control standards.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Complete GMC registration with a licence to practise.
• MRCP (UK) or equivalent.
• Higher training in General Internal Medicine plus Stroke Medicine, Geriatrics, Neurology, or Rehabilitation Medicine.
• Eligible for Specialist Register (CCT within 6 months, or CESR progress).
• Minimum 1 year of NHS experience.

Desirable

• Postgraduate degree (MD / PhD / MSc).

Experience & Clinical Skills

Essential

• Intense training and experience in managing acute stroke, thrombolysis, and rehabilitation.
• Ability to provide rapid expert assessment for stroke and TIA patients.
• Competence in managing acute medical emergencies.
• Evidence of strong practical and clinical decision-making skills.
• Competency in Intermediate Life Support.

Desirable

• Advanced Life Support certification.

Teamwork & Communication

Essential

• Proven ability to work effectively within a multidisciplinary team.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills, including handling complex or sensitive discussions.

Management Skills

Essential

• Basic understanding of health service management and clinical governance.
• Ability to manage risk, prioritise workload, and lead clinical teams.
• Evidence of organisational and leadership capability.

Desirable

• Completion of management courses.
• Experience contributing to committees or leading service developments.

Teaching

Essential

• Experience teaching junior doctors, medical students, and AHPs.

Desirable

• Completion of formal teaching qualifications or courses.

Audit & Research

Essential

• Evidence of audit activity leading to measurable improvement.
• Understanding of research methodology.
• Awareness of current stroke-related initiatives and clinical developments.
• Willingness to obtain NIHR GCP certification.

Desirable

• Peer-reviewed publications.
• Ability to apply research outcomes to clinical care.

Apply now