Consultant in Stroke Medicine

Full time (10 PA, including up to 2 PA SPA) or part time

Salary Scale - £111,430 - £148,064 per annum (pro rata if part time)

NHS Forth Valley seeks to appoint an enthusiastic and innovative colleague to join the Department of Ageing & Health and Stroke within NHS Forth Valley. Sitting within Acute services is the Stroke Service. It is an exciting time for the service with plans for future services including the introduction of thrombectomy services within Scotland.

2020 saw the development of a Hyperacute Stroke Unit (HASU) within the footprint of the current Stroke Unit and Ambulatory care for the rapid assessment of people with suspected TIA. We also have an established fully funded Early Supported Discharge team (our START team) to support earlier discharge and rehabilitation into the community.

This post will be focused on delivery of care in the acute/early stages of admission to hospital but there are opportunities to work within the wider stroke service and services aligned to clinical expertise. Patients with suspected stroke or TIA are currently admitted through the Emergency Department and/or Acute Medical Unit and are then subsequently moved to our HASU. We look after adult patients of all ages with stroke.

The vast majority of patients with stroke will be cared for within the Stroke Unit although the clinical needs of some patients will mean they require care elsewhere in the hospital or will develop stroke symptoms during hospital admission. The Stroke service has a commitment to consult on such patients usually within the cardiology and general medical wards, surgical wards and the intensive care unit.

The 23-bedded Acute Stroke Unit comprises a Hyper-acute area where those receiving thrombolysis therapy are directly admitted from ED. There is an additional 8-bedded Rehabilitation Stroke Unit in the Bellfield Centre, Stirling Care Village. Since 2010, approximately 750-800 patients with stroke and 60-100 patients with TIA are discharged annually. There are an additional 375-450 patients seen each year in the Rapid Access TIA Clinic. There is also scope to provide ambulatory care through our Rapid Access Care Unit.

Hyperacute assessment and thrombolytic therapy is provided by the stroke consultants on-site during office hours Monday to Friday. Out with these times and at weekends, this service is provided by a telemedicine service via service level agreement in conjunction with NHS Lothian. There would be scope to be part of this service if the candidate wishes.

We are part of the national planning structure to improve access to thrombectomy and the systems necessary to assess and deliver this highly effective treatment. This is a service currently offered in conjunction with Lothian and is to undergo expansion.

We have strong links with the Vascular Surgery team who provide carotid intervention for appropriate patients, surgery being undertaken at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow.

We have a keen ethos of Quality Improvement to enhance the service and take responsibility for Stroke education within the hospital including core and advanced competency teaching and STAT (Stroke & TIA Assessment Training) run at the Scottish Centre for Simulation and Clinical Human Factors within the hospital. We work closely with our Allied Health Professional colleagues and have developed national learning tools for doctors, nurses and allied health professionals.

There is active participation in Clinical Research, with support from our R&D Department. We are involved in multicentre clinical trials including CTIMPs and qualitative studies in stroke care. We have a dedicated stroke research nurse to support these trials.

Within Forth Valley Royal Hospital, Ageing and Health currently has 62 acute frailty assessment beds (Wards A22 and A32). In addition, there is a 29-bedded acute frailty and ortho-geriatric ward (ward A21) with orthogeriatrics also offering an inreach service into the acute orthopaedic ward.

A Hospital at Home service was developed over 2020 as part of a holistic, whole system project with Primary Care and our Health and Social Care colleagues and is also to undergo expansion. The aim is to provide acute care to the frail, older people in their own home and this service now has 30 virtual beds open. There are links to colleagues providing assessment in Nursing Homes and Community Palliative Care.

There are also four community hospitals (Stirling Care Village, Falkirk Community Hospital, Clackmannanshire Community Healthcare Centre and Bo’ness Hospital) with in the region of 205 beds. These are a combination of slow stream rehabilitation beds and Intermediate Care Assessment. These are currently run by the partnerships.

The department successfully completed the first ‘Frailty at the Front Door’ collaborative supported by Healthcare Improvement Scotland and now has an Acute Frailty Unit. This work is supporting the ongoing transformation of the service looking at a whole systems approach to frailty. The Frailty Team have been joined by colleagues in social work, Home First and have links with Hospital at Home.

The department provides consultant review of emergency admissions that are admitted via the Acute Medical Unit. The consultant staff provide continuous assessment within the admissions unit seeing patients primarily presenting with Frailty Syndrome.

There is also a Movement Disorder Team providing liaison and outpatient services. This team works closely with our Neurology colleagues to ensure a smooth transition of patient care dependent on need. There are links to the newly established Specialist Rehab team. This team provides rehabilitation to those with complex trauma, specific neurological conditions, acquired brain injuries and those from the surgical specialties. There are plans to further develop a local spasticity service which will have links to the Stroke Service.

You can look forward to a warm welcome and strong support from colleagues. Our hospital is situated in the heart of Scotland, nestled against the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park, and close to vibrant towns that are richly endowed with excellent cultural and sporting facilities, offering good transport links to Edinburgh and Glasgow.

To apply for this post, please visit the job posting on the NHS Scotland Job Train website. Applicants should have full GMC registration and a licence to practise. Applicants will be in possession of the CCT in Geriatric/General Medicine or equivalent, registered with the General Medical Council and on the Specialist Register or be within 6 months of the anticipated award of a CCT at the time of interview. Applicants applying under the Portfolio pathway must be entered on the specialist register at time of application. Applications will also be considered from those who have a CCTs in neurology, or Acute Internal Medicine with stroke. The expectation would be that any role agreed would be largely based within the stroke services. Applicants are required to have evidence of recent continued academic and professional development. Excellent communication, listening and organisational skills are essential.

Informal enquiries are warmly invited by Dr Tom French, Clinical Director for Stroke, Ageing and Health and Acute Internal Medicine, thomas.french2@nhs.scot

Closing date: Sunday 13th July 2025

Interview date: Thursday 5th August 2025

Please quote reference number 217047 on all correspondence.