Consultant in Stroke Medicine

This is a replacement post at an exciting time in the development of our regional stroke service. There is a reconfiguration of stroke services across West Sussex underway and we anticipate that the Brighton Comprehensive Stroke Centre (CSC) will increase in size to around 850 stroke admissions per year in 2025. We are piloting a nurse-led pre-hospital video triage service with the paramedics to support patients being seen at the right hospital first time. We are developing our thrombectomy service with a planned introduction of a treat and return policy to improve flow and enable as many appropriate patients as possible to access interventional services. We are keen to receive applications from enthusiastic and committed doctors eligible to apply for a consultant position in our team. Stroke is a hyperacute specialty requiring significant consultant involvement. We are commissioned to provide a 7-day consultant-led service with daily ward rounds, daily TIA clinics, and 24-hour stroke specialist cover. The Royal Sussex County Hospital is the regional CSC. Alongside the highest quality hyperacute multidisciplinary stroke care, we continue to develop our intra-arterial service working closely with our interventional neuroradiology colleagues. There is a planned phased expansion of this service with the aim of providing a regional 24/7 thrombectomy service. Currently, we provide an in-hours thrombectomy service with the additional benefit of AI software to support decision-making.

Main duties of the job

• Daily work on HASU including attending stroke calls and assessing patients for thrombolysis/thrombectomy
• Daily TIA clinics
• OP stroke clinic (held weekly but shared between colleagues). Potential to expand this service including virtual and face-to-face appointments
• Attendance at daily board rounds and MDTs
• A rehabilitation WR (9-10 beds) and MDT at Sussex Rehabilitation Centre (1 PA per week, shared with colleagues)

Please note that all the above duties are shared between colleagues to ensure continuity of care for patients and to allow individuals to develop their own sub-specialty interest.

On Call Commitment: 1 in 5 weekends and 1 in 5 weekdays. Category A, 5% supplement. There is an expectation that patients will receive a consultant review as soon as possible - either on the day of admission or on the following morning.

About us

At UHSussex, diversity is our strength, and we want you to feel included to help us always put the Patient First, as shown in our Outstanding for Caring CQC rating. Your uniqueness and experiences will be part of our creative and innovative community where everyone is encouraged to succeed. We have a range of Staff Networks to help break down barriers, and can offer a buddy to help new members settle in. We're proud to be a Disability Confident Employer (Level 2) and a Veteran Aware Trust. We treat our patients and staff with the same compassion and empathy we expect for ourselves. We're here for them when they need us, and we go above and beyond to meet their needs. This can be seen in our Wellbeing Programme for staff which is extensive and designed to support you when you need it - because we know that to look after others we must first look after ourselves. As a university trust and a leader in healthcare research, we value learning, teaching, and training so that we can be the best that we can be. From the moment you start with us and throughout your career we will help you to grow and develop. We hope that in choosing UHSussex you are choosing a long and happy career where you will be able to see the difference you make and feel valued for all that you do. We look forward to receiving your application and the start of your journey with UHSussex.

Job responsibilities

For further information regarding this post, please refer to the attached job description and person specification.

Person Specification

• Full GMC Registration with a licence to practice
• CCT in Stroke plus Geriatrics, Acute Medicine or Neurology or equivalent (equivalence must be confirmed by GMC by date of AAC)
• Entry onto the GMC Specialist Register or eligibility for entry within 6 months of the date of the AAC
• Acute stroke experience and able to thrombolyse patients independently
• Understanding of clinical risk management
• Experience of thrombectomy
• Experience of general medicine and elderly care
• Breadth of experience in and outside specialty
• Experience and ability to work in multi-professional teams
• Understanding of NHS / Clinical governance / Resource constraints
• Evidence of managerial skills: Achievements / Course attended
• Evidence of an interest and commitment to teaching
• Recognised teaching qualification
• Evidence of participation in audit
• Research experience
• Publications
• Prize and honours
• Appropriate progression of career to date
• Evidence of good communication skills

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.