Locum Consultant in Stroke Medicine in Luton

The appointee will join the Stroke department in the delivery of clinical excellence within the hyper‑acute and acute service provided at our Acute Stroke Centre. This is a cross‑site post for Bedfordshire Hospitals NHSFT but is primarily based at Luton Hospital. This post, along with the existing Stroke Physicians, would be expected to support the 24/7 stroke thrombolysis service. They will be expected to do one TIA clinic and one Follow‑Up Clinic per week, in addition to caring for inpatients.

There is a dedicated thrombolysis‑trained stroke registrar on call rota with a stroke specialist nurse who would assess stroke patients out of hours and liaise with the on‑call stroke consultant. Tele‑radiology service is provided for consultants out of hours to access scans. The out of hours thrombolysis rota is 1:8 based at home. The weekend HASU ward rota cover is 1:8 based at the Luton site.

In addition to the fixed clinical sessions necessary to provide continuous cover in the clinical area, flexible sessions that include time for teaching, administration, and management will be included in the job plan. The department enjoys a very close working relationship and all clinical issues are openly discussed at formal and informal meetings. The appointee will be encouraged and supported in developing their own specialty interests in stroke medicine within the overall job plan. The appointee will also have the opportunity to develop into a leadership role within the stroke service.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will provide consultant‑led care for patients across Stroke services, delivering high‑quality inpatient and outpatient care with a focus on early consultant review, timely decision‑making and excellent patient outcomes. The role includes participation in a 24/7 stroke thrombolysis service, TIA clinics and the management of adult stroke and TIA patients across the Hyper Acute Stroke Unit (HASU), acute and rehabilitation pathways. The consultant will undertake daily ward rounds, participate in multidisciplinary team (MDT) meetings and work collaboratively with the Emergency Department, Acute Assessment Units and Critical Care to optimise patient care.

Although primarily based at Bedford Hospital, the post holder will support services across both Bedford and Luton sites, including the HASU at Luton and the Stroke Unit at Bedford. The successful candidate will actively contribute to the development of Stroke services, supporting new initiatives, service improvement, governance, audit and research to meet national quality standards. The post holder will contribute to undergraduate and postgraduate education, supervise junior medical staff, participate in appraisal, continuing professional development (CPD) and revalidation, and work collaboratively with consultant colleagues to deliver a responsive, high‑quality Stroke service that adapts to changing clinical and organisational needs.

About us

Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust provides hospital services to a growing population of around 700,000 people living across Bedfordshire and the surrounding areas across two busy hospital sites in Bedford and Luton. Both hospital sites offer key services such as A&E, Obstetrics‑led Maternity and Paediatrics. You will be joining a friendly, high‑performing Trust committed to ensuring the health and wellbeing of staff. As one of the largest NHS Trusts in our region you will have access to a programme of high quality training and development to help you grow your career. The Trust continues to be committed to delivering the best patient care using the best clinical knowledge and technology.

Our Values

We not only recruit based on qualifications and experience – we recruit individuals who demonstrate the behaviours which underpin our Trust’s core values. We achieve this by using values‑based recruitment. We are dedicated to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible for everyone, we are committed to promoting equality and diversity, and creating a culture that values differences.

Please note that vacancies may close prior to the advertised closing date when a sufficient number of applications have been received. All new staff will be subject to a probationary period covering the first six months in post. Travel between hospital sites may be required. Please review all documents attached to ensure you familiarise yourself with all requirements of the job.

Job responsibilities

A 10 PA week consists of 8.5 PA direct clinical care and 1.5 PA for Supporting Professional Activity (SPA). This post along with existing Stroke Physicians would be expected to cover the 24/7 stroke thrombolysis service. The thrombolysis rota will be with a minimum frequency of 1:8 with prospective cover. This will include the hours between 17:00 and 09:00 the following day. The on‑call consultant will also support weekend on‑call on a 1 in 8 basis. On‑call activity will attract an availability supplement appropriate to the nature of the duties undertaken in accordance with the Consultant Contract 2003 (as amended 2022). Clinicians required to work overnight or during weekends will be given compensatory rest. The appointee may be required to participate in the stroke telemedicine rota.

Person Specification

• Qualifications
• Medical Degree MD or equivalent
• Higher Degree or evidence of relevant research
• Registration
• Full GMC Registration with a licence to practice
• CCT (or within 6 months of receipt of CCT at time of interview)
• CESR (must be on Specialist Register at time of applying)
• Clinical Experience
• Excellent all‑round experience of DGH work
• Evidence of thorough and broad training and experience in General Medicine / hyper‑acute, acute and rehabilitation aspects of stroke Medicine
• Able to take full and independent responsibility for clinical work and delivering service without direct supervision.
• Sub‑specialty interest in neuro‑intervention and/or newer modalities of imaging to detect early ischemic strokes
• Clinical Effectiveness
• Understanding of clinical governance and ability to demonstrate ongoing CPD
• Experience of guideline appraisal
• Participation in relevant local audits
• Ability to interpret and apply clinical research
• Participation in relevant national audits
• Personal Skills
• Ability to co‑operate in a democratic team environment
• Flexible attitude, team player with good management skills
• Leadership Skills
• Clinical Governance
• Able to demonstrate a broad understanding of the principles and elements of clinical governance.
• Personal Circumstances
• Residence within 10 miles by road or up to thirty minutes travelling time of the hospital for purposes of on‑call emergencies.
• Fit to undertake the role with satisfactory Occupational Health clearance
• Satisfactory DBS clearance
• Teaching
• Knowledge and ability to teach all grades of trainees and medical students
• Has attended Teaching the Teachers or similar course

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.

£113,565 to £150,569 a year. On call frequency: 1 in 8 for out of hours and weekend coverage.