Acute Clinical Lead

University Hospital of North Midlands NHS Trust; Newcastle-under-Lyme; On-site; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading NHS Trust in the UK seeks an Acute Clinical Lead to provide strategic clinical leadership in stroke services. This role involves collaborating with multidisciplinary teams and leading initiatives that enhance patient care. Candidates should have registered GMC status and experience at a senior level, along with excellent leadership and communication skills. This position promises to challenge and develop your career, helping to transform stroke care in the community.

Benefits

Opportunities for development

Inclusivity and diversity initiatives

Qualifications

• Experience working at a Consultant or senior nursing/therapist level.
• Knowledge in stroke services with the ISDN footprint.
• Proven experience in leading significant change.

Responsibilities

• Lead the ISDN and provide clinical expertise.
• Ensure improvements and transformations in stroke care.
• Communicate ISDN strategy and objectives effectively.

Skills

Leadership skills

Communication skills

Interpersonal skills

Strategic thinking

Flexibility

Education

Registered with the GMC or equivalent body

Leadership or management qualification

Job description

Acute Clinical Lead

The closing date is 19 January 2026

Integrated stroke delivery networks (ISDNs) are the key vehicle for transforming stroke care across the country. Using a full‑pathway approach they will prevent thousands of patients from suffering a stroke through improved diagnosis and access to treatment in 24/7 specialist stroke units, and increase the availability of high quality rehabilitation and ongoing community care to rebuild patients' lives after a stroke.

The National Stroke Service Model outlines best practice stroke care for the NHS and details the overarching objectives and governance of an ISDN as well as the optimal pathway for joined‑up stroke care throughout the patient journey.

Main duties of the job

This post will work alongside the Co‑Clinical Lead for Community/Rehabilitation to provide clinical leadership to the ISDN, support the ISDN Board and develop, deliver and monitor the strategy and objectives of the ISDN alongside the Senior ISDN Manager.

The Co‑Clinical Leads must provide clear, effective and unbiased leadership and work across organisational boundaries to encourage collaboration and share best practice across member organisations to help deliver the network's strategy and objectives.

Job responsibilities

• Work in partnership with the Co‑Clinical Director (Community and Rehab) to bring the expert acute experience.
• Use subject matter expertise in acute and hyper‑acute stroke care to lead the ISDN.
• Ensure whole‑pathway improvements and transformation are considered and provide expert input and scrutiny for all acute areas of the pathway.
• Provide professional and clinical leadership to the ISDN and the Midlands stroke programme.
• Provide clinical advice to constituent organisations (commissioners and providers).
• Communicate the ISDN strategy and objectives to focus on quality and outcomes from national through to local level.
• Provide leadership for improving and safeguarding quality.
• Lead the development and delivery of a strategic agenda to make the Stroke service more sustainable through shared working between Trusts and wider partners across the health and care system.
• Engage with clinical teams and managers across different care settings to promote engagement, participation and ownership in responding to challenges in Stroke services.
• Provide expert advice, clinical leadership and support to the CVD‑R Clinical Network and wider Midlands Stroke Programme to facilitate coordinated development of Stroke services across the area.
• Support the ISDN Manager in taking forward work or initiatives where there is divided clinical opinion and/or lack of guidance; gain clinical support and manage conflict effectively.
• Contribute to the development of evidence‑based policies and strategies and future development/planning of Stroke across the ISDN footprint area and wider region.
• Champion and support service improvement activities across the ISDN footprint area and represent the stroke community at both a regional and national level.

About us

University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust is one of the largest and most modern in the country. Based across two sites, Royal Stoke in Stoke‑on‑Trent and County Hospital in Stafford, we serve around three million people and are highly regarded for our facilities, teaching and research. We are the specialist centre for major trauma for the North Midlands and North Wales.

All of our employees make a valuable contribution regardless of role here at UHNM and we are proud of our wide range of development packages aimed at ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to fulfil their true potential.

UHNM create and encourage a culture of inclusion, providing equal opportunities for career development that are fair and transparent. We are committed to being a diverse and inclusive employer and foster a culture in which all staff feel valued and respected. In return we ask all of our employees to make a commitment to the values, co‑created by our staff, patients and carers, and that unite us as a Trust.

At University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust we know that investing in, supporting and developing our staff has a direct impact on the quality of care that we deliver. Our employees are as important as our patients and the population that we serve.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Registered with the GMC or equivalent nursing or AHP body with a licence to practice.
• Leadership or management qualification or equivalent recent experience in a leadership position.

Professional and Multidisciplinary Team Working

• Working at a Consultant or senior nursing/therapist level.
• Working in stroke services with the ISDN footprint area.

Management and Administrative Experience

• Strategic thinker with proven leadership skills.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills with the ability to develop strong working relationships at all levels.
• Effective interpersonal, motivational and influencing skills.
• Flexible and able to respond to changing priorities.
• Able to operate effectively across organisational boundaries.

Personal Attributes

• Committed to improving stroke services by encouraging the collaboration and empowerment of local providers and patients/carers.
• Able to be neutral and detach from existing organisational loyalties.
• Open minded and able to listen, understand the viewpoints of others.
• Self‑motivated, pro‑active and innovative.
• Professional with a positive reputation amongst peers.
• Ability to reconcile conflicting viewpoints in a diplomatic manner.
• Ability to travel throughout the ISDN area as required and attend regional and national meetings.

Clinical Experience & Training

• Facilitating and/or leading significant change.
• Understanding the local system‑wide issues across both stroke services and wider organisational challenges.
• Working across organisational boundaries.
• Working in a similar leadership role.
• Managing complex viewpoints and being able to chorale opinion.
• Understanding of the broader NHS landscape and current reforms (e.g. Long Term Plan).
• Understanding of commissioning of NHS Stroke Services.
• Understand the National and Regional agenda for stroke service transformation.
• Managing or leading programmes or projects.
• Recent leadership experience within the STP or in a regional role.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

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.

University Hospital of North Midlands NHS Trust