Staff Nurse - Stroke Unit

Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust; Dorchester; On-site; GBP 25,000 - 32,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stroke induction and NIHSS training

Opportunities to rotate into HASU

CPD and stroke education

Job summary

Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is expanding its Stroke Service across Dorset and Somerset, launching a Hyper‑Acute Stroke Unit (HASU). We are recruiting Band 5 Registered Nurses to deliver high‑quality, time‑critical stroke care along the full pathway—from hyper‑acute to early rehabilitation.

You will work with the MDT, perform NIHSS scoring, support post‑thrombolysis monitoring, and contribute to personalised rehabilitation plans.

Qualifications

• Passionate about stroke care.
• Confident in fast-paced clinical environments.
• Keen to develop skills in NIHSS, thrombolysis/thrombectomy pathways, dysphagia management, and neurological assessment.
• Motivated to work in a service that is growing across two counties.

Responsibilities

• Delivering high-quality nursing care to patients with acute and hyper-acute stroke presentations.
• Completing neurological observations, NIHSS scoring, and escalation.
• Supporting post- thrombolysis monitoring and early mobilisation.
• Working closely with the MDT to deliver personalised rehabilitation plans.
• Communicating sensitively with patients and families during complex situations.
• Contributing to service development as we launch our HASU.

Skills

NIHSS

Stroke care

Neurological assessment

Thrombolysis pathways

Dysphagia management

Communication

Job description

We’re growing — and we’d love you to grow with us. Our Stroke Service is expanding to support patients across Dorset and Somerset, including the launch of our brand‑new Hyper‑Acute Stroke Unit (HASU). We are recruiting Band 5 Registered Nurses who want to make a real difference at one of the most critical moments in a person’s life. This is an exciting opportunity to join a forward‑thinking team delivering high‑quality, time‑critical stroke care across the full pathway — hyper‑acute, acute, and early rehabilitation. As a Band 5 Nurse, you will play a key role in delivering safe, compassionate, evidence‑based care to patients with complex neurological needs. You will work closely with our Stroke Consultants, Specialist Nurses, Therapists, and wider MDT to support patients through some of the most challenging moments of their lives. UKVI Sponsorship: This role is eligible for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker route, as defined by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI). We welcome applications from individuals who require sponsorship to work in the UK. Sponsorship will be offered subject to meeting UKVI eligibility criteria.

What We’re Looking For

We welcome applications from nurses who are:

• Passionate about stroke care
• Confident in fast‑paced clinical environments
• Keen to develop skills in NIHSS, thrombolysis/thrombectomy pathways, dysphagia management, and neurological assessment
• Motivated to work in a service that is growing, innovating, and improving outcomes for patients across two counties

What You’ll Be Doing

• Delivering high‑quality nursing care to patients with acute and hyper‑acute stroke presentations
• Completing neurological observations, NIHSS scoring, and escalation
• Supporting post‑thrombolysis monitoring and early mobilisation
• Working closely with the MDT to deliver personalised rehabilitation plans
• Communicating sensitively with patients and families during complex and emotional situations
• Contributing to service development as we launch our HASU

What We Offer

• Full stroke‑specific induction
• NIHSS training and competency sign‑off
• Opportunities to rotate into the Hyper‑Acute Stroke Unit
• Access to stroke specialist education and CPD
• Supportive leadership and a strong MDT culture
• Clear development pathways into Band 6 Stroke Specialist role

At DCHFT, we pride ourselves on the care we provide for our patients, and on the culture, we are creating for our staff. We work hard to create a fair, inclusive environment for our staff. Our Mission is to work in partnership to provide high quality, compassionate services and to nurture an environment where people can be at their best. Our vision is healthier lives, empowered citizens, thriving communities. We are a Trust that celebrates diversity, and we are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We welcome applications from people in all under‑represented groups.

We understand that AI can be a useful tool when completing your application. However, we are seeing an increasing over‑reliance of AI tools, which can negatively affect your application as it reduces a candidate’s individuality, and makes it difficult for us to gain a clear and authentic understanding of your experience, skills, and in turn your suitability for the role. All submissions must be truthful and if you do use AI, it should only be used to enhance your application and not create your supporting statement in its entirety. Your supporting statement should be in your own words and must accurately reflect your personal experience and achievements. Where we have concerns that AI has been used to generate content that misrepresents your experience and suitability for the role, we may withdraw your application.

For further details / informal visits contact: Name: Jennifer Hogg Job title: Ward Sister Email address: [e-mail] Telephone number: 01305255164. If you would like to come and have a look round our unit please do give us a call we would love to see you.