Stroke Specialist Nurse

Lancashire Teaching Hospitals; Preston; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading Comprehensive Stroke Centre in Preston is seeking a dedicated Stroke Specialist Nurse to join their experienced team. The role involves providing high-quality care and making critical decisions for Stroke patients, including advanced assessments and treatments. With opportunities for professional development and training, this position offers a chance to make a significant impact on patient outcomes in a dynamic clinical setting.

Benefits

Varied development opportunities

Support for further training

Qualifications

• Registered General Nurse required.
• Minimum of 2 years Stroke or Emergency Medicine experience.
• Teaching or leadership experience is beneficial.

Responsibilities

• Undertake comprehensive assessments for Stroke and TIA patients.
• Responsible for thrombolysis and thrombectomy treatments.
• Support and advise multidisciplinary teams regarding Stroke management.

Skills

Advanced communication

Clinical assessment

Team collaboration

Crisis management

Education

Degree in related subject

Post basic qualification in Stroke

Job description

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A great opportunity has arisen within the Division of Medicine at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust for a nurse experienced in Stroke to develop their career as a Stroke Specialist Nurse in a leading Comprehensive Stroke Centre, performing the highest thrombectomy rates in the country! This is a fantastic time to join our very passionate and dedicated stroke team as the developments of extended thrombectomy service, and Ambulatory Care provide lots of new training and learning opportunities.

The aim of the Specialist Nurse role is to provide high quality evidence-based care to Stroke patients who attend the Trust as emergencies and/or patients who suffer stroke as an inpatient, including autonomous history taking and clinical assessment, working to deliver lifesaving thrombolysis treatments 24/7. As the regional Stroke centre, you will also be responsible for thrombectomy patients across Lancashire and South Cumbria, accepting patients in emergency situations and arranging repatriations.

The successful candidate will be expected to work flexibly on a 7 day rota, including weekends and night duty. Shift times 07.00-19:30, 19:00-07:30

Job overview

A great opportunity has arisen within the Division of Medicine at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust for a nurse experienced in Stroke to develop their career as a Stroke Specialist Nurse in a leading Comprehensive Stroke Centre, performing the highest thrombectomy rates in the country! This is a fantastic time to join our very passionate and dedicated stroke team as the developments of extended thrombectomy service, and Ambulatory Care provide lots of new training and learning opportunities.

The aim of the Specialist Nurse role is to provide high quality evidence-based care to Stroke patients who attend the Trust as emergencies and/or patients who suffer stroke as an inpatient, including autonomous history taking and clinical assessment, working to deliver lifesaving thrombolysis treatments 24/7. As the regional Stroke centre, you will also be responsible for thrombectomy patients across Lancashire and South Cumbria, accepting patients in emergency situations and arranging repatriations.

The successful candidate will be expected to work flexibly on a 7 day rota, including weekends and night duty. Shift times 07.00-19:30, 19:00-07:30

Main duties of the job

The Stroke Specialist Nurse is responsible for requesting and interpreting advanced brain imaging to make independent decisions on patient pathways. It is essential the candidate has a minimum of 2 years Stroke experience as you will be the most senior Stroke clinician making decision out of hours. The Stroke Specialist Nurse will independently assess patients swallowing and make recommendations on the safety of patients swallowing.

As a senior member of the Stroke team, the Specialist Nurse will provide support and advice for all MDTs including doctors, nurses and therapist on the management of Stroke patients. Other duties include management of intracranial bleeds, administering emergency reversal of anticoagulation, rapid blood pressure lowering treatments, referrals to neurosurgery, ECGs, cannulation, NIHSS and prescribing. The candidate must have GCP training to support hyper-acute research trials.

The Stroke Specialist Nurse will liase with the community team to triage TIA referrals and provide daily support / advice to GPs / UCC to support admission avoidance into the hospital.

The candidate must possess IT skills to maintain local and national databases, including SSNAP. The Stroke Specialist Nurse will support the team leader with service improvements and provideneurovascular training to the Stroke High Care Unit.

Working for our organisation

We have 10000 fantastic people working hard to deliver quality services to our patients. Whatever your role, you help look after 370,000 people in our local area & give specialist care to 1.5 million people across Lancashire & Cumbria.

Working with us gives you the knowledge and sense of pride that every activity you do genuinely does make a difference to support our patients & staff, ensuring we keep thriving & delivering outstanding healthcare right across our local towns.

You’ll have access to varied development opportunities, learn new skills, meet fab people & do things you’d never have done. You’ll learn about working in a hospital, interacting with people from all different roles to build skills & enhance your career path.

You’ll make an impact, be challenged to think differently, be bold & help innovate to keep improving things. Everything we do centres around patient care and enhancing their experience which means your role is pivotal and something really to be proud of.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Independently undertake comprehensive Stroke and TIA assessments to patients attending Emergency Department.

Assessment of Hyper-acute Stroke patients for thrombolysis and thrombectomy treatment.

Take responsibility for a caseload of patients (stroke and TIA) within the Trust, ensuring that the stroke and TIA pathway and protocols are implemented.

Attend neuroradiology meetings / MDTs

Triage TIA referrals

Give advice to GPs / admission avoidance

Independently request and interpret CT brain, CT angio and CT perfusion scans

Swallow assessments

NIHSS assessments

Attend weekly breech meetings

Identify patients eligible for hyper-acute research and assist in recruitment and administration of treatments

Support the out of hours tele-stroke service.

Liaise with the wider community team i.e. GP, Community Neuro team.

Be actively involved in the thrombectomy pathway, receiving patients, escalating to senior staff when appropriate, arranging transfers and repatriations

To identify stroke and TIA patients following admission (ED / Wards) and ensure the stroke and TIA pathway is followed, including assessment for Thrombolysis.

Referrals to neurosurgery

Rapid blood pressure lowering in intracranial bleeds

Reversal of anticoagulation

Promote, assist and maintain the standards of professional practices in order to enhance the quality of care for stroke and TIA patients.

Venapuncture and cannulation

ECGs

ILS training

GCP training

IRMER training

Carry out functions required to fulfil the goals and services of the stroke service / team.

Education and development of Stroke High Care staff

Prescribing

Provide support and training to junior staff

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria

Registered General Nurse

Degree in related subject

Post basic qualification in Stroke

Evidence of continued professional development

Advanced communication skills training or prepared to work towards

Recognised teaching qualification or prepared to work towards

Desirable criteria

Research qualification

Prescribing qualification or willingness to complete

Knowledge

Essential criteria

Relevant post registration experience at band 5 or above, in Stroke or Emergency Medicine

Experience of teaching

Leadership and management experience

Experience of multi-professional working

Desirable criteria

Previous experience working as a stroke specialist nurse

Awareness of research and audit

Awareness of current relevant national service frameworks/guidance