Job overview

Applications are warmly welcome to join a specialist multidisciplinary team contributing to the provision of our SSNAP A-rated stroke service. We are looking to appoint an enthusiastic Fellow in Stroke Medicine to join our dynamic team.This post would be an ideal opportunity for doctors who aspire to develop their career in stroke medicine. The post involves working on the Acute Stroke Unit and supporting hyper acute stroke service and stroke/TIA clinics in the University Department of Stroke Medicine at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading. 

This post offers future career progression within the department, including support to attain specialist registration through CESR pathway. There will be excellent opportunity to be involved in stroke thrombolysis, referral and transfer of thrombectomy patient and in stroke/TIA clinics. There are no on call commitments. 

Applications will be considered from candidates with at least 2 years post Foundation General Medical experience (trainees who are at IMT 2+ level) and with at least MRCP part 1 completion. 

The successful candidate will be expected to contribute to the general work of the department including cover for consultant colleagues where practical. This includes working flexibly to maintain skilled consultant level cover for the hyper-acute stroke service. The appointee will join the existing team to raise departmental profiles through teaching and education.

Main duties of the job

Clinical Responsibilities:

1. Attend acute stroke calls in the emergency department with the stroke thrombolysis team and facilitate hyperacute stroke treatment delivered directly by consultants.
2. Review new patients admitted to the stroke unit, undertake day to day care of the patients in the unit and provide support to the junior medical team.
3. Review patients in the hyperacute TIA and stroke clinics.
4. Consolidate and develop the knowledge and skills to manage acute stroke patients and to interpret cross sectional brain imaging and other investigations. 
5. Support and contribute to timely discharge planning by attending the morning board rounds and ‘afternoon huddles’, attending the best interest meetings for complex discharges
6. Communicate the outcome of clinical encounters to GPs and other health professionals in a timely fashion.
7. Foster good relationship by working  collaboratively with the multidisciplinary team
8. Provide clinical advise and support to the stroke CNS team

Working for our organisation

University Department of Stroke Medicine

Since becoming a Hyper acute Stroke Unit in 2010, the stroke department at the Royal Berkshire Hospital received BIASP recognition as centre of excellence in 2013. In 2021, The University of Reading accredited the department as the University Department of Stroke Medicine in recognition of clinical, education and research excellence. We also won the ‘Our Healthcare Heroes’ award for successfully incorporating Artificial Intelligence into the stroke pathway to speed up thrombectomy referrals.

Our service provides 24 hours per day, 7 days per week hyper acute and acute care, and rehabilitation for all stroke patients and those with TIAs. We provide 24/7 thrombolysis service and thrombectomy eligible patients are referred to the regional neuroscience centres in Oxford and Charing Cross.

Approximately 700 patients are admitted to the Acute Stroke Unit per year, which has 30 beds with 10 high monitoring beds including 6 HASU beds. The unit is co-located with a fully equipped therapy gym and garden to enable easy access to high quality rehabilitation. We work in close collaboration with Elderly Care Medicine, Neurology, Emergency Medicine, Radiology and Neurorehabilitation. We are also a national leader in incorporating innovation and artificial intelligence into the acute stroke pathway.