Job summary
Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust are seeking an enthusiastic and highly skilled Advanced Clinical Practitioner (ACP) to join the Acute Stroke Service.

This role is central to the delivery of high-quality hyper acute and acute stroke care, supporting patients across the stroke pathway including Hyper Acute Stroke Unit (HASU), acute stroke wards, and rapid-access Transient Ischaemic Attack (TIA) clinics.

The ACP will be an experienced, knowledgeable, and autonomous practitioner providing advanced clinical assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and ongoing management of patients presenting with suspected or confirmed acute stroke and TIA. Advanced practice is underpinned by the four pillars of clinical practice, leadership, education, and research, with a strong focus on direct patient care and service development.

The postholder will join the service during an exciting time of expansion. The expectation will be for the postholder to form part of a weekend rota which may change as more roles are approved and recruited to. A full overview of this is contained in the detailed job description below.

You will be a part of an established ACP community within CHFT. We can offer the following benefits:

• 20% non-clinical time for you to develop across the four pillars of advanced practice
• ACP peer teaching
• Trust ACP Lead support
• Allocated medical supervisor

Main duties of the job

• Work closely with the Stroke Consultant team, stroke nursing team, therapists, radiology, and emergency services to provide safe, effective, and timely care to patients with suspected or confirmed stroke and TIA across HASU, acute stroke wards, and outpatient settings.
• Undertake advanced clinical assessment for patients presenting with acute neurological deficits, including differentiation between stroke, TIA, and stroke mimics.
• Act as an autonomous practitioner within agreed scope, providing expert clinical decision-making in complex, time-critical situations.
• Hold direct responsibility for a caseload of acute stroke and TIA patients, ensuring evidence-based care plans, escalation where required, and effective discharge planning.
• Support the hyper acute stroke pathway, including initial assessment and prioritisation, coordination of urgent imaging, support for thrombolysis and thrombectomy pathways, and ongoing monitoring and escalation of clinical deterioration.
• Undertake independent prescribing to optimise secondary stroke prevention and symptom management in line with national and local guidelines.
• Accurately request and interpret radiological and pathology investigations relevant to acute stroke and TIA management.
• Provide advanced clinical care for patients attending TIA / rapid-access stroke clinics, including risk stratification, initiation of secondary prevention, and onward referral.

Person Specification
Qualifications/Training

• Essential: Registered general nurse or Allied health care professional; Teaching/Assessment, Mentoring qualification; Previous experience of formal/informal teaching of patients and staff
• Desirable: Masters in Advanced Practice or equivalent; Non Medical Prescriber

Knowledge, Experience and Expertise

• Essential: Extensive experience in stroke, neurosciences, or acute medicine relevant to stroke services; Experience in working as an autonomous practitioner within a specialty; Knowledge of the key professional issues and NMC/AHP guidelines related to professional practice; Evidence of being able to work across organisational boundaries; Experience of applying research evidence to clinical practice; Evidence of continuing professional development; Commitment to maintain own fitness for practice through maintaining a personal profile of competencies
• Desirable: Demonstrates up to date knowledge and expertise of Advanced Practice; Working knowledge of acute stroke pathways, HASU processes and secondary prevention

Communication and Relationships

• Essential: Demonstrate a clear vision of the role and service; Ability to initiate, sustain and evaluate change; Demonstrates skilled written and verbal communication, presentation and decision making skills

Employer contact details
Contact: Georgia Kelly, General Manager
Email: georgia.kelly@cht.nhs.uk
Phone: 01484342000

Employer details
Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust, Calderdale Royal Hospital, Salterhebble, Halifax, HX3 0PW, United Kingdom
Website: https://www.cht.nhs.uk

Apply through our website

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and requires a Disclosure and Barring Service check. Applicants must have current UK professional registration.