Professional Profile

James is a Specialist Doctor in Stroke Medicine working within a hyperacute stroke unit in an NHS Foundation Trust. He has worked in stroke medicine since 2019, with extensive experience in acute and hyperacute stroke assessment.

He is an independent thrombolysis decision-maker and is involved in thrombectomy referral pathways, managing time-critical clinical decisions in complex stroke presentations, including cases involving diagnostic uncertainty and stroke mimics.

He provides medico-legal advisory input in adult stroke cases, with expertise informed by acute clinical practice and extensive involvement in mortality review and Serious Incident investigation.

Current Role

Specialist Doctor in Stroke Medicine
Hyperacute Stroke Unit, Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Working within a hyperacute stroke service providing emergency assessment and management of suspected stroke presentations, including on-call responsibilities in time-critical settings.

Clinical Practice

James has extensive experience in the assessment and management of acute stroke presentations, including independent thrombolysis decision-making in hyperacute settings.

He is involved in thrombectomy referral pathways, including the identification of eligible patients and urgent escalation for endovascular intervention.

His clinical work includes the management of complex neurological presentations, particularly those involving diagnostic uncertainty and stroke mimics. He is experienced in interpreting acute neuroimaging, including CT and MRI in suspected stroke.

Governance & Service Development

James has extensive involvement in clinical governance and quality improvement activity within stroke services.

He has participated in over 100 mortality reviews and has been involved in Serious Incident investigations within structured NHS governance frameworks. This includes multidisciplinary case review, report writing, and contribution to structured investigation processes.

He has also contributed to stroke pathway redesign, SOP development, audit cycles, and SSNAP data analysis to support service improvement.

He previously held the role of Joint Mortality Lead within the department.

Leadership, Teaching & Research

James is actively involved in education and departmental leadership.

He teaches junior doctors, medical students, nursing staff, and multidisciplinary teams, and delivers quarterly teaching on acute stroke for emergency medicine and acute medical consultants.

He is Audit Lead and Research Lead for the department and is Principal Investigator for two ongoing clinical studies.

He has presented at international level, including at the European Stroke Organisation Conference (ESOC 2020).

Medico-Legal Advisory

James provides medico-legal advisory input in adult stroke cases, including early case assessment and consideration of breach of duty and causation in acute stroke presentations.

His medico-legal work is informed by extensive experience in acute stroke decision-making and structured clinical governance processes.

Areas of Instruction

• Acute stroke diagnosis and management

• Thrombolysis decision-making

• Delays in diagnosis or treatment of stroke

• Stroke mimics and diagnostic uncertainty

• Thrombectomy referral and escalation

• Neuroimaging interpretation in stroke

• Hyperacute stroke pathways and decision-making

Qualifications

MBBS – University of Newcastle
MChem – University of Oxford

Registration

General Medical Council (GMC) – Full registration with licence to practise
GMC Number: 7332393