12/06/2026
A member of the Specialist Rehabilitation Team has spoken of her pride after being appointed to what is believed to be the first Nurse Consultant role in Specialist Rehabilitation in the NHS.
Rose Marshall, a member of the Broadfield Ward team at Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust’s (MPFT) Haywood Hospital in Stoke-on-Trent, was appointed to the role after having previously worked in the unit as an Advanced Nurse Practitioner (ANP).
The role of Nurse Consultant is the most senior nursing role that retains direct patient care as well as the other pillars of advanced clinical nursing practice – research, education, and leadership and management.
The aim of the role is to help with the development of services within the speciality locally, regionally, and nationally, while also offering more learning and development opportunities to clinical colleagues.
“I’m really proud to be stepping into this role, and to be what we believe to be the first Nurse Consultant in Specialist Rehabilitation in the NHS makes it that little bit extra special”, said Rose.
After qualifying as a nurse in 2005, Rose worked in intensive care, surgery and as a Tracheostomy Nurse Specialist at Royal Stoke Hospital, with the latter being the role that peaked Rose’s interest in specialist rehabilitation.
Rose said: “The Tracheostomy Nurse Specialist was a new post when I started it, and it involved working within the acute rehabilitation team with patients with brain injuries and neurological conditions.
“It was an opportunity to learn about what is involved in complex neuro-rehabilitation and it was from this point where I really started to fall in love with rehab and knew it was something I wanted to explore more.”
Rose later joined MPFT as an ANP on Broadfield Ward, which cares for patients with neurological conditions or those who have suffered an injury to the brain.
During their time on Broadfield Ward, patients undergo a holistic, multi-disciplinary rehabilitation programme, with those patients not requiring a stay in hospital also being seen in the team’s outpatients service.
Rose explained: “Patients often stay with us for up to six months due to their complex rehabilitation needs. It can be really difficult for them as one day they can be living their lives normally, and the next they could, for example, suffer a traumatic brain injury that impacts their cognition, ability to move, to speak, or to swallow - and they may develop new symptoms such as chronic pain.
“Specialist rehabilitation is a holistic package of care to rehabilitate the patient’s whole self to give the best start to their onward recovery and treatment and I’m really proud of the work the team does to make this a reality.”
Now in her new role, Rose is keen to provide further training and development to her colleagues to help promote further improvements in patient care by creating a national networking group for specialist rehabilitation nurses to share best practice. Rose also wants to involve nurses in ward rounds, encouraging them to learn more about the complexity of specialist rehabilitation care.
Rose continued: “I’m also the first person that isn’t a medic on the committee for the British Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine, so I want to use my connections to shine a light onto the work that nurses do in the field and help colleagues build connections.
“Other specialist rehabilitation units are quite spread out across the country, so I really want to try to bring colleagues closer together.”
Another key focus for Rose will be encouraging colleagues to get involved in research to find new, innovative ways to continue to evolve and develop the service.
She added: “Research and development plays a key part of the Nurse Consultant role and as MPFT is a university hospital trust, this is something we’re really encouraged to get involved in.
“I’m looking into more research possibilities for us as a specialist area and trying to nurture a different approach and attitude towards getting more nurses involved in research.”
Chief Nurse and Deputy Chief Executive, Liz Lockett said: “Firstly, I would like to say well done to Rose on her new, prestigious role, which is one I am sure will go on to make a huge difference to the care our patients receive.
“We are proud to continue to develop our people, and this is a further sign of our commitment not only to learning and development, but to deliver better health and care to make life better for our communities.
“By having clinicians such as Rose - who are leaders in their field - within the Trust helps us to provide high quality care now but also look towards the future as we seek to develop our services further, so they meet the needs of our patients.”
