Neurosciences Specialist Nurses
Macmillan Clinical Nurse Specialists
The Macmillan Clinical Nurse Specialists for Neurooncology aim to maintain and promote quality of life for patients affected by brain and central nervous system tumours.
We provide:
- supportive care for inpatients and outpatients
- coordination and provision of continuity of care for patients during their treatment, ensuring patients have smooth, timely transition from one phase to the next
- education for patients, carers and professionals
- written information
- access to specialist services.
Movement Disorder Team
The Movement Disorder Team is dedicated to the surgical alleviation of movement disorders such as Parkinson's, dystonia and tremor. We perform Deep Brain Stimulation and lesional surgery, depending on individual needs.
Initial consultation is by our consultant neurosurgeons and neurologist in clinic, and further assessments, admission coordination and follow-up are performed by our surgical movement disorder specialist nurses. We also have a consultant neuropsychologist who is involved closely in the pre-operative assessments to establish suitability for surgery.
MS Nurse-led Service
The MS Nurse-led service helps people with multiple sclerosis and their families/carers. We also offer advice to healthcare professionals looking after people with MS.
We can help with:
- information about diagnosis
- treatment options
- symptom management
- relapse management
- support for patients finding it difficult to cope with any aspect of MS
- advice about medication
- telephone help and advice.
We run nurse-led clinics in addition to a telephone and email advice line.
In the nurse-led clinics you will be given a 45 minute appointment. Please bring a list of questions with you. We often find it useful if you bring someone (usually a family member or partner) along with you to clinic.
We are a team of several nurses. For continuity, we aim for you to see the same nurse, but this may not always be possible.
Find us and contact us
We are based on Level 3 of the West Wing at the John Radcliffe Hospital.
- Monday to Friday 9.00am - 5.00pm
- MS Advice Line: 01865 234461
- Email: ouh.ms@nhs.net
We are not always in the office, but answerphone messages are checked twice daily and we will get back to you as soon as we can.
Outpatient clinics are run from Neurosciences Outpatients in the West Wing. From the JR West Wing entrance, go past the reception desk and through the double doors on the left to the lifts. Take the lift to Level 2 and turn left into Neurosciences Outpatients.
Parkinson's Disease Nurse
The Parkinson's Disease Nurse is based within Neurosciences in the West Wing at the John Radcliffe Hospital. The nurse can provide advice and information for people with Parkinson's, their family members and carers.
Currently the role also includes:
- seeing people in a nurse clinic
- providing telephone help and advice
- providing written information about Parkinson's
- monitoring patient treatments
- providing advice for healthcare professionals.
The Parkinson's Disease Nurse is available to give telephone advice two days of the week within working hours.
Tel: 01865 234048
If there is no one available when you call, you will have the opportunity to leave a message. An outgoing message will tell you when the nurse is available to listen to messages and return calls. Please remember to include your name, contact telephone number and your hospital number if you are a patient.
Nurse clinic: the Parkinson's Disease Nurse can see patients in a weekly clinic. You can access this clinic following formal referral to the Parkinson's Disease Nurse from the Neurosciences medical team. The clinic runs once a week in Neurosciences Outpatients in the John Radcliffe Hospital West Wing.
For further general advice please see:
Neurosurgery Pre-operative Assessment Clinic
Before you come in for your operation, you will be asked to attend a Neurosurgery Pre-operative Assessment Clinic on a date and time convenient for you. The clinics assess whether patients are fit enough to have their planned operation and anaesthetic.
The clinics are run by Nurse Practitioners, experienced Neurosciences nurses who have had specialist training to perform tasks traditionally outside the role of the nurse.
The Nurse Practitioners also provide a follow-up service for patients undergoing lumbar spine surgery. Appointments are routinely made for ten weeks following surgery.
During the clinic appointment you will be given information about:
- what to expect in hospital
- your surgery
- what to expect when you go home.
You will undergo a number of tests and you may need to see a doctor.
Find us and contact us
The clinics are held in the Outpatients Department, Level 3, West Wing, John Radcliffe Hospital. Please allow three hours for the appointment.
For further information please contact the Nurse Practitioners
Tel: 01865 234975
Neuromodulation for Pain and Spasticity Clinical Specialist Nurses
The Neuromodulation Pain and Spasticity Specialist Nurses form part of the clinical team providing surgical implants for the alleviation of pain and spasticity.
We care for patients before, during and after implants including:
- Spinal Cord Stimulators for pain
- Deep Brain Stimulators for many pain conditions including chronic intractable pain and cluster headaches
- intrathecal drug delivery pumps - for chronic pain and spasticity
- Occipital and Peripheral Nerve Stimulators for neuropathic pain, migraine and cluster headache.
The nurse-led service offers:
- telephone and email advice and support
- written information for patients and carers
- nurse-led outpatient and ward-based clinics, for ongoing care after a patient has had an implant
- liaison with other medical professionals involved in a patient's care.
Find us and contact us
Our office is based on Level 3, West Wing, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford.
- Monday to Friday 7.30am - 5.00pm.
- Tel: 01865 231874 (please leave a message if there is no answer and we will call you back as soon as possible)
- 24 hour service for emergencies: 0300 304 7777 (bleep Neurosurgery Registrar on call)
- Email: neuromodulation.pain@ouh.nhs.uk
Epilepsy Specialist Nurses
The aim of this service is to support symptom management and quality of life for patients affected by epilepsy for whatever cause.
The nurses can provide:
- education and advice for patients, carers and professionals
- written information
- access to specialist services
- information about diagnosis
- treatment options including advice on surgical assessment
- support for patients finding it difficult to cope with any aspect of epilepsy
- advice about medication (the current post holder is an independent prescriber)
- telephone help and advice
- nurse-led outpatient clinics for ongoing care
- management after a patient has had an implant.
In the nurse-led clinics you will be given a 30 minute appointment. You may find it useful bring a list of questions with you or bring someone who knows you with you to clinic.
The epilepsy surgery service is run by a multidisciplinary team. Depending on individual assessment resective surgery or vagal nerve stimulation may be offered.
The nurses organise care for patients before, during and after implants and during assessment for and following resective surgery.
Please note: the nurses are not always in the office, but answer phone messages are checked daily and your call will be returned as soon possible. Please remember to include your name, contact telephone number. If the nurses are not available there will be an outgoing message detailing who else to contact and the nurses' next availability.
For further general advice please see:
Last reviewed:25 April 2023