Healthcare Play Specialist inLondon inLondon PUBLISHED 4 JUN 2024

St George's Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust rm6MVSx

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To be involved in the organisation and delivery of the play component of pre-admission programmes.

Job summary

St George's Hospital is a large teaching hospital in Tooting, London. Founded in 1733, it is one of the UK's largest teaching hospitals and one of the largest hospitals in Europe. We have an incredible Play Service, come along and join us.

Main duties of the job

To create an environment in which play occurs naturally at all times.
To create an attractive, child-orientated environment including the child/young persons own work.
To encourage play to maintain the child/young person's link with family and home and to help the child/young person to adjust to the hospital situation.
To provide appropriate play for normal growth (social, emotional, physical, and cognitive development) and to continue during hospitalisation, using knowledge of child development.
To help familiarise the child/young person with strange apparatus and procedures to reduce stress and anxiety and to help the child/young person to understand his/her treatment illness.
To take on individual referrals for children/young people experiencing difficulty in managing hospital admission/procedures, using evidence based practice to assess, plan, implement and evaluate therapeutic interventions.
To prioritise own caseload in accordance with the individual/service needs of the play team under the supervision of the Lead Healthcare Play Specialist.
To support children/young people using distraction therapy before, during and following painful or unpleasant treatment / procedures.
To be involved in the organisation and delivery of the play component of pre-admission programmes

About us

St Georges University Hospital has an exciting opportunity for a band 4 Healthcare Play Specialist. The post holder will be required to provide a safe, welcoming friendly environment for the patients and families organising play and leisure activities across the various children and young people wards and departments. There will be lots of opportunity to you existing skills, whilst continuing to learn and develops an individual and alongside the service needs

Job description

Job responsibilities

To observe the child/young persons development and emotional level and report observations to the appropriate staff and help the child/young person to express and explore feelings.
To observe and assess the child/young persons anxieties and communicate these to the appropriate staff.
To establish effective communication where the information may be complex and sensitive, both verbally and written, with all members of the multi-disciplinary team in child health and in other departments where children/young people are treated.
To contribute to the written care plan of each child/young person and document interventions in the child/young persons medical records.
To attend and participate in multi disciplinary ward meetings, child protection case conferences, discharge planning meetings.

**Please see the attached supporting job description and person specification document, which contains more information about the role and requirements. Please ensure your application refers to the job description and person specification**

Job description
Job responsibilities

To observe the child/young persons development and emotional level and report observations to the appropriate staff and help the child/young person to express and explore feelings.
To observe and assess the child/young persons anxieties and communicate these to the appropriate staff.
To establish effective communication where the information may be complex and sensitive, both verbally and written, with all members of the multi-disciplinary team in child health and in other departments where children/young people are treated.
To contribute to the written care plan of each child/young person and document interventions in the child/young persons medical records.
To attend and participate in multi disciplinary ward meetings, child protection case conferences, discharge planning meetings.

Foundation degree Healthcare Play Specialist

point score

Essential

Foundation degree Healthcare Play Specialist
Registration with the Healthcare Play Specialists
Experience of working with children from 0-18 years within a hospital setting.

Desirable

Guided imagery training
Makaton training

Person Specification
point score

Essential

Foundation degree Healthcare Play Specialist

point score

Essential

Foundation degree Healthcare Play Specialist
Registration with the Healthcare Play Specialists
Experience of working with children from 0-18 years within a hospital setting.

Desirable

Guided imagery training
Makaton training

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see

Additional information
UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see

Employer details

Employer name

St George's Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Address

St Georges university Hospital

Blackshaw road

tooting

SW17 0QT

Employer's website

To create an environment in which play occurs naturally at all times.
To create an attractive, child-orientated environment including the child/young persons own work.
To encourage play to maintain the child/young person's link with family and home and to help the child/young person to adjust to the hospital situation.
To provide appropriate play for normal growth (social, emotional, physical, and cognitive development) and to continue during hospitalisation, using knowledge of child development.
To help familiarise the child/young person with strange apparatus and procedures to reduce stress and anxiety and to help the child/young person to understand his/her treatment illness.
To take on individual referrals for children/young people experiencing difficulty in managing hospital admission/procedures, using evidence based practice to assess, plan, implement and evaluate therapeutic interventions.
To prioritise own caseload in accordance with the individual/service needs of the play team under the supervision of the Lead Healthcare Play Specialist.
To support children/young people using distraction therapy before, during and following painful or unpleasant treatment / procedures.
To be involved in the organisation and delivery of the play component of pre-admission programmes

To observe the child/young persons development and emotional level and report observations to the appropriate staff and help the child/young person to express and explore feelings.
To observe and assess the child/young persons anxieties and communicate these to the appropriate staff.
To establish effective communication where the information may be complex and sensitive, both verbally and written, with all members of the multi-disciplinary team in child health and in other departments where children/young people are treated.
To contribute to the written care plan of each child/young person and document interventions in the child/young persons medical records.
To attend and participate in multi disciplinary ward meetings, child protection case conferences, discharge planning meetings.

To observe the child/young persons development and emotional level and report observations to the appropriate staff and help the child/young person to express and explore feelings.
To observe and assess the child/young persons anxieties and communicate these to the appropriate staff.
To establish effective communication where the information may be complex and sensitive, both verbally and written, with all members of the multi-disciplinary team in child health and in other departments where children/young people are treated.
To contribute to the written care plan of each child/young person and document interventions in the child/young persons medical records.
To attend and participate in multi disciplinary ward meetings, child protection case conferences, discharge planning meetings.