Health Play Specialist inCambridge inCambridge PUBLISHED TUE 5 NOV 2024

We are recruiting for a full time Registered Health Play Specialist to work on Ward F3.

You will have excellent therapeutic, developmental play and communication knowledge and skills, have experience in supporting children and young people through diagnostic and medical / treatment procedures and the ability to work autonomously and with other members of the multidisciplinary team. We are looking for someone who is committed to meeting the psychological and emotional needs of the child and family in the Hospital environment.

You will be a motivated, creative thinker who wants to build on their skills and able to prioritise your own workload. If you are passionate about therapeutic play and supporting patients and families in the hospital environment and if you are able to build positive relationships with children, young people, families and the people you work with then we would like to hear from you.

You will hold a Play Specialist qualification and Society of Health Play Specialists registration. Applications from candidates who are wishing to return to practice or are Health Play Specialist students in their final year of training are invited to apply.

• Work as part of a multi-disciplinary team to provide support for children and their families.
• Take on individual referrals for children experiencing difficulty in coping with the diagnosis and treatment and managing hospital admission / procedures.
• Using evidence based practice to assess, plan, implement and evaluate therapeutic interventions that may be needed in the hospital and/or the home environment.
• Provide therapeutic play interventions for specific medical procedures.
• Document therapeutic interventions and outcomes.
• Develop skills and knowledge and be responsible for own practice through continued professional development.
• Promote an awareness of the emotional needs of children in hospital and the importance of play, within the multi-disciplinary team.
• Encourage normal development of the child by using play as a developmental aid.
• Participating in the assessment of care and the rehabilitation needs of the patient.
• Supervise and mentor Health Play Specialist students on placement.
• Provide leadership for junior staff, as delegated by manager.

About us

As a Registered Health Play Specialist, you will join a well-established and valued Play Team working across Childrens Services. The Play Team here at Addenbrookes Hospital are a proactive team, determined to provide quality intervention and find the best solutions for patients, families and members of the multi-disciplinary team. We support patients with a wide range of developmental abilities and some with complex and challenging behaviours. The Play Team is comprised of Health Play Specialists and Nursery Nurses who work together to maintain and develop a range of projects to enhance the service across Childrens Services, as well as within their own areas including sharing ideas and resources to deliver a positive hospital experience for children, young people and families.

Ward F3 is a 26 bedded Ward, including eight overnight beds, caring for children aged 0 16 years. It provides care for children attending hospital for a variety of medical and surgical procedures as well as children attending for minor tests, investigations and infusions.

Please see the attached Applicant Information Pack (combined Job Description and Person Specification) for key duties and responsibilities.

Due to Home Office immigration rules, a full time permanent vacancy cannot be filled by individuals on a Student visa. Therefore, please be advised that if you are a Student visa holder, we will not be able to offer you a full time permanent contract unless you have:

• applied for a Graduate visa
• or you will have successfully completed your course and have applied for a Graduate visa before the anticipated start date of your employment
• or the Trust has agreed that they will Sponsor you as a Skilled Worker and you will complete your studies within 3 months of the anticipatedstart date of employment

The advert will close at midnight on 20 November 2024.

Interviews are due to be held on 4 December 2024.

Benefits to you

At Cambridge University Hospitals, we want to do all we can to support good working days. We offer development opportunities and a wide range of benefits, including on-site leisure facilities, shopping concourse and day nurseries. Our good work programme currently includes providing reduced cost Stagecoach bus travel to and from Cambridge University Hospital site. Park and Ride bus journeys between Babraham Road and Trumpington sites are free, as is the route to and from Cambridge train station and our hospitals. We also subsidise the cost of parking on site for eligible staff.

On CUH campus, hot food is available 24/7 and at a reduced cost for colleagues. Recently we launched the first of our staff pod break spaces. Located in the Deakin Centre, we have a purpose-created colleague-only caf, with free tea and coffee, a break space and private outside area for colleagues to rest, refuel and recharge. Just one of the ways we are working hard to support good working days at CUH.

CUH is committed to assisting employees in achieving a good work-life balance irrespective of role or personal circumstances. Flexible arrangements may include, but are not limited to, part-time working, job-share, term-time working and flexible start and finish times.

Please note if you would like to discuss the required hours of this role further, you should approach the contact given. In some cases, alternative working hours will be considered.

We welcome applications from the Armed Forces.