Go back
St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Play Specialist Lead

Information:

This job is now closed

Job summary

Are you a qualified Senior Hospital Play Specialist with at least five years hospital experience? Do you thrive on variety and have a vision for how Hospital Play Services can be developed? We are looking for an enthusiastic Hospital Play Specialist to lead our team of 6 Hospital Play Specialists and trainee Play Specialists to manage and develop the play service.

You will play an integral part in caring for children and young people in this busy paediatric unit and will further develop play services, supporting children when they visit us and creating a playful, welcoming environment.

You will need to be an articulate and confident person, able to engage easily with children and parents and be able to build good working relationships with a large number of health professionals.

Due to the high volumes of applications we receive, we reserve the right to close any adverts before the published closing date once we have received a sufficient number of applications. We advise you to submit your application as early as possible to prevent disappointment.

All applicants will be contacted by email via NHS jobs. Applicants are advised to check their email accounts regularly and to ensure that email filters are set to allow NHS jobs emails.

Please apply online via the NHS Jobs website.

www.jobs.nhs.uk

Main duties of the job

You will play an integral part in caring for children in this busy paediatric unit and will further develop play services, supporting children when they visit us and creating a playful, welcoming environment.

You will need to be an articulate and confident person, able to engage easily with children and parents and be able to build good working relationships with a large number of health professionals.

About us

St George's, Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals and Health Group cares for a population of four million people in South West London and North East Surrey.Our sites include St George's Hospital, one of 11 major trauma centres in the UK and the largest healthcare provider and major teaching hospital in the area; St Helier Hospital, home to the South West Thames Renal and Transplantation Unit and Queen Mary's Hospital for Children; and Epsom Hospital, home to the South West London Elective Orthopaedic Centre (SWLEOC).

After years of collaboration, our two Trusts became a hospitals group in 2021. While remaining as two separate Trusts, being a hospitals group will help us to collaborate more closely on research, and the development, education, and training of our 17,000-strong workforce.

Details

Date posted

28 March 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 6

Salary

£44,806 to £53,134 a year per annum including inner london

Contract

Fixed term

Duration

9 months

Working pattern

Part-time

Reference number

200-NN-6820698-BC-Z-A

Job locations

Playroom 5th Lanesborough St Georges Hospital

Blackshaw road

Tooting London

SW17 0QT


Job description

Job responsibilities

1. Ensure that a high-quality play service is delivered to CYP in hospital

2. Plan, develop, implement and evaluate play programmes. Plan play activities including for CYP undergoing invasive procedures or who have chronic illness or life limiting illnesses.

3. Co-ordinate the work of the play team, providing day to day management and clinical supervision.

4. Provide training in therapeutic play to staff and carers.

Job description

Job responsibilities

1. Ensure that a high-quality play service is delivered to CYP in hospital

2. Plan, develop, implement and evaluate play programmes. Plan play activities including for CYP undergoing invasive procedures or who have chronic illness or life limiting illnesses.

3. Co-ordinate the work of the play team, providing day to day management and clinical supervision.

4. Provide training in therapeutic play to staff and carers.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • NVQ Diploma in Specialised Play for Sick Children and Young People/ Edexcel Certificate in Specialised Hospital Play and up to date registration or foundation degree in healthcare play specialism.
  • Documented evidence of Continuing Professional Development for example: counseling skills certificate, supervisory skills training, Presentation skills, published articles, conference presentations.

Desirable

  • Degree in related subject
  • Training in guided imagery, adolescent development, teaching

Experience

Essential

  • post qualifying and recent experience as a Senior Hospital Play Specialist.
  • Management of junior staff, undertaking annual KSF / performance reviews.
  • Participation in recruitment and selection procedures.
  • Project leadership experience and proven track record of innovative and new ideas for play.

Skills

Essential

  • Ability to provide clinical supervision
  • Ability to analyse professional and ethical issues.
  • Word processing, excel and internet search skills
  • Ability to build effective working relationships within inter-professional teams.

Desirable

  • Presentation skills
  • Counselling skills
Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • NVQ Diploma in Specialised Play for Sick Children and Young People/ Edexcel Certificate in Specialised Hospital Play and up to date registration or foundation degree in healthcare play specialism.
  • Documented evidence of Continuing Professional Development for example: counseling skills certificate, supervisory skills training, Presentation skills, published articles, conference presentations.

Desirable

  • Degree in related subject
  • Training in guided imagery, adolescent development, teaching

Experience

Essential

  • post qualifying and recent experience as a Senior Hospital Play Specialist.
  • Management of junior staff, undertaking annual KSF / performance reviews.
  • Participation in recruitment and selection procedures.
  • Project leadership experience and proven track record of innovative and new ideas for play.

Skills

Essential

  • Ability to provide clinical supervision
  • Ability to analyse professional and ethical issues.
  • Word processing, excel and internet search skills
  • Ability to build effective working relationships within inter-professional teams.

Desirable

  • Presentation skills
  • Counselling skills

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 NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Additional information

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 NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details

Employer name

St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Playroom 5th Lanesborough St Georges Hospital

Blackshaw road

Tooting London

SW17 0QT


Employer's website

https://www.stgeorges.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer details

Employer name

St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Playroom 5th Lanesborough St Georges Hospital

Blackshaw road

Tooting London

SW17 0QT


Employer's website

https://www.stgeorges.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Matron

christine wood

christine.wood@stgeorges.nhs.uk

07795641890

Details

Date posted

28 March 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 6

Salary

£44,806 to £53,134 a year per annum including inner london

Contract

Fixed term

Duration

9 months

Working pattern

Part-time

Reference number

200-NN-6820698-BC-Z-A

Job locations

Playroom 5th Lanesborough St Georges Hospital

Blackshaw road

Tooting London

SW17 0QT


Supporting documents

Privacy notice

St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust's privacy notice (opens in a new tab)