Play Specialist

Job summary

There is an exciting opportunity to join our Play Team at The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust. Based on the Children's ward you will be required to support both colleagues and patients across all our paediatric areas including but not exhaustive of A21 - Acute, PAU, A22 - Children's Outpatients and A23 - Children's Surgery and Day case.

You will be expected to work as part of the large MDT to manage a caseload of patients, providing therapeutic play interventions that help to alleviate anxiety, encourage engagement with treatment and intervention and promote physical and emotional wellbeing, that contributes towards an overall positive patient experience.

Main duties of the job

To plan and implement individual therapeutic play programmes to include preparation for invasive and non-invasive procedures, distraction therapy and post procedure play.

To undertake therapeutic assessments and devise play programmes for children and young people in hospital, according to their individual needs and as part of their overall care plan.

To contribute to the pre-assessment of children during pre- clerking for surgical patients, psychologically preparing children and parents/cares for admission to hospital.

To assist nursing staff in basic child care needs as and when necessary in accordance with the agreed policies and procedures of the Royal Wolverhampton Hospitals NHS Trust.

To liaise with the multi-disciplinary team regularly to ensure timely delivery of care and foster good working relationships, acting as a positive role model.

The post holder will play an active part in the continuing development of the ward or department and actively contribute to the maintenance of an environment conducive to the delivery of high standards of patient care by promoting good communication and relationships between staff, patients, relatives and visitors.

About us

The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust is one of the largest NHS trusts in the West Midlands providing primary, acute and community services and we are incredibly proud of the diversity of both our staff and the communities we serve. We are building a workforce that can help us to fulfil our values, improve the quality of care for patients, and solve the health care problems of tomorrow. We're passionate about the value that diversity of thinking and lived experience brings in enabling us to become a learning organisation and leader in delivering compassionate care for our patients.

We are delighted that we have been rated as "Good" by CQC. We have achieved numerous awards; The Nursing Times Best Diversity and Inclusion Practice and Best UK Employer of the Year for Nursing Staff in 2020.

The Trust is a supportive working environment committed to creating flexible working arrangements that suit your needs and as such will consider all requests from applicants who wish to work flexibly.