Hospital Play Specialist

Job summary

The postholder will:o Provide specialist knowledge and experience of hospital play tomembers of the multidisciplinary team.o Through play, help to bridge the gap between hospital and home,thereby easing the adjustment of children and their families to astrange and sometimes frightening environment.o Provide interesting and stimulating play programmes for sickchildren and their siblings in an effort to fulfil emotional, social anddevelopmental needs and help alleviate emotional trauma withinfamilies.

Main duties of the job

• Promote the emotional well being of children and young people in hospital, working across all areas of the Children's Unit.
• Organise distraction, therapeutic and creative play activities to ease the adjustment from home to hospitaland ensure continued stimulation throughout each child's stay or visit.
• Receive daily verbal reports on child's medical condition. Adapt play to the individual needs of each child according to age, understanding and condition.
• Assist with preparing children and young people for procedures/surgery, using therapeutic role play to familiarise children with strange apparatus and techniques.
• Develop specific play programmes for long stay children and young people.
• Provide specific support to individual children as identified by Consultant Paediatrician.
• Develop supportive relationships with parents enabling them to understand the value of play within the hospital environment and encourage them to identify opportunities for parent and child to play together.
• Communicate with the multidisciplinary teams especially nursing and education staff, reporting any concerns about a child to the appropriate personnel. Use play based observations to contribute to clinical discussions.
• Support children attending as a day case/out patient/ward attender.
• Have a knowledge of basic child protection issues and understand the procedures to follow when there is cause for concern.

About us

We operatefrom three main hospitals-Furness General Hospital (FGH) in Barrow, the Royal Lancaster Infirmary (RLI), and Westmorland General Hospital (WGH) in Kendal, as well as a number of community healthcare premises including Millom Hospital and GP Practice, Queen Victoria Hospital in Morecambe, andUlverstonCommunity Health Centre.

FGH and the RLI have a range of General Hospital services, with full Emergency Departments, Critical/Coronary Care units and various Consultant-led services.

WGH provides a range of General Hospital services, together with an Urgent Treatment Centre, that can help with a range of non-life threatening conditions such as broken bones and minor illnesses.

All three main hospitals provide a range of planned care including outpatients, diagnostics, therapies,daycase and inpatient surgery. In addition, a range of local outreach services and diagnostics are provided from community facilities across Morecambe Bay.