Play Assistant

The Queen Elizabeth Hospital King's Lynn NHSFT

This job is now closed

Job summary

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a play assistant amongst our established play team on Rudham Ward. While the role is based on Rudham there may be occasions where you are asked to support other areas providing care for children such as Roxborough Children's Centre or outpatients.

The successful candidate will be passionate about working with children and young people and bring joy and happiness to children within the hospital setting.

Our dedicated play team provide a fantastic service to our families for which they regularly receive compliments and positive feedback.

Main duties of the job

Main duties of the job include:

Organise daily play and art activities in the playroom or at the bedside
Use play to maintain a child's level of development during illness
Help children deal with their anxieties and feelings
Use play to prepare children for hospital procedures
Observe children while playing to help healthcare staff monitor their progress
Encourage peer friendship groups
Organise parties and special events

About us

There's never been a more exciting time to join TeamQEH. We're working on a once in a generation opportunity to build a new state-of-the-art hospital to open in 2030 and we are also carrying out on one of the biggest pieces of digital transformation work we've ever undertaken.

Our new electronic patient record (EPR) will replace paper-based patient records from 2026 and will lead to better, safer, joined-up care at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital and beyond.

At The QEH we provide a comprehensive range of specialist, acute, obstetrics and community-based services to around 331,000 people across west and north Norfolk, North Cambs and South Lincs.

We are an ambitious organisation that upholds our values of kindness, wellness and fairness. We strive for continuous quality improvement, recently demonstrated in our 2024 CQC maternity inspection rating our services as 'Good', and we are proud to be a place to learn and grow through recognised learning and apprenticeships.

We recognise and reward our 4,000 staff and volunteers, priding ourselves on a community atmosphere and positive team spirit. We have approx. 530 beds across 33 wards and have newly built education and training facilities, a range of modern award-winning centres alongside a talented team of people ready to give you a warm welcome. We love working here and think you will too.

Date posted

18 March 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 3

Salary

£24,071 to £25,674 a year per annum pro rata

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time, Flexible working

Reference number

426-696-25TAM

Job locations

Queen Elizabeth Hospital Kings Lynn

Gayton Road

Kings Lynn

PE30 4ET

Job description

Job responsibilities

For further information regarding this exciting opportunity, please see attached Job Description and Person Specification.

Job description

Job responsibilities

For further information regarding this exciting opportunity, please see attached Job Description and Person Specification.

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

Experience working with children

Qualifications

Essential

Relevant childcare qualification at level 3
GCSE English and Maths

Desirable

Ambition to advance to play specialist

Skills, abilities, and knowledge

Essential

Excellent communication skills, including listening with adults and children
Good organisational skills
Good observational skills
Able to deal with other people's emotions sensitively (both children and adults)
Aware of child protection and safeguarding

Aptitude

Essential

Ability to manage and prioritise workload and effective time management
Health and safety conscious
Self-awareness - accept limitations of knowledge
Willing to work with parents and carers

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

Experience working with children

Qualifications

Essential

Relevant childcare qualification at level 3
GCSE English and Maths

Desirable

Ambition to advance to play specialist

Skills, abilities, and knowledge

Essential

Excellent communication skills, including listening with adults and children
Good organisational skills
Good observational skills
Able to deal with other people's emotions sensitively (both children and adults)
Aware of child protection and safeguarding

Aptitude

Essential

Ability to manage and prioritise workload and effective time management
Health and safety conscious
Self-awareness - accept limitations of knowledge
Willing to work with parents and carers

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.