Healthcare Play Specialist – Team Leader

York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust; York and North Yorkshire; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare provider in York is seeking a Team Leader for the Play Team. The successful candidate will manage appraisals, provide a safe environment for patients, and support a diverse workforce, promoting patient-centred care. The position offers numerous benefits including NHS pension scheme and generous holiday entitlement.

Benefits

NHS Pension Scheme

27 days holiday rising to 33 days

Employee Assistance Programme

Learning and development opportunities

Discounts on various services

Qualifications

• Empathetic, passionate, and motivated individuals.
• Vision for developing patient-centred care.

Responsibilities

• Manage staff appraisals and roster allocation.
• Provide a safe and caring environment for patients and visitors.
• Support the team, students, and volunteers.

Job description

Overview

A Vacancy at York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

An exciting opportunity has arisen to apply for Team Leader of the Play Team at York Hospital. The play team is a well-established team with highly qualified individuals who have experience from various backgrounds, before starting their career within the NHS.

We are looking for empathetic, passionate and motivated people to apply for the role, who have a vision to move forward in the development of patient centred care. All patients have a crucial part to play within the play team and require intricate and bespoke input, especially children and young adults who suffer anxiety around hospital admissions.

To work as part of a large nursing team and play team, as well as the wider multi-disciplinary team under the supervision of the ward managers.

The role covers multiple areas within the Trust, which includes managing staff appraisals, sickness, one-to-ones, roster allocation and staff meetings.

Driving the team forward and adapting to the multiple demands that come with change, for patients and the environment.

Support the team, students and volunteers in the provision of a safe and caring environment.

Ensure the environment is safe and secure for patients and visitors, providing adequate play resources for patients of varying ages and developmental levels.

For more information about the requirements and responsibilities of the role, please refer to the job description and person specification.

For more information about our Trust, please visit the following page:

https://yorkhospitals.pagetiger.com/hdjgxd

Benefits

• Access to the NHS Pension Scheme, providing generous benefits upon retirement, as well as a lump sum and pension for dependants
• 27 days holiday rising to 33 days (depending on NHS Trust service)
• A variety of different types of paid and unpaid leave covering emergency and planned leave
• Confidential advice and support on personal, work, family and relationship issues, 24/7, from our Employee Assistance Programme
• NHS Car Lease scheme and Cycle to Work scheme
• An extensive range of learning and development opportunities
• Discounts on restaurants, getaways, shopping, motoring, cinema and finance from a range of providers

For further information on the fantastic range of benefits we offer please visit the Trust's dedicated Staff Benefits pages.

Role Details

• A full description of the role is available in the attachment: job description.
• Please note that if a high number of applications are received this advert may close early. You are advised to submit your application at the earliest opportunity.

Working for the Trust

Across our organisation, people are guided by values that were co-developed with staff: we are kind; we are open; and we pursue excellence.

Our values support our ambition to develop a more diverse workforce, truly representative of our communities. We welcome applications from everyone, while working with our Staff Networks - including our Race Equality, LGBTQ+, Disability and Carers Networks - to increase the number of applications we receive from different backgrounds. If there is anything we can do to make our application process more accessible to you, please contact: [e-mail].

As part of seeking to become more inclusive, we will consider requests for flexible working from the start of your employment. It may not be suitable for every role, but we will try and be supportive where we can. We would encourage you to speak to the recruiting manager named within this advert to discuss any requirements you may have.

Armed Forces Friendly Employer

We are holders of the Gold Award from the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme, which is helping actively promote SaBRE - Supporting Britain’s Reservists and Employers. This means that we have made a statement of intent to support all Defence personnel, including with applications for employment.

This advert closes on Thursday 25 Sep 2025