Hospital Play Specialist Team Leader

Integrated Care System; Nottingham; On-site; GBP 25,000 - 35,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading healthcare provider in Nottingham seeks a Hospital Play Specialist Team Leader to enhance play services for children. The role involves providing therapeutic interventions and managing a team of play specialists. Candidates must hold a relevant degree and registration with health authorities. This position promotes a safe and engaging environment for young patients. Applications are particularly welcome from diverse backgrounds.

Responsibilities

• Provide a safe, welcoming child-friendly environment for patients.
• Organize play and leisure activities across children's wards.
• Implement specialized play and therapeutic intervention as necessary.
• Manage the play team and act as deputy when required.

Skills

Child development knowledge

Therapeutic play techniques

Leadership skills

Communication skills

Education

Foundation degree in healthcare play specialism

NNEB/BTEC in childcare, learning and education

Job description

Go back Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trusts

Hospital Play Specialist Team Leader

The closing date is 10 August 2025

This is a new exciting opportunity for a Hospital Play Specialist Team Leader to join Nottingham children's hospital. We offer a wide range of learning across various different specialities.

The successful applicant must hold the correct play specialist qualifications and be registered with the society of healthcare play specialists with an active live pin number.

The job includes providing therapeutic intervention for our patients whilst also having extra responsibilities including management over the play team and developing the hospital play service at Nottingham Children's Hospital.

Main duties of the job

The Play and Development Service is made up of qualified health play specialists and nursery nurses who provide play and recreation for children and young people on wards, clinics, day surgery and in the community.

The play service provides normal and everyday play as well as specialist and therapeutic play for children and young people in our care. This includes:

o play preparation

o normal and developmental play

The role includes providing leadership for technical and junior staff through role modelling and teaching and the management of Band 5 play specialists and below. The post holder will also supervise HPS and degree level students on practice placement.

The post holder will take an active role in improving the safety and quality of services for children, contributing to safeguarding and sourcing funds for environmental improvements, building partnerships with external funders.

About us

With over 19,000 staff, we are one of the biggest employers in the city with a central role in supporting the health and wellbeing of our local population. We play a leading role in research, education and innovation.

Come and join our wonderful team at NUH. We are big believers in diversity and welcome new ideas to help develop our team in order to deliver world class healthcare to the vast patient populations we serve. With endless personal development opportunities available, at NUH we will endeavour to turn your job into a career!

We particularly welcome applications from people who identify as Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic, or Disabled, as we are striving to be better represented at NUH.

Job responsibilities

The post holder will be required to provide a safe, welcoming child friendly environment for the patients and families organising play and leisure activities across the various childrens wards, whilst implementing specialised play and therapeutic intervention as necessary. This role will also require management skills as you will be in a senior role and step up as deputy when the play lead is absent.

The post holder should be a qualified Hospital Play Specialist (HPS) and registered with HPSET. They may also hold the NNEB or CACHE Diploma in Nursery Nursing or BTEC National Diploma in Nursery Nursing/Childhood Studies or equivalent.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Foundation degree in healthcare play specialism
• NNEB/BTEC in childcare, learning and education
• Registered with SOHPS

management

• Have at least 2 years working in a hospital/hospice environment within a play team.
• safeguarding training to evidene
• 5 years working with children in a variety of settings

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.

Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trusts