Senior Health Play Specialist

Hampshire Hospitals NHS; Basingstoke; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading healthcare provider in Basingstoke is seeking a Health Play Specialist to use evidence-based practice to support children during hospital admissions. You will assess and implement therapeutic play interventions, ensuring a child-focused environment. The ideal candidate will have experience as a Band 4 Health Play Specialist and experience in childcare across a wide age range. The role offers opportunities for flexible working and collaboration with a supportive healthcare team.

Benefits

Flexible working arrangements

Qualifications

• Hospital experience as a Health Play Specialist at Band 4 level.
• Childcare experience with a wide age range.

Responsibilities

• Develop therapeutic assessments for children in hospital.
• Monitor and modify therapeutic interventions based on child progress.
• Support children and families in crisis situations.

Job description

Job overview

As a member of the multi-professional team to use theoretical knowledge and evidence-based practice to assess, plan, implement and evaluate therapeutic play interventions.

To manage and maintain a child focussed environment where play occurs naturally.

To take on individual referrals for children having trouble in managing hospital admission/procedures, using evidence-based practice to assess, plan, implement and evaluate therapeutic interventions.

To provide leadership for junior staff and students as delegated supervisor.

Main duties of the job

Principal responsibilities

• To select and apply therapeutic assessments and devise play programmes for children and young people in hospital, according to their individual needs and as part of the overall care plan.
• Using knowledge and understanding of child development to plan and implement interventions to achieve therapeutic goals, in collaboration with the referrer, the child and their family.
• To monitor, evaluate and modify therapeutic interventions to measure a child’s progress and ensure effectiveness of the care plan.
• To prioritise caseload in accordance with individual /service needs.
• To support children and families under stress and in crisis.
• To act as a resource to the Play Team through the development of identified areas of special interest relevant to the needs of the service.
• As required to provide training to other professional groups on play techniques and the role of the Health Play Specialist.
• Support the Lead Health Play Specialist in the rota of off duty, sickness, and annual leave management.
• To provide support to the Lead Health Play Specialist, including deputising for them in their absence and on specific tasks and projects.
• To be responsible for ensuring the safe use of play equipment and to contribute to the maintenance of a safe and tidy environment where children and young people have access to play facilities identifying and reporting areas of risk.

Working for our organisation

Our vision is to provide outstanding care for every patient. Patient care is at the heart of what we do at our three sites: Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital, Royal Hampshire County Hospital in Winchester and Andover War Memorial Hospital. Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust provides medical and surgical services to a population of approximately 600,000 people across Hampshire and parts of West Berkshire.

Our cultural ambition is to have a culture that places people at the heart of all we do, where we all belong, and where learning, improvement and excellence thrive.

We provide specialist services to people across the UK and internationally. We are one of only two centres in the UK treating pseudomyxoma peritonei (a rare form of abdominal cancer) and we are leaders in the field of tertiary liver cancer and colorectal cancer.

The trust employs more than 9,000 staff and has a turnover of over £500 million a year. As a Foundation Trust, we are directly accountable to our members through the governors. The Council of Governors represent the interests of their constituencies and influence the future plans of the Foundation Trust.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Happy to Talk Flexible Working - all requests for flexible and part time working will be considered.

Further information about the Trust and this role can be found on the Job Description and Person Specification document attached.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria

• achieved grade

Desirable criteria

• years experiance

Hospital experience as a Health Play Specialist

Essential criteria

• years as a Band 4

Desirable criteria

• years experiance

childcare experience

Essential criteria

• years experience

Desirable criteria

• years experiance

childcare experience

Essential criteria

• types of experiance

Desirable criteria

• working with a wide age range