Senior Health Play Specialist

Job summary
Come and join us in a bustling central London children's department, with lots of opportunity to use your specialised play skills. We cover a wide range of specialties including children's intensive care & trauma service. We have a unique Hematology service, including gene therapy, stem cell transplants & shared care oncology. Each day is unique.

Key highlights

• Use your expertise to offer specialised play from birth to teens
• Contribute to exciting developments for our babies, children & young people (BCYP) including those with additional needs
• Inspire junior staff to develop & learn
• Join a friendly, thriving team of play specialists, play workers & volunteers
• Come & enjoy a central & accessible location

Children's health & wellbeing is at our core & your contribution will make a real impact within a team who value play.

Why join us?

• We are specialist hospital & London trauma hub
• Continue to learn & evolve - our many specialities include oncology/ haematology, transplant, children's intensive care, diabetes, allergy, neurology, among others.
• It's a rewarding place to work, alongside an amazing team of professionals
• Strong support from within the team & committed charity partners

Apply now, if you:

• hold the Health Play Specialist qualification
• registered with SOHPS
• have solid post-qualifying experience
• are committed, creative, calm & compassionate
• are confident in the role & able to share your knowledge with others

Main duties of the job

• Assess, plan & deliver specialised play interventions
• Build strong partnerships with families & siblings
• Contribute to multi professional care planning
• Support complex case referrals
• Document specialised play input
• Information sharing with other professionals
• Support play service planning, including audit, pathways & protocols
• Support & mentor junior staff, students, volunteers & visitors
• Provide formal & informal education & teaching for other professionals
• Manage a caseload, safe environment & resources
• Deputise for Team lead - managing referrals & smooth running of service.
• Create a welcoming, safe & age-appropriate environment for all BCYP
• Celebrate key events & achievements with patients & families.
• Grant applications & charity support
• Working knowledge of current games, activities, devices relevant to all ages/stages
• Comply with the SOHPS professional standards, national guidance and trust policies
• Inspire & motivate others about play

About us
At Imperial College Healthcare you can achieve extraordinary things with extraordinary people, working with leading clinicians pushing boundaries in patient care.

Become part of a vibrant team living our values - expert, kind, collaborative and aspirational. You'll get an experience like no other and will fast forward your career.Benefits include career development, flexible working and wellbeing, staff recognition scheme. Make use of optional benefits including Cycle to Work, car lease schemes, season ticket loan or membership options for onsite leisure facilities.

We are committed to equal opportunities and improving the working lives of our staff and will consider applications to work flexibly, part time or job share. Please talk to us at interview.

Environmental sustainability
Climate change and poor air quality is a health emergency that harms people's health and wellbeing and widens health inequalities. The Trust is also committed to reducing its impact on the environment by reducing our greenhouse gas emissions to Net Zero by 2045. All our employees have a role to play, and we have an active green network that supports staff to act in ways that ensures that our services are efficient, sustainable and reduce our impact on the environment

Job responsibilities
The full job description provides an overview of the key tasks and responsibilities of the role and the person specification outlines the qualifications, skills, experience and knowledge required. For both overviews please view the Job Description attachment with the job advert.

Person Specification
Education
Essential

• Foundation degree in Healthcare Play Specialism or Edexcel Certificate in Hospital Play Specialism or HPSC/HPSEB or overseas equivalent
• Current registration with SOHPS
• Documented evidence of Continuing Professional Development (up to date professional portfolio)

Desirable

• Additional training relevant to role e.g Communication strategies e.g Makaton

Experience
Essential

• Individual and group work with children from a diversity of backgrounds.
• Good foundation of clinical experience with a wide range of children and families in the hospital setting and/or community.
• Children with additional needs - such as challenging behaviour, neurodiversity disabilities and multiple health needs
• Working with complex cases and a range of professionals
• Confidence working with adolescents

Desirable

• Formal teaching & concerning the area of play in hospital
• Experience with young people with mental health difficulties.
• Research & project work

Skills
Essential

• Have a flexible approach to work & changing service needs.
• Recognise stress in self and others and take appropriate action.
• Self-motivate and prioritise workload for self and others in the team
• Support other members of the team in liaison with senior management staff.

Desirable

• Contribute to teaching programmes for students and affiliated staff about the profession
• Apply and evaluate independent projects within the workplace
• Recognise stress in self and others and take appropriate action.
• Contribute to and implement teaching programmes for students and affiliated staff about the profession

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

We are committed to equal opportunities and improving the working lives of our staff and will consider applications to work flexibly, part time or job share. Please talk to us at interview.