Play Specialist

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a motivated and enthusiastic Play Specialist to join our friendly well established team.

Bluefin ward nurses children and young people from birth to 18 years. Our patients have a variety of medical and surgical conditions. The unit has an HDU area and separate Children's and Young Person's Day Unit.

The unit and our Paediatric service has been awarded a CQC rating of OUTSTANDING.

We presently have a permanent position for a Play Specialist to work alongside our play assistant. You will be based on Bluefin Ward but can expect to work in other areas across the hospital and become an integral part of the Bluefin team. Supporting and working with children and young people in the acute setting.

Appropriate applicants would need

Level 4 Diploma in Specialised Play for Children and Young People/Edexcel Certificate in Hospital Play Specialism or HPSC/HPSEB.

Or

Foundation degree in Healthcare PlaySpecialism and experience of working with children in a hospital play setting.

We are looking for an enthusiastic, experienced person who want to make a real difference to the patients and families in our care. You should expect to be supported, supervised, challenged and mentored by our experienced staff.

To ensure the child’s needs are identified and play programmes implemented accordingly to meet individual requirements
- To assess the play, developmental, and emotional needs of individual children of all ages
- Establish and maintain effective communication, verbal and written, with children, families and all members of the multi-disciplinary team.
- Negotiate sensitively with children and their carers particularly if there are any barriers to understanding.
- Communicate with children in a manner appropriate to their age and stage of development and their carers.
- Engage in effective communication with a variety of ages and those with complex needs.
- Development and support of other members of the play team including playassistants and youth worker/s.

See attached Job Description for further information

Join us at UHSussex, every day is different, you can be the change, better never stops

At UHSussex we’re proud to be at the heart of the NHS. As one of the UK’s largest acute Trusts, we’re a leading example of the excellence, the ambition and the values that have embodied the NHS for over 70 years.

**Improving lives**: We are a vibrant and inclusive organisation, with hardworking, talented and dedicated individuals, who work together towards a common goal, to always put our Patient First. Our mission is summed up by our ‘where better never stops’ motto and no matter the role at UHSussex, you will play a part in driving us forwards and in improving the lives of patients across Sussex. We treat our patients and staff with the same compassion and empathy we expect for ourselves. We’re here for them when they need us, and we go above and beyond to meet their needs. This can be seen in our wellbeing programme for staff which is extensive and designed to support you when you need it because we know that to look after others we must first look after ourselves.

**Build a career with us**: As a university trust and a leader in healthcare research, we value learning, teaching and training so that we can be the best that we can be. From the moment you start with us and throughout your career we will help you to grow and develop. We hope that in choosing UHSussex you are choosing a long and happy career where you will be able to see the difference you make and feel valued for all that you do.

JOB SUMMARY

Working alongside the Play Assistant and Nursing team you will:

- Maintain a safe, child-focused environment where play occurs naturally.
- Provide play for normalisation for children and young people attending hospital.
- Use your knowledge of child development and through to adulthood when selecting recreational / play activities.

Work alongside and supervise Volunteers and Student nurses where applicable

You must be able to work flexibly with the rest of the clinical team and be able to work alongside them to provide a safe environment for the children. You would need to be comfortable working with children and young people in the hospital environment.

Please see attached Job Description for further information