Health Play Specialist

To use skills, knowledge and experience of play to work as independent practitioner
- To work as part of the Play & Youth service to deliver a high standard of service to promote play activities, therapeutic play sessions in the preparation of patients for procedures, examinations and/or inventions.
- To work with children/young people and families from the initial stages to identify the child's emotional and developmental need and develop create a play intervention plan.
- To manage and be responsible for the assessment, planning, implementation and the evaluation of play strategies which encompass the developmental and emotional needs of the children/young people and their families or carers. In the hospital and/or Community as directed by Specialist service.
- To participate in safeguarding children and young people CYP within the Trust to ensure their safety and to adhere to the safeguarding policy.
- To ensure that all children and young people have appropriate access to play and recreation resources whilst at the hospital.
- To respect the individuality, values, cultural and religious diversity of patients and their families, and contribute to the provision of a service sensitive to these needs.
- To deliver training and education on the importance and impact that therapeutic play intervention has on child and young person to the multi-disciplinary team (MDT).

At the heart of the Denmark Hill site lies the Variety Children’s Hospital, where we are seeking an enthusiastic and motivated qualified and registered Health Play Specialist to join our Play and Youth team, led by a Team Coordinator. This is an exciting opportunity to join a small family team of Play Specialists and Youth Worker to use you experience, initiative, to grow and learn.

This post is to work within the play service based on a speciality ward to cover other wards and day care.

You will need to have experience of working with babies, children and young people in a healthcare setting and be able to support families going through emotional stress. You will need to be able to work effectively with your MDT colleagues to enhance the children and young person’s positive hospital experience. You will also need an understanding of how to engage with patients who have individual additional and complex needs.

You will work as part of a supportive team where play and recreation are valued and respected by other professions across the hospital.

King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is one of the UK’s largest and busiest teaching Trusts with a turnover of c£1 billion, 1.5 million patient contacts a year and more than 15,000 staff based across South East London. The Trust provides a full range of local and specialist services across its five sites. The trust-wide strategy of Strong Roots, Global Reach is our Vision to be BOLD, Brilliant people, Outstanding care, Leaders in Research, Innovation and Education, Diversity, Equality and Inclusion at the heart of everything we do. By being person-centred, digitally-enabled, and focused on sustainability, we aim to take Team King’s to another level.

We are at a pivotal point in our history and we require individuals who are ready to join a highly professional team and make a real, lasting difference to our patients and our people.

King’s is committed to delivering Sustainable Healthcare for All via our Green Plan. In line with national Greener NHS ambitions, we have set net zero carbon targets of 2040 for our NHS Carbon Footprint and 2045 for our NHS Carbon Footprint Plus. Everyone’s contribution is required in order to meet the goals set out in our Green Plan and we encourage all staff to work responsibly, minimising their contributions to the Trust’s carbon emissions, waste and pollution wherever possible.

MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Clinical Practice
- To create a welcoming, caring and safe play environment for the CYP and their families.
- To use play as a tool to communicate and build a rapport with children and young people attending the hospital.
- To manage and be responsible in using theoretical knowledge and evidence-based practice to assess, plan, implement and evaluate therapeutic play interventions in hospital which encompass the development and emotional needs of the CYP. This includes distraction and preparations techniques.
- To take individual referrals for children/Young people and their family members experiencing difficulty in managing hospital admissions/procedures.
- To document therapeutic interventions and outcomes on patient records system.
- Attend MDT meetings and contribute to treatment and care plans.
- Devise play programmes for CYP in hospital, according to their individual needs and as part of their overall care plan.
- To plan and implement individual therapeutic play programmes to include preparation for invasive and non-invasive procedures, distraction therapy and post procedural play.
- To monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of t