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Key details
Location
SiteTrustwideTown317 TrustwidePostcodeNE7 7DNMajor / Minor RegionTyne and Wear
Contract type & working pattern
ContractPermanentHoursPart time - 30 hours per week
Salary
Salary£29,970 - £36,483 pro rataSalary periodYearlyGrade(Band 5)
Specialty
Main area317 Paediatric Management - RVI
Interview date14/04/2025
Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is one of the busiest and largest NHS foundation trusts in the country, with around 15,000 staff and an annual budget of £1.6 billion.
We have a long history of providing high quality care, clinical excellence, and innovation in medical research regionally, nationally and internationally.
We’re in the top five providers of specialised health services in the country, supporting people with a range of rare and complex medical, surgical and neurological conditions, cancers and genetic orders.
Our staff oversee around 6,500 patient contacts each day, delivering high standards of healthcare.
We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and recognise the benefit in providing an inclusive environment. We value and respect the diversity of our employees and aim to recruit a workforce which reflects the communities we serve, and is equipped to deliver the best service to our patients. We welcome all applications irrespective of people’s race, disability, sex, sexual orientation, religion or belief, age, gender identity, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity and in particular those from under-represented groups.
Newcastle Hospitals are proud to be one of the exemplar organisations across the NHS on sustainability, with a long history of delivering Sustainable Healthcare in Newcastle (Shine) and the first healthcare organisation in the world to declare a climate emergency. Our strategy includes commitments to being Net Zero by 2030, for our direct carbon footprint, and Net Zero by 2040 for our footprint plus. Delivering these ambitions will not be possible without the help, support and action of every single member of our team.
Job overview
Are you a qualified Healthcare Play Specialist? Interested in helping shape the future of our play service?
We are looking for a dynamic, forward-thinking and self-motivated registered Healthcare Play Specialist to help us shape the play strategy for the Great North Children’s Hospital. The individual will be an active champion for children, young people and their families.
The successful candidate will have in-depth knowledge and experience of models of outstanding practice. They will have both passion and enthusiasm for developing and supporting excellent play services and will be able to demonstrate a desire to support change and innovation.
The role requires a professional Healthcare Play Specialist who can demonstrate exceptional leadership qualities, working closely with the play team and members of GNCH Management Team to shape the future delivery of play across GNCH. They will be able to motivate the play team to deliver high-quality service to meet the needs of the patients and the service. Celebrating success and managing challenges and behaviours to meet aims and objectives.
The candidate will demonstrate excellent communication skills, communicating the vision and aims of the play strategy across GNCH, and to a range of staff and external stakeholders.
Advert
* Contribute to GNCH patient care through the provision of high-quality therapeutic care, relating specifically to play, and the appropriate use and development of play resources.
* Being professionally responsible for the play service across GNCH and coordinating the play team. Ensuring a high standard of service delivery.
* Ensure consistency of play service delivery across GNCH and wider scope where appropriate across the Trust.
* Provide a professional lead and role model to play staff.
* Responsible for leading the play.
* Ensure equitable play provision for Children and Young People across GNCH.
* Required to provide assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation of a variety of recreational and therapeutic programmes and activities, with regard to play, preparation, distraction, desensitisation and post-procedural play to children, young people and their families to promote emotional health and optimal development.
* Implement developmentally appropriate methods for preparing children and families for diagnostic treatment/surgical procedures to optimise the quality of the medical/nursing experience.
* Liaise with SoHPS to ensure all staff are registered and meet professional codes of conduct.
* Support and mentor Play staff with personal and professional development.
* Access, analyse, document and record interventions in line with Trust policy.
* Ensure equity of play provision across GNCH.
Working for our organisation
Our staff oversee around 6,500 patient contacts every day, delivering high standards of healthcare from the following sites:
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These include a range of flagship services which deliver cutting-edge care (supported by state-of-the-art diagnostic services in both radiology and pathology) and are a catalyst for innovation to support pioneering clinical practice in the NHS.
We also have offices at Regent Point in Gosforth and community sites.
Please see attached information on what Staff Benefits we have to offer at our Trust under ‘Documents to download’ or ‘Supporting documents’.
For further information on The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust please visit: Careers | Newcastle Hospitals | NHS | Newcastle Hospitals Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
* Provide a professional lead and role model to play staff, being professionally responsible for the play service across GNCH and coordinating the play team. Ensuring a high standard of service delivery.
* To ensure consistency of play service delivery across GNCH and wider scope where appropriate across the Trust.
* Being able to practice safely and effectively within the scope of professional practice.
* Ensure all play staff are aware of and maintain the Society of Health Play Specialists Professional Standards.
* Be able to practise within the legal and ethical boundaries of the profession, exercising your professional duty of candour.
* Ensure staff are recruited to the play team with appropriate qualifications and skills.
* Provide mentorship to those working towards HPS qualification.
* To organise and lead the play team meetings. Encouraging and maintaining regular attendance by all play staff. Creating an agenda for the meeting to include training and development items.
* Being able to communicate important messages to staff and act as a professional point of contact.
* Be able to practise as an autonomous professional, exercising own professional judgement.
* Assist in service redesign, innovation, and excellence in service delivery.
* They will be an active champion for babies, children and young people (BCYP), advocating for and ensuring that they are heard, while understood play service provision for them in hospital settings.
* Take the lead in setting aims and objectives of the play service.
* Lead on types of therapeutic play and distraction available for BCYP and families taking into account children with additional needs.
* Ensure all play staff maintain any professional registration codes of conduct where necessary.
* Plans develops and implements programmes of therapeutic play.
* Lead on types of therapeutic play and distraction available for children and families taking into account children with additional needs.
* Advise any issues/developments positive or negative about any aspect of play provision and service.
* Be responsible for professional standards and development of the play team.
* Inform, educate, support and advise other healthcare specialists, nursing staff, and families in the role of play.
* Ensure an outstanding and equitable play service is provided across GNCH.
* Liaise closely with ward managers and attend appropriate meetings and contribute as required.
* Keep up to date and adhere to national legislation, local policies, advice, and guidance. Take personal responsibility to meet the Professional Standards.
* Immediately report any breach of the Professional Standards resulting in any disciplinary process by your employer or any police caution to SoHPS.
* Participate in Play Service Projects and produce reports as requested. These include audit of services.
Please note it is a requirement of The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust that all successful candidates who require a DBS for the post they have been offered pay for their DBS certificate. The method of payment is a salary deduction from your first month’s pay.
As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us and for our patients, and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement. If it works for the service, we will do our best to make it work for you.
Important note on completion of reference section of Application Form
All references from current and previous employers will be sought and must cover a minimum of 3 years employment. Therefore, when completing the reference section of your application form, please give the address, telephone number and work email address of each of your current/previous line managers that cover 3 years employment. Failure to complete this section may result in your application not being processed.
Please note it is a requirement of The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust that all successful candidates who require a DBS for the post they have been offered pay for their DBS certificate. The method of payment is a salary deduction from your first month’s pay.
Candidates who are shortlisted for interview will be contacted by e-mail. You should check your SPAM folders as well as your inbox. If you have not been contacted within 4 weeks of the closing date you should assume your application has been unsuccessful.
Applicant requirements
You must have appropriate UK professional registration. This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Person specification
Qualifications & Education
Essential criteria
* Hospital Play Specialist (HPS) qualification at Diploma level, recognised by the Society of Health Play Specialists (SoHPS).
* Registered with SoHPS.
* Have completed Mentorship Training (or agreement to undertake Mentorship Training within the first 12 months).
Knowledge & Experience
Essential criteria
* Previous significant experience working with children, including those with complex health needs and disabilities.
* Evidence of ongoing professional development.
* Knowledge of the effects of hospitalisation, long term chronic illness and treatment on children, young people and their families.
* Knowledge of normal BCYP development and growth.
* Understanding of child safeguarding processes.
Desirable criteria
* Previous experience in coordinating and providing a play service in a healthcare setting.
* In-depth knowledge of play services operations and can successfully help service redesign, innovation, and excellence in service delivery.
* Previous experience of a leadership role.
Skills & Abilities
Essential criteria
* Demonstrate strong Leadership skills.
* Good communication skills.
* Good interpersonal skills.
* Good organisational skills.
* Able to work effectively as part of a multi-disciplinary team, as well as on own, within scope of practice, with effective time management.
* Basic IT skills.
Desirable criteria
* Advanced IT skills.
* Counselling skills.
Documents
* JD & PS (, 160.3)PDFKB
* Newcastle Staff Benefits (, 274.4)PDFKB
* Behaviour and Civility Charter (, 93.8)PDFKB
Further details / informal visits contact
Name: Julie Anderson
Job title: Research and Innovations Manager
Email address: [email protected]
Telephone number: 0191 2820009
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