Main area: Play Specialist Grade NHS AfC: Band 6
Contract: Fixed term: 10 months (Fix Term End Date 31st October 2025)
Hours: Part time - 30 hours per week (8am - 6pm)
Job ref: 393-NMUH-2156
Employer: Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type: NHS
Site: North Middlesex University Hospital
Town: London
Salary: £42,939 - £50,697 Pro Rata per annum inclusive of HCAs
Salary period: Yearly
Closing: 12/03/2025 23:59
NHS AfC: Band 6
The North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust is a medium-sized acute and community trust with over 525 beds and over 600 community staff, serving more than 600,000 people living across Enfield and Haringey and the surrounding areas, including Barnet and Waltham Forest.
Job overview
Job Title: Play Service Team Leader
Fixed Term End Date 31st October 2025
The job purpose is:
1. Be responsible for the management of staff within the Play Service.
2. Take an active role in improving care pathways for patients and their families within their hospital journey.
3. Work as an advanced practitioner in clinical areas.
4. Participate in the assessment, planning, development and evaluation of play services within all areas where children and young people are seen, holding responsibility for service development and defined projects.
5. Provide leadership to junior staff through role modelling, teaching and management.
6. Supervise HPS and degree level students on practice placement as well as students from other members of the MDT.
7. Provide complimentary support to children seen outside of paediatric setting and 16 – 18 yrs. old admitted onto the adult wards.
8. Actively work to improve the safety and quality of services for children, contributing to safeguarding and sourcing funds for environmental improvements and building partnerships with external founders.
Main duties of the job
Being an accountable professional:
1. To support the Play Services to ensure high quality care is provided throughout the service.
2. To support the Ward Manager in managing the Play service provided in NMUH, ensuring children and young people receive high quality care as required.
3. To manage a caseload of patients, providing advanced therapeutic play interventions to help alleviate patients’ anxieties and fear, helping to increase their co-operation during their time in hospital receiving specialised treatment/care.
4. To liaise with all members of the MDT and other healthcare agencies to provide the highest quality care to paediatric patients and young people at NMUH.
5. To work collaboratively with the Oasis Youth service to provide support to 16yrs – 18yrs admitted to the adult wards.
6. To ensure the Play Team provides a welcoming, safe, and secure environment where culturally diverse patient populations’ needs are being represented throughout the service.
7. To increase awareness, understanding and knowledge of the play team’s work and how our services help patients during their hospital journeys, internally and externally.
8. To provide leadership, guidance, and support to the Play Team, ensuring services can be improved, developed, and evolve at NMUH.
Person specification
Knowledge & Qualifications
* Registered & qualified Health Play Specialist holding the Foundation Degree in Health Care Play Specialism or previous HPSC/HPSEB, Edexcel PDC/HND in Hospital Play Specialism or overseas equivalent.
* Further training in child protection.
* Management training modules.
* Documented evidence of Continuing Professional Development.
* Comprehensive knowledge and application of therapeutic assessments and interventions relevant to patient group and treatment plan.
* Specialist knowledge of the effects of hospitalisation, treatment and long term chronic and life-threatening illness on children and young people and their families.
* Knowledge and awareness of the emotional and personal impact of the work and the ability to self-manage or seek help appropriately.
* Detailed knowledge of current health legislation and NAHPS Guidelines for Professional Practice.
* Detailed knowledge of the principles and application of clinical governance.
* Bachelor’s Degree (or overseas equivalent) in a subject relevant to work with children and/or young people.
* Training in Guided Imagery, Adolescent Development, Teaching adults.
Experience
* Extensive post qualifying, comprehensive experience of working with children and/or young people in a health care setting, in a variety of clinical areas and/or vast experience in specialised field, including individual and group work.
* Project leadership experience.
* Participation in recruitment and selection procedures.
* Experience of audit procedures.
* Experience of regularly supporting, teaching, training, assessing and supervising students and/or volunteers.
* Management of junior staff, undertaking annual appraisals and PDP.
* Experience of working with children and/or young people with special needs including those with challenging behaviours.
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