Job summary
Health Play Specialist
Division: Medicine & Emergency Care
Care Group: Emergency & Acute
Band: 4
Salary: £27,485 - £30,162 per annum/pro rata
Interview Date: 9th December 2025
We are recruiting for a Health Play Specialist who shares our ambition and vision to deliver the Best of Care by the Best Peopleand has the drive to take us forward, by ensuring that the Trust continues to be the first choice for patients and our staff.
Main duties of the job
The post holder is responsible for supporting the child and family through play in the children's emergency department. This responsibility encompasses the promotion of play activities, therapeutic clinical play therapy, and preparation of paediatric examinations, procedures and/or interventions, creating a positive, welcoming environment for children and Young People of all ages.
You will be expected to be involved from the beginning of the patient's journey. Ensuring the child's emotional and developmental needs are meet as well as supporting the family and the Multi-disciplinary team.
Our values are Bold, Every Person Counts, Sharing and Open and Together. It is important that you understand and to refer to our values when completing your application and always reflect our values throughout your employment with the Trust.
We are committed to endorsing diversity, multiculturalism, and inclusion; our policies / procedures ensure that all applicants are treated fairly at every stage of the recruitment process.
To contribute to our exciting future and become part of our team, apply today.
About us
Do you have the ambition and vision to deliver our mission of theBest of Care by the Best of People providing excellent care, every time?
Here at Medway, we pride ourselves on working together as one to ensure that our shared vision is achieved for our patients.
As a key partner in the healthcare of our local population, we are keen to deliver this as an outcome of our Trust-wide strategy - Patient First. Using an Operational Excellence approach to align our priorities and operational management structures, we are just over a year and half into our Patient First deployment. We are looking for creative, skilled people to join our Transformation Team and further support us on this journey.
Our culture and values define us here at Medway NHS Foundation Trust and are the heartbeat of who we are as an organisation.
Our BEST values underpin Patient First and are at the core of the care we give to our patients, the support we offer to our staff and our overall leadership approach:
B - Bold
E - Every person counts
S - Sharing and open
T - Together
Our Trust is a great choice for people who want to develop their career in an ambitious and dynamic environment; our employees are able to choose the coverage and supplemental benefits that best fit their needs and those of their families. This includes the promotion of flexible working opportunities across the Trust.
Job description
Job responsibilities
We are a Friendly multidisciplinary team that provide Emergency care to Children and young persons that attend with minor injuries, illness and critical illness/ trauma.
You will be working alongside experienced nurses, doctors and physicians assistants to ensure that our patients and families have a positive hospital experience. We understand and welcome play and distraction as integral to the hospital journey.
We actively promote a culture of child and young person-centred care, that is maintained by the expertise of our diverse team. Health Play specialism is essential to achieve this.
As a play specialist, you will utilise a variety of skills and expert knowledge acquired through experience, training and discussion with the multi professional team to provide play preparation, distraction and emotional support for the children undergoing a variety of procedures to a successful outcome.
To provide,manage, contribute and develop the maintenance of an age appropriate environment where play and recreation occurs naturally and participate in quality initiatives in the play and clinical teams. Encourage play to maintain the childs link with family and home and to help the child adjust to the Emergency care situation.
To provide, manage and lead appropriate play and recreational activities to enable normal cognitive, social and emotional development to continue during hospitalisation and treatment.
To plan, implement and evaluate interventions to achieve therapeutic goals, in collaboration with the referrer, the child/young person and their family, managing own caseloads and demonstrating effective time management.
To observe and assess the childs anxieties and communicate those to the appropriate staff.
To provide stimulating activities through play for all ages and abilities to aid recovery.
To encourageparents and all members of staff to participate in play
To create an attractive child-oriented environment which includes the childrens work
Lead and manage appropriate play and recreational activities to enable normal cognitive, social and emotional development to continue during hospitalisation and treatment.
Through play provisions, contribute to clinical judgements based on the patients individual needs.
Be influential in clinical decisions regarding patient compliance and an ability to use clinical judgements based on the patients individual needs.
Develop and maintain an age appropriate environment where play and recreation occur naturally.
Provide activities that can smoothly transition the care between hospital departments and external units.
Job description
Job responsibilities
We are a Friendly multidisciplinary team that provide Emergency care to Children and young persons that attend with minor injuries, illness and critical illness/ trauma.
You will be working alongside experienced nurses, doctors and physicians assistants to ensure that our patients and families have a positive hospital experience. We understand and welcome play and distraction as integral to the hospital journey.
We actively promote a culture of child and young person-centred care, that is maintained by the expertise of our diverse team. Health Play specialism is essential to achieve this.
As a play specialist, you will utilise a variety of skills and expert knowledge acquired through experience, training and discussion with the multi professional team to provide play preparation, distraction and emotional support for the children undergoing a variety of procedures to a successful outcome.
To provide,manage, contribute and develop the maintenance of an age appropriate environment where play and recreation occurs naturally and participate in quality initiatives in the play and clinical teams. Encourage play to maintain the childs link with family and home and to help the child adjust to the Emergency care situation.
To provide, manage and lead appropriate play and recreational activities to enable normal cognitive, social and emotional development to continue during hospitalisation and treatment.
To plan, implement and evaluate interventions to achieve therapeutic goals, in collaboration with the referrer, the child/young person and their family, managing own caseloads and demonstrating effective time management.
To observe and assess the childs anxieties and communicate those to the appropriate staff.
To provide stimulating activities through play for all ages and abilities to aid recovery.
To encourageparents and all members of staff to participate in play
To create an attractive child-oriented environment which includes the childrens work
Lead and manage appropriate play and recreational activities to enable normal cognitive, social and emotional development to continue during hospitalisation and treatment.
Through play provisions, contribute to clinical judgements based on the patients individual needs.
Be influential in clinical decisions regarding patient compliance and an ability to use clinical judgements based on the patients individual needs.
Develop and maintain an age appropriate environment where play and recreation occur naturally.
Provide activities that can smoothly transition the care between hospital departments and external units.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Registered and qualified health Play Specialist (or previous HPSC/HPSEB) qualification
Knowledge
Essential
- Knowledge of research and current best practice, in non-pharmacological pain management, distraction and preparation
- Knowledge of the NAHPS professional code of conduct and its application in practice
Experience
Essential
- Post qualifying and recent comprehensive experience of working with children in a health care setting
- Experience of working as an active team member, within a multi-disciplinary team
- Expertise in therapeutic play as evidenced by qualification and registration as Health Play Specialist (or previously HPS/BTEC)
Skills
Essential
- Ability to work independently, manage own work load and determine priorities under pressure
- Have an understanding of the ability to manage and apply therapeutic play interventions for children and young people experiencing difficulties during their hospitalisation
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Registered and qualified health Play Specialist (or previous HPSC/HPSEB) qualification
Knowledge
Essential
- Knowledge of research and current best practice, in non-pharmacological pain management, distraction and preparation
- Knowledge of the NAHPS professional code of conduct and its application in practice
Experience
Essential
- Post qualifying and recent comprehensive experience of working with children in a health care setting
- Experience of working as an active team member, within a multi-disciplinary team
- Expertise in therapeutic play as evidenced by qualification and registration as Health Play Specialist (or previously HPS/BTEC)
Skills
Essential
- Ability to work independently, manage own work load and determine priorities under pressure
- Have an understanding of the ability to manage and apply therapeutic play interventions for children and young people experiencing difficulties during their hospitalisation
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.
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).
Additional information
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.
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).
