Job summary
Leeds
Childrens Hospital is one of the largest childrens hospitals in the UK and
is part of the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. Based in one of the
fastest growing and most vibrant cities in the UK, we provide secondary and
tertiary care to children, young people and their families from Leeds,
Yorkshire, and the North of England.
At
Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, we have defined a culture based on values
and behaviours known as the Leeds Way - Patient Centred, Fair, Collaborative,
Accountable and Empowered.. The Leeds Childrens Hospital is Aiming High;
Delivering the Best. We strive to be a place where staff are proud to work
and children, young people and their families feel welcome.
We
are looking for a Play Specialist / Play leader to join the paediatric
urology service at Leeds childrens hospital.This
is a very busy and demanding surgical service for both urology inpatients and
outpatients.
Patient
conditions include urinary incontinence, recurrent urinary tract infections,
bladder pain, spina bifada, neurogenic bladder and various complex urology
conditions. Preparation for pre surgery and medical interventions using
therapeutic and normalising play activities to help children and young people
in the urology department, particularly during procedures like urodynamics,
to understand, cope with, and reduce anxiety related to their treatment.
Expected Shortlisting
Date
17/12/2025
Planned Interview
Date
14/01/2026
Main duties of the job
Working
as part of the play team and service you will
ensure planned and supervised play/activities are provided for
children and young people on the wards, clinic, and other environments where
children are treated. Consider the complex needs of children within the
hospital environment.
Prepare
children for treatments and procedures.
Alleviate
anxiety related to clinical procedures or situations through diversional
occupation.
Ensure
toys and play equipment are safe and appropriate for the age/developmental
stage of each child/young person and appropriate stock is maintained.
Ensure
the ward environment is child friendly and stimulating.
About us
Leeds
Childrens hospital offers a wide range of treatment and care for children
from birth to young adulthood and beyond.
Our
ambition is to be a globally recognised, leading provider of healthcare for
children and young people; engaging with our patients and their families to
make our services and their experience the best they can be. Our holistic
approach focuses on ensuring that children receive the best possible clinical
care whilst supporting them to live their best life and to achieve their key
milestones.
Leeds
Childrens Hospital operates 27 highly specialist services, which constitutes
around 67% of the hospitals total activity. More than 62,000 outpatient
appointments are held each year and there are approximately 22,600 inpatient
episodes. As a specialist centre, the Childrens Hospital also runs outreach
clinics at 22 hospitals across the North of England.
Leeds
Teaching Hospitals is committed to our process of redeploying 'at risk'
members of our existing workforce to new roles. As such, all our job adverts
are subject to this policy and we reserve the right to close, delay or remove
adverts while this process is completed. If you do experience a delay in the
shortlisting stage of the recruitment cycle, please bear with us while this
process is completed, and contact the named contact if you have any
questions.
Job description
Job responsibilities
To lead, plan and provide
therapeutic and specialised programmes of play in the hospital setting
To assess the childs emotional and
psychological well-being and work as part of a multidisciplinary team to meet
their individual needs
To work with children and their
families and help them understand their medical and nursing treatment
To alleviate anxiety related to
clinical procedures or situations through the use of preparation and
distraction techniques to facilitate coping mechanisms and emotional
well-being.
To design tools and techniques for
preparation or distraction to prepare individual children for a range of
procedures; evaluate their effectiveness, and change where necessary
To document observations of play,
and the effectiveness of interventions
To provide supervision and support
to Play Leaders working across the childrens hospital and ensure that
programmes of play are consistent across the hospital setting while leading
in developing a variety of good practice within the speciality.
To liaise lead and develop
resources to help best meet the needs of individual children.
To ensure toys and play equipment
are safe, well maintained, and appropriate for the age/developmental stage of
each child/young person and appropriate stock is ordered and maintained. To
clean and maintain play equipment and activities before and between use.
To set up activities in the play
room, and assist the physical moving of children where required to engage in
play activities
To document family dynamics, and
escalate any concerns appropriately if they arise
To work with siblings through
planned play activities & support the sibling group.
To contribute to the learning
environment for students and provide mentoring when required.
Job description
Job responsibilities
To lead, plan and provide
therapeutic and specialised programmes of play in the hospital setting
To assess the childs emotional and
psychological well-being and work as part of a multidisciplinary team to meet
their individual needs
To work with children and their
families and help them understand their medical and nursing treatment
To alleviate anxiety related to
clinical procedures or situations through the use of preparation and
distraction techniques to facilitate coping mechanisms and emotional
well-being.
To design tools and techniques for
preparation or distraction to prepare individual children for a range of
procedures; evaluate their effectiveness, and change where necessary
To document observations of play,
and the effectiveness of interventions
To provide supervision and support
to Play Leaders working across the childrens hospital and ensure that
programmes of play are consistent across the hospital setting while leading
in developing a variety of good practice within the speciality.
To liaise lead and develop
resources to help best meet the needs of individual children.
To ensure toys and play equipment
are safe, well maintained, and appropriate for the age/developmental stage of
each child/young person and appropriate stock is ordered and maintained. To
clean and maintain play equipment and activities before and between use.
To set up activities in the play
room, and assist the physical moving of children where required to engage in
play activities
To document family dynamics, and
escalate any concerns appropriately if they arise
To work with siblings through
planned play activities & support the sibling group.
To contribute to the learning
environment for students and provide mentoring when required.
Person Specification
Experience
Essential
- Team working
- Good communication written and verbal skills
Desirable
- Experience working with children
Qualifications
Essential
- Childcare/play work qualification level 3 and above
- Foundation degree in healthcare play specialism or hospital play specialist qualification (Professional Diploma BTEC level 4) registered with the Society of Health Play Specialist
Desirable
- Insight into roles responsibilities of post
- Child development and related play development
Person Specification
Experience
Essential
- Team working
- Good communication written and verbal skills
Desirable
- Experience working with children
Qualifications
Essential
- Childcare/play work qualification level 3 and above
- Foundation degree in healthcare play specialism or hospital play specialist qualification (Professional Diploma BTEC level 4) registered with the Society of Health Play Specialist
Desirable
- Insight into roles responsibilities of post
- Child development and related play development
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.
