# Senior Health Play Specialist > NHS job listing from Job Clerk for Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust. ## Canonical URLs - **HTML:** https://www.jobclerk.com/job/senior-health-play-specialist/3a1d6339-cf2a-4b21-9bb0-9db8176f7719 - **Markdown:** https://www.jobclerk.com/job/senior-health-play-specialist/3a1d6339-cf2a-4b21-9bb0-9db8176f7719.md ## Summary - **Status:** Live - **Employer:** Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust - **Location:** St Mary's Hospital (The Bays) - **Workplace type:** onsite - **Profession:** Play specialist - **Grade:** Band 5 - **Salary:** £38,488 - £46,852 pa inclusive - **Contract type:** Permanent - **Employment type:** Full time - 37.5 hours per week - **Closing date:** 2026-10-02T22:59:00.000Z - **Posted:** 2026-09-18T08:41:01.532Z - **Source information URL:** https://www.healthjobsuk.com/job/UK/London/London/Imperial_College_Healthcare_NHS_Trust/Paediatrics/Paediatrics-v8292488 - **Application URL:** https://apps.trac.jobs/job-advert/8292488?ShowJobAdvert=&feedid=9002 - **Employer website:** https://www.imperial.nhs.uk ## Job Content ### Job overview Come and join us in a bustling central London children’s department, with lots of opportunity to use your specialised play skills. We cover a wide range of specialties including children’s intensive care & trauma service. We have a unique Hematology service, including gene therapy, stem cell transplants & shared care oncology. Each day is unique. Key highlights - Use your expertise to offer specialised play from birth to teens - Contribute to exciting developments for our babies, children & young people (BCYP) including those with additional needs - Inspire junior staff to develop & learn - Join a friendly, thriving team of play specialists, play workers & volunteers - Come & enjoy a central & accessible location Children’s health & wellbeing is at our core & your contribution will make a real impact within a team who value play. Why join us? - We are specialist hospital & London trauma hub - Continue to learn & evolve – our many specialities include oncology/ haematology, transplant, children’s intensive care, diabetes, allergy, neurology, among others. - It’s a rewarding place to work, alongside an amazing team of professionals - Strong support from within the team & committed charity partners Apply now, if you: - hold the Health Play Specialist qualification - registered with SOHPS - have solid post-qualifying experience - are committed, creative, calm & compassionate - are confident in the role & able to share your knowledge with others ### Main duties of the job - Assess, plan & deliver specialised play interventions - Build strong partnerships with families & siblings - Contribute to multi professional care planning - Support complex case referrals - Document specialised play input - Information sharing with other professionals - Support play service planning, including audit, pathways & protocols - Support & mentor junior staff, students, volunteers & visitors - Provide formal & informal education & teaching for other professionals - Manage a caseload, safe environment & resources - Deputise for Team lead – managing referrals & smooth running of service. - Create a welcoming, safe & age-appropriate environment for all BCYP - Celebrate key events & achievements with patients & families. - Grant applications & charity support - Working knowledge of current games, activities, devices relevant to all ages/stages - Comply with the SOHPS professional standards, national guidance and trust policies - Inspire & motivate others about play ### Detailed job description and main responsibilities The full job description provides an overview of the key tasks and responsibilities of the role and the person specification outlines the qualifications, skills, experience and knowledge required. For both overviews please view the Job Description attachment with the job advert. ### 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 ### Skills **Essential** - Have a flexible approach to work & changing service needs. - Recognise stress in self and others and take appropriate action. - Self-motivate and prioritise workload for self and others in the team - Support other members of the team in liaison with senior management staff. **Desirable** - Contribute to teaching programmes for students and affiliated staff about the profession - Apply and evaluate independent projects within the workplace - Recognise stress in self and others and take appropriate action. - Contribute to and implement teaching programmes for students and affiliated staff about the profession ### Education **Essential** - Foundation degree in Healthcare Play Specialism or Edexcel Certificate in Hospital Play Specialism or HPSC/HPSEB or overseas equivalent - Current registration with SOHPS - Documented evidence of Continuing Professional Development (up to date professional portfolio) **Desirable** - Additional training relevant to role e.g Communication strategies e.g Makaton ### Experience **Essential** - Individual and group work with children from a diversity of backgrounds. - Good foundation of clinical experience with a wide range of children and families in the hospital setting and/or community. - Children with additional needs – such as challenging behaviour, neurodiversity disabilities and multiple health needs - Working with complex cases and a range of professionals - Confidence working with adolescents **Desirable** - Formal teaching & concerning the area of play in hospital - Experience with young people with mental health difficulties. - Research & project work ## Documents - [job description (pdf, 640.3kb)](https://www.healthjobsuk.com/documents?vdoc=10625248) - [our strategy 2023-25 (pdf, 230.4kb)](https://www.healthjobsuk.com/documents?edoc=427) - [functional requirements (pdf, 624.5kb)](https://www.healthjobsuk.com/documents?vdoc=10610707) ## Agent Notes - This Markdown page is generated from the same Job Clerk job record as the HTML job detail page. - Use the canonical HTML URL for user-facing references. - Use the application URL when the user wants to apply on the source NHS site.