Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Apprentice Hospital Play Specialist
How your CV stacks up
Upload your CV to see how well it fits this job role
?%
Job Summary
The post holder will be one of a team of play specialists. You will work to ensure high quality play provision for patients and siblings. Prepare the child and family for treatments and procedures. Facilitate emotional support and help to establish coping strategies. The post will be predominantly in the children's unit, but also you may be required in other areas of the hospital where children are being cared for.
This is an apprenticeship role, and the post holder will be required to gain substantial new knowledge, skills, and behaviours (KSBs) as part of the apprenticeship standard and undertake a range of duties relevant to the role. *The post holder will complete a Level 5 Health Play Specialist Apprenticeship Standard with Southampton Solent University.
Successful candidates will be appointed at Band 3, 2 year secondment /Fixed term contract while undertaking the Play Specialist Apprenticeship. On successful completion of the apprenticeship, you will progress to a permanent Band 4 Play Specialist position.
Main duties of the job
A hospital play specialist's main duties include implementing therapeutic and developmental play to help children cope with illness and hospitalisation, preparing them for medical procedures through age-appropriate explanations and play techniques, and supporting their emotional well-being by reducing anxiety and distress. They also work to maintain cognitive, social, and physical development during hospital stays, collaborate with families and healthcare teams to improve communication and involvement, and advocate for the child's needs to ensure a positive, child-centered care experience.
Reasons to use Rodeo
Start with a chat, not a search bar
Grad scheme, placement, apprenticeship? Not sure what you want yet — that's fine. Your agent talks it through with you and turns "I have no idea" into a shortlist.
It searches the market for you
Every day your agent scans the market matching roles against what actually matters to you, not just keywords on a CV.
Only hits
No noise. No "maybe this fits." Just roles with a clear explanation of why they're right — and where to focus when applying.
About Us
Our STAR values - Service, Teamwork, Ambition and Respect - are a golden thread running through everything we do. These values serve as a guiding principle, driving us towards our vision of delivering great joined up services to our local community. Whether at home, in the community, or within the hospital, our goal is to empower individuals to lead independent and healthier lives.
Job Description
Job responsibilities
Provide and maintain a safe, childfriendly, welcoming environment that promotes play, normality, and routine during hospital admission. Create, plan, and implement individual and group play programmes, adapting activities to accommodate the child's medical needs, frequent interruptions, and any physical, environmental, or emotional limitations.
Please See Attached Full Job Description
Person Specification
Qualifications
Qualifications Essential
- Professional childcare qualification level 3 or equivalent and a willingness to work towards the HPS qualification.
- English and Maths GCSE A- C or Levels 9-4 or equivalent qualifications
Get help with your application
Your very own career expert that helps elevate your application to the next level.
Experience Essential
- Post qualification experience within a childcare or healthcare setting
Desirable
- Experience of working with children with special needs or challenging behaviours
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.
Certificate of Sponsorship
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).
“It took my CV and asked me questions relevant to understanding what kind of jobs to suggest for me. Suggestions were almost perfect. Jobs were exactly what I’ve been looking for.”
Jessica, London
Skills
Location