Play Specialist

We are seeking a motivated and experienced play specialist to join our Play Specialist Team.

The successful applicant will support children and young people undergoing treatment for cancer in the Children and Young Peoples Department. Applications are welcome from experienced play specialists with the Hospital Play Specialist Certificate (HPSET) or the Health Play Specialist foundation degree.

Main duties of the job

This post is part of the play team on The Oak Centre for Children and Young People at The Royal Marsden Hospital. The post holder will plan, deliver and evaluate play and activities for the children/adolescents on the unit and act as deputy to the Senior Play specialist in her/his absence.

Working for our organisation

The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust is a world-leading cancer centre. Our role is to offer our patients the best cancer care available anywhere in the world, and to continue to make a global contribution to finding better ways of diagnosing and treating cancer. We employ over 4,500 staff in a diverse range of careers including nursing, medical, science, radiography, pharmacy, occupational therapy, finance and administrative services. We have two hospitals - one in Chelsea, London, and one in Sutton, Surrey - as well as a Medical Daycare Unit in Kingston Hospital.

At The Royal Marsden, we deal with cancer every day, so we understand how valuable life is. When people entrust their lives to us, they have the right to demand the very best. That's why the pursuit of excellence lies at the heart of everything we do.

At the heart of the hospital is our dedicated team. We offer a stimulating and dynamic working environment, a wide range of staff benefits, learning and development opportunities and clear career pathways. There are opportunities to work flexibly across a range of areas and specialities and we welcome flexible working requests from point of hire to support employees work life balance. We are looking for employees who aspire to excellence, share our values and can play a crucial role in our on-going achievements.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

For further information please refer to the Job Description and Person Specification

• To apply theoretical knowledge and evidence based practice to assess, plan, implement and evaluate therapeutic play interventions.
• Under the direction of the Senior Play specialist, to organise, initiate and supervise play/activity facilities for children/adolescents, appropriate to their cognitive development, religion, culture and medical condition.
• To participate in the assessment of play/activities and the developmental needs of individual children/adolescents and to plan and implement play/activity programmes as part of their total care.
• To help develop the provision of activities for adolescents, from age 10 to 15 years.
• To assist in teaching the value of play/activities for the child/adolescent in hospital.

Person specification Education/Qualifications

• Hospital Play Specialist Certificate (HPSET) or currently studying

Skills Abilities/knowledge

• Ability to communicate with children and adolescents.
• Self-motivated
• Ability to work as part of a team
• Ability to work with families
• Ability to plan/design age appropriate play/developmental activities for children and adolescents.
• Able to work alone

Other

• Flexibility to meet the needs of the service
• Ability to carry out a range of departmental duties.

The Royal Marsden values diversity and is committed to the recruitment and retention of underrepresented minority groups. We particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates, LGBTQ+ candidates and candidates with disabilities.

As a Disability Confident Employer, we are working to create a workplace that enables all staff to reach their full potential. We are committed to this because we know that greater diversity and inclusion will lead to an even greater positive impact for the people we serve.

Due to the high volumes of applications we receive, we reserve the right to close any adverts before the published closing date once we have received a sufficient number of applications. We advise you to submit your application as early as possible to prevent disappointment. Please ensure your information is accurate to avoid errors with processing your application

All applicants will be contacted by email to the address supplied on your application. Applicants are advised to check their email accounts regularly and to ensure that email filters are set to allow our emails.

Flu Vaccination - What We Expect of our Staff

At The Royal Marsden we have an immune compromised patient population who we must protect as much as we can against the flu virus. Each year, seasonal flu affects thousands of people in the UK. Occurring mainly in winter, it is an infectious respiratory disease capable of producing symptoms ranging from those similar to a common cold, through to very severe or even fatal disease.

The wellbeing of our staff and patients is of the upmost importance to us, and it is the expectation of The Royal Marsden that all patient-facing staff have an annual flu vaccination, provided free of charge by the Trust.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

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.