Hospital Play Assistant

Are you looking to join the Paediatric Team within the Emergency Department at Darlington Memorial Hospital? A Play Assistant in a Paediatric Emergency Department helps reduce anxiety and fear in children by providing emotional support and engaging activities during their hospital visit. They use therapeutic play to explain medical procedures in a child-friendly way, offer distraction during treatments, and create a comforting environment that promotes normalcy. By collaborating with healthcare professionals, Play Assistants ensure that the emotional and psychological needs of young patients are met, enhancing their overall care experience in the emergency setting.

Main duties of the job:

• The Play Assistant will provide developmental, therapeutic and specialised play techniques for all ages and diversities in an effort to fulfil emotional, social and developmental needs and help alleviate emotional trauma within families.
• They will help to bridge the gap between hospital and home, creating a positive environment and a positive patient journey.

Job responsibilities:

• Providing Distraction and Comfort: Play Assistants use various activities, such as games, art, and storytelling, to distract children during medical procedures or waiting times. This helps to minimize distress and make the experience less intimidating.
• Supporting Therapeutic Play: They engage children in therapeutic play, which helps them understand and cope with their illness, injuries, or upcoming procedures. This type of play can help explain medical processes in an age-appropriate way.
• Emotional Support: Play Assistants provide emotional support not only to the children but also to their families, helping them navigate the challenges of being in an emergency department. They act as a comforting presence during what can be a highly stressful time.
• Promoting Normalcy: By encouraging play, they help maintain a sense of normalcy for the child, which is essential for emotional well-being.
• Assisting Healthcare Professionals: Play Assistants work closely with doctors, nurses, and other healthcare staff, offering insights into a child's emotional state and needs, which can be valuable during treatment.
• Creating a Child-Friendly Environment: They help to design and maintain a welcoming space filled with age-appropriate toys, books, and activities, ensuring the paediatric emergency department feels less clinical and more engaging for young patients.

Person Specification:

• Experience

• Essential: Previous Childcare experience - e.g working within a Nursery or School.
• Desirable: Experience of working in a Hospital environment, working with Children/young people in intensive settings, community work/home/school visits, teamwork experience, special needs experience, leadership experience, working with children/young people in groups or individually, working with different cultures.

• Essential: Rotational shift patterns.

• Essential: Understanding of developmental, social and psychological needs of children, young people and their families; knowledge of developmental needs from birth to 18 years, incorporating all special needs, cultures and diversities; understanding health & safety issues and confidentiality/data protection; leadership skills; ability to empower other health care professionals; communication, negotiation, organisation skills; able to work independently using own initiative and within a team; document and report writing skills; enthusiastic and forward thinking; ability to reflect practice; willingness to learn and develop self and practice; ability to work with families under stress.
• Desirable: Awareness of literature and government legislation relating to children and young people including child protection, Clinical skills in all aspects of developmental, therapeutic & specialised play, presentation/teaching skills, consultation skills with children/teenagers and families to obtain user views and participation.

• Essential: Maths and English GCSE/equivalent, NVQ Level 3 in Childcare or equivalent (e.g. NNEB BTEC Nursery Nurse qualification).
• Desirable: Play work special needs, Level 2 safeguarding.

• 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 to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Employer details:

Employer name: County Durham & Darlington NHS Foundation Trust

Address: Darlington Memorial Hospital NHS Trust, Hollyhurst Road, Darlington, County Durham, DL3 6HX

Employer's website: https://www.cddft.nhs.uk/