Job summary
- Main area
- Play Specialist
- Grade
- Band 4
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week (Weekend work, 8-4 pm & 10-18.00 pm shifts)
- Job ref
- 396-7562937-AHP-GV
- Employer
- Kingston and Richmond NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Kingston Hospital
- Town
- Kingston
- Salary
- £33,262 - £36,027 pa incl. HCAS (Outer)
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 06/04/2026 23:59
Employer heading
Play Specialist
Band 4
Home, community, hospital
Kingston and Richmond NHS Foundation Trust offers a range of fantastic opportunities to grow your career across both hospital and community settings in south London. Whether you're looking to build new skills or take your experience to the next level, we are uniquely placed to provide the right environment to support your professional development. With colleagues working in people’s homes, in community clinics, and in our two hospitals, we have an outstanding breadth of knowledge and experience to draw from.
Our commitment to exceptional care is reflected in being the first trust of our kind in London to achieve an ‘Outstanding’ rating from the CQC for both overall quality and leadership. We exist to provide the best possible care for our patients and we do that by giving our colleagues what they need to be their best at work. We have won numerous awards from the HSJ and Nursing Times for the way we support our colleagues across all our services.
We are proud to be recognised for our outstanding cancer care, children's services, pioneering surgical teams, and exceptional rehabilitation services. Our maternity services have been rated the "Best in London" by women surveyed by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), with parents travelling to Kingston to take advantage of our considerable experience and expertise.
Our Trust values
These words are important reminders, but it’s our behaviours that tell people who we are. We expect all colleagues to bring our values to life in their work.
- Compassionate: We provide care with kindness, understanding, and empathy for all.
- Inclusive: We embrace diversity and respect the unique contributions of every individual.
- Collaborative: We foster teamwork across all levels, working together and with our partners to deliver the best outcomes.
- Inspiring: We are committed to continuous improvement and excellence in patient care, staff development, and innovation.
Job overview
Being a Play Specialist at Kingston Hospital is varied, creative and a brilliant place to grow your skills — all while supporting local children and families across Kingston and Richmond.
You’ll join a small, friendly team supporting children and young people, from a few days old right up to 18, across the paediatric ward, A&E, outpatient clinics and specialist services like oncology. You’ll be there for the quick visits, the long stays, and everything in between.
One minute you’re doing sensory play with a newborn, the next you’re building a train track with a three-year-old, distracting a nervous 10-year-old during an NG tube, or chatting with a teenager about hair loss, or who just needs a bit of normality in a very un-normal place. We're also big on creativity — sometimes that means using resources, sometimes it means making them yourself, all with the goal of helping children feel calmer, more prepared and more in control. It’s fast-paced, it’s unpredictable, and if you like thinking on your feet, you’ll love it here.
You’ll work across clinics like phlebotomy, dermatology and asthma, as well as dental, orthopaedics, ENT and day surgery.
This role is open to qualified Health Play Specialists, as well as second-year apprentices or students currently studying on the Health Play Specialist course.
If you’d like to see what life in the team really looks like, take a look at our candidate information pack.
Main duties of the job
Build on your clinical experience by supporting children through scans, procedures and longer-term treatment, including oncology care. You’ll rotate across a 24-bed inpatient ward, two HDU beds, the Physical Assessment Unit and outpatient clinics, which means lots of variety. Along the way, you’ll develop specialist skills, gain exposure to different clinical settings and build a strong foundation for future progression.
Key responsibilities
· Build relationships with children and young people through play, using approaches appropriate to their developmental and emotional needs.
· Assess individual needs and plan, deliver and evaluate therapeutic play interventions, including preparation for procedures, distraction techniques and post-procedural play.
· Create and maintain a safe, welcoming and stimulating play environment with inclusive and well-maintained resource.
· Record play interventions, outcomes and observations accurately in line with Trust policies and professional standards.
· Promote awareness of children’s emotional and developmental needs within the multidisciplinary team.
· Provide play-based observations to inform holistic care planning and liaise with external agencies, including the Local Education Authority where educational support is required.
· Respect the individuality, cultural background and beliefs of children and families while advocating for their needs.
Working for our organisation
Our play service is supported by Momentum and Kingston Hospital Charity, which means we can do more than just the basics. We’ve got a bright, purpose-built playroom that opens out onto a garden — somewhere children can get fresh air, move around and just feel a bit more like themselves.
We’re also able to bring things onto the ward that children wouldn’t usually expect in hospital — from visits by Chelsea Football Club and therapy animals (including owls and ponies), to entertainers, puppet sessions, bake sales and toy events.
You’ll be encouraged to share ideas, get involved and help bring them to life as part of a creative, supportive team.
What skills/ qualifications do you need?
-
A recognised Health Play Specialist qualification or to be a second-year apprentice/student on the Health Play Specialist course.
-
Registration with the Society of Health Play Specialists (SOHPS), or eligibility to register.
-
Experience supporting patients with SEND, and confidence adapting play, communication and preparation to meet different needs.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Staff benefits
- 27 days, plus 8 bank holidays, with additional leave for long service.
- Access to the NHS Pension Scheme, offering excellent retirement benefits, including employer contributions.
- Opportunities for professional development, including funding for further education, training, and courses relevant to the role.
- Discounts on a wide range of products and services, including high street stores, restaurants, and gym
***Please see the attached supporting document/s which contains more information about the role in the job description and person specification***
Person specification
Experience
Essential criteria
- Experience working as a hospital play specialist
- Experience working with a multidisciplinary team
Knowledge
Essential criteria
- Evidence of good communication skills with children and young people
- Understanding of children's safeguarding procedures
Qualification
Essential criteria
- BTEC Certificate in Hospital Play Specialism or HPSC/HPSEB or Foundation Degree in Health Care Play Specialism
- Registration with SOHPs
Employer certification / accreditation badges
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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.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Hind Thomas
- Job title
- Senior sister
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 020 8576 7711
- Additional information
Hind Thomas, 020 8576 7711, Ext 2417
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