Job summary
- Main area
- 317 Ward 9 Paediatric Surgery - RVI
- Grade
- Band 4
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week
- Job ref
- 317-2025-25-03-DR
- Employer
- The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Royal Victoria Infirmary
- Town
- 317 02 Royal Victoria Infirmary
- Salary
- £26,530 - £29,114 per annum
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 23/06/2025 23:59
- Interview date
- 02/07/2025
Employer heading

Health Play Specialist / Nursery Nurse
Band 4
Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is one of the busiest and largest NHS foundation trusts in the country, with around 15,000 staff and an annual budget of £1.6 billion.
We have a long history of providing high quality care, clinical excellence, and innovation in medical research regionally, nationally and internationally.
We’re in the top five providers of specialised health services in the country, supporting people with a range of rare and complex medical, surgical and neurological conditions, cancers and genetic orders.
Our staff oversee around 6,500 patient contacts each day, delivering high standards of healthcare.
We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and recognise the benefit in providing an inclusive environment. We value and respect the diversity of our employees and aim to recruit a workforce which reflects the communities we serve, and is equipped to deliver the best service to our patients. We welcome all applications irrespective of people’s race, disability, sex, sexual orientation, religion or belief, age, gender identity, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity and in particular those from under- represented groups.
Newcastle Hospitals are proud to be one of the exemplar organisations across the NHS on sustainability, with a long history of delivering Sustainable Healthcare in Newcastle (Shine) and the first healthcare organisation in the world to declare a climate emergency. Our strategy includes commitments to being Net Zero by 2030, for our direct carbon footprint, and Net Zero by 2040 for our footprint plus. Delivering these ambitions will not be possible without the help, support and action of every single member of our team.
Job overview
An exciting opportunity has become available for a Hospital Play Specialist/Nursery Nurse to join ward 9 within the Great North Children’s Hospital. Ward 9 is an acute inpatient ward that specialises in the care of neonates and children up to 16 years old.
- Interview Date 02 July 2025
- 37 Hours 30 Minutes/Week
- You will be redirected to Trac to apply for the vacancy. Please expand the job details section and read all of the information before applying for the vacancy.
NO AGENCIES PLEASE
Main duties of the job
Support children and young people whilst in hospital ensuring their needs are being met through either play or other diversional therapy.
Working within children with both learning difficulties and/or mobility disabilities.
Give support, teaching and guidance to parents/carers whilst on Ward 9 especially during stressful situations.
To encourage parents/carers to actively participate in caring for and playing with their child whilst in hospital.
Work within a multi- disciplinary team to support babies and children.
Supporting children requiring General Anaesthetics and procedures.
Working for our organisation
Our staff oversee over 6,500 patient contacts every day, delivering high standards of healthcare from the following sites:
• Freeman Hospital
• Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI)
• Health Innovation Neighbourhood (on the former Newcastle General Hospital and Centre for Ageing and Vitality site)
• Newcastle Dental Hospital
• Newcastle Fertility Centre
• Northern Centre for Cancer Care, North Cumbria
• Northern Genetics Service
• Cramlington Manor Walks
These include a range of flagship services which deliver cutting-edge care (supported by state-of-the-art diagnostic services in both radiology and pathology) and are a catalyst for innovation to support pioneering clinical practice in the NHS.
We also have offices at Regent Point in Gosforth and community sites.
Please see attached information on what Staff Benefits we have to offer at our Trust under ‘Documents to download’ or ‘Supporting documents’.
For further information on The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust please visit: Careers | Newcastle Hospitals | NHS | Newcastle Hospitals and Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Hospital Play Specialist
- The Hospital Play Specialist role will, under the accountability of the Ward Sister/Charge Nurse to offer normalising and specialised play for children and young people with complex healthcare needs and their families, considering age, stage of development, medical condition and background to promote emotional health and optimal development, this will include the effects of hospitalisation, ill health and treatments required.
- The Play Specialist is required to have knowledge and experience of developmental, emotional and social play for all age ranges and abilities of children in hospital.
- Inform, educate, support and advise other healthcare specialists, nursing staff, and families in the role of play.
- Use play to help and assist in alleviating anxieties, pain, or emotional trauma caused to the child, young person and their families, which can often occur in the unfamiliar hospital environment, aiding them to engage in hospital life, promoting their understanding of their healthcare needs, investigations and treatments.
- The post holder is expected to be a fully integrated member of the department team.
- Contribute to the maintenance, consistency and development of the play service throughout the Trust.
- Receive requests from relevant healthcare professionals and other HPS for a patient to be seen following a referral to a medical consultant and his team.
- To escort children and young people to theatre (where appropriate) in line with Trust policy, to aid and promote understanding and coping mechanisms.
Nursery Nurse
- To assist in therapeutic assessments and carry out play programmes for children and young people in hospital, according to their individual needs and as part of the overall care plan.
- To monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of play using reflective practice to achieve best outcomes.
Please note it is a requirement of The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust that all successful candidates who require a DBS for the post they have been offered pay for their DBS certificate. The method of payment is a salary deduction from your first month’s pay.
As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us and for our patients, and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement. If it works for the service, we will do our best to make it work for you.
Person specification
Health Play Specialist
Essential criteria
- Health Play Specialist (HPS) qualification at Diploma level, recognised by the Health Play Staff Education Trust (HPSET)
- Registered with HPSET.
- Evidence of on-going professional development.
- Able to work effectively as part of multi-disciplinary team, as well as on own initiative within scope of practice, with effective time management.
- Good communication skills
- Good interpersonal skills.
- Good organisational skills.
- Basic IT skills
Desirable criteria
- Previous experience in co-ordinating and providing a play service in a healthcare setting
- Experience of working with children and young people with complex health needs and disabilities
- Advanced IT skills
- Able to mentor HPS students and provide support to junior staff
Nursery Nurse
Essential criteria
- NVQ Level 3 in Childcare or equivalent (e.g. NNEB BTEC Nursery Nurse qualification)
- Ability to work effectively under direction or part of a team
- Ability to work independently
- Good interpersonal skills
- Good communication skills
- Good organisational skills
Desirable criteria
- Evidence of on-going professional development
- Previous work in health care setting
- Experience of caring in a personal or professional setting
- Able to manage time
- Basic IT skills
Applicant requirements
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
- Claire Hill
- Job title
- Ward Manager
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 01912826009
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