Play Therapist | Barts Health NHS Trust

The post holder will be responsible for providing play opportunities that are appropriate for the child's age and developmental stage, as well as offering support to the hospitalized child and their family. They will work alongside a qualified Health Play specialist. Throughout this job description, the term "child" refers to individuals between the ages of 0-18 years, encompassing a wide range of developmental abilities and, at times, complex and challengingbehaviours.

This job opportunity is based in a busy paediatric Emergency Department (ED) within the main hospital. The role involves working autonomously with the support of A&E medical staff and the play team on the children's ward'.

To use theoretical knowledge and evidence-based practice to assess, plan, implement and evaluate therapeutic play programmes within the ward/departments, contributing towards the holistic care of children. To promote an awareness of the emotional needs of children in hospital, and the importance of play within the multi-disciplinary team.

Barts Health is one of the largest NHS trusts in the country, and one of Britain's leading healthcare providers.

The Barts Health group of NHS hospitals is entering an exciting new era on our improvement journey to becoming an outstanding organisation with a world-class clinical reputation. Having lifted ourselves out of special measures, we now have the impetus and breathing space to chart a fresh course in which we are continually striving to improve all our services for patients.

Our vision is to be a high-performing group of NHS hospitals, renowned for excellence and innovation, and providing safe and compassionate care to our patients in east London and beyond. That means being a provider of excellent patient safety, known for delivering consistently high standards of harm-free care and always caring for patients in the right place at the right time. It also means being an outstanding place to work, in which our WeCare values and behaviours are visible to all and guide us in how we work together.

We strive to live by our WeCare values and are committed to promoting inclusion, where every staff member has a sense of belonging. We value our differences and fully advocate, cultivate and support an inclusive working environment.

We are dedicated to being an outstanding place to work and will work with you to get the best experience. We know flexible working is not a one size fits all and will mean something different to everyone. We are inclusive, so if you are interested in flexible working, please speak to the recruiting manager.