Band 3 Play Assistant-Paediatrics

Job summary

UHB Where a passion and a career come together

Do you have experience of working with children and young people and are you keen to make a difference to their health and wellbeing using play and supportive interaction?

Play is an important part of child development; the hospital play assistant will support children to learn and express their thoughts and emotions through play and provide activities that help keep children motivated in often challenging circumstances. It is important to maintain a level of normality to ensure children do not miss out on essential play and development experiences whilst in hospital, by incorporating play into the daily routine we can help reduce stress levels which in turn speeds up the recovery process.

As a play assistant, you will provide fun, therapeutic, play opportunities for infants, children and young people, these activities will be tailored to meet the individualised needs of each child. You will need to demonstrate professionalism, effective communication skills, compassion, and the ability to build trust and maintain confidentiality.

The play team provide a seven-day service, morning to evening, across Heartlands & Good Hope Hospital.

Our core vision for children and young people's services, builds on the UHB Vision and Strategy to build healthier lives, ensuring the services we provide gives children and families the best start in life and transition to adulthood.

Main duties, tasks & skills required

Children and young people aged 0-16 years who access our services have a variety of healthcare requirements,

acute illness, chronic illness, children who have vulnerabilities, learning disabilities, safeguarding requirements and mental health needs. Meeting the holistic, individualised needs of all the children is an essential part of a play assistant role.

You must be able to communicate effectively and confidently with children, young people and their families whilst demonstrating empathy and compassion.

You must have knowledge and understanding of children's safeguarding issues and recognise when to report concerns relating to child protection issues to the nurse in charge.

You will work alongside other play team members ensuring children at UHB have access to play support and resources. You will arrange play activities and provide entertainment for the children. Improving resources and facilities to ensure the environment is child friendly and promotes a playful, interactive experience.

The paediatric play assistant has a vital role within the clinical multi-disciplinary team, to provide high quality care that meets the physical, psychological, emotional and social needs of the children and families we care for.

The play assistant is responsible for maintaining a safe play environment, adhering to infection control procedures, maintaining the quality of toys and play equipment to ensure children and families can play safely within the hospital.

About us

We are recognised as one of the leading NHS Foundation Trusts in the UK. Our vision is to Build Healthier Lives, and we recognise that we need incredible staff to do this.

Our commitment to our staff is to create the best place for them to work, and we are dedicated to:

Investing in the health and wellbeing of our staff, including a commitment of offering flexible working where we can;
Offer our staff a wide variety of training and development opportunities, to support their personal and career development objectives.

UHB is committed to ensuring that our staff are treated fairly and feel that they belong, by creating a kind and inclusive environment. This is about equity of opportunity; removing all barriers, including discrimination and ensuring each individual member of staff reach their true potential, achieve their ambitions and thrive in their work. This is more than words. We are taking action. Our commitment to an inclusive culture is embedded at all levels of the organisation where every voice is heard, driven by our diverse and active staff networks, and at Board level by the Fairness Taskforce led by our CEO. We nurture a culture which empowers staff to challenge discriminatory behaviours and to enable people to bring their 'whole self' to a kinder, more connected and bold place to work.

University Hospitals Birmingham is a Smoke-Free premises hospital.

Job description

Please note for a specific detailed job description for this vacancy please see attached job description. 

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential

* NVQ level 3 in Childcare or Equivalent

* GCSE or equivalent to Level 2 Functional Skills Maths & English

Experience

Essential

* Knowledge and understanding of