Play Assistant | Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
| Posting date: | 17 February 2026 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | Not specified |
| Additional salary information: | £24,937 - £26,598 per annum pro rata |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 19 March 2026 |
| Location: | Swindon, SN3 6BB |
| Company: | The Great Western Hospitals NHS FT |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | 7786001/249-7786001 |
Summary
Play Assistant Band 3 (Subject to Job Evaluation)
The post holder will be one of a team of play specialists/assistants. You will work to ensure high quality play provision for patients and siblings. Prepare the child and family for treatments and procedures. Facilitate emotional support and help to establish coping strategies. The post will be predominantly in the children’s unit, but also you may be required in other areas of the hospital where children are cared for.
A Play Assistant’s main duties include implementing therapeutic and developmental play to help children cope with illness and hospitalisation, preparing them for medical procedures through age-appropriate explanations and play techniques, and supporting their emotional well-being by reducing anxiety and distress. They also work to maintain cognitive, social, and physical development during hospital stays, collaborate with families and healthcare teams to improve communication and involvement, and advocate for the child’s needs to ensure a positive, child-centered care experience.
Our STAR values – Service, Teamwork, Ambition and Respect – are a golden thread running through everything we do. These values serve as a guiding principle, driving us towards our vision of delivering great joined up services to our local community. Whether at home, in the community, or within the hospital, our goal is to empower individuals to lead independent and healthier lives.
Play Provision and Environment
1. Provide and maintain a safe, child‑friendly, welcoming environment that promotes play, normality, and routine during hospital admission.
2. Create, plan, and implement individual and group play programmes, adapting activities to accommodate the child’s medical needs, frequent interruptions, and any physical, environmental, or emotional limitations.
3. Ensure the playroom and bedside play spaces support the child’s well‑being, independence, and emotional security.
Assessment, Observation and Documentation
1. Assess each child’s developmental, emotional, and therapeutic play needs, adapting programmes accordingly.
2. Observe, evaluate, and document play sessions, contributing written play‑based observations to the child’s overall assessment in line with Trust and professional standards.
3. Identify anxieties related to treatment, procedures, or safeguarding concerns and report promptly to Play Specialists or relevant professionals.
Support for Children and Families
1. Provide emotional, practical, and therapeutic support for children and their families during periods of stress or uncertainty.
2. Play with and care for children when parents or carers are unable to be present.
3. Act as anadvocatefor the child and family, ensuring dignity, confidentiality, and sensitivity at all times.
4. Communicate effectively with children, young people, families, and staff using age‑appropriate, accessible language.
Teamwork and Multi‑Disciplinary Collaboration
1. Participate as an active member of the multi‑disciplinary healthcare team, sharing relevant information to support the child’s care.
2. Work in partnership with staff, students, and volunteers, offering guidance and modelling good practice in play.
3. Support patient‑experience activities
Equality, Rights and Safeguarding
1. Respect the values, cultural backgrounds, and religious beliefs of children and their families, ensuring inclusive and sensitive service delivery.
2. Uphold and promote theRights of the Child, as outlined by UNICEF.
3. Recognise safeguarding concerns and respond appropriately following Trust procedures.
Resources, Safety and Environment Management
1. Monitor play resources, identifying when equipment requires replacement or repair, and inform senior staff or the Play Service Coordinator.
2. Ensure all toys, equipment, and play areas are cleaned, checked, and maintained in compliance with Trust Health & Safety standards.
3. Support safe movement of children, including assisting with buggies or wheelchairs, to enable participation in play.
4. Assess and receive public toy donations, ensuring suitability and safety for the hospital environment.
Professional Development
1. Gain experience and broaden knowledge of the hospitalised child’s developmental, emotional, and therapeutic needs.
2. Reflect on personal practice through supervision and appraisal and maintain an up‑to‑date professional portfolio.
3. Attend training and courses to maintain current knowledge and best practice in healthcare play.
4. Participate in audits and contribute to service improvement initiatives.
This advert closes on Wednesday 18 Feb 2026
The post holder will be one of a team of play specialists/assistants. You will work to ensure high quality play provision for patients and siblings. Prepare the child and family for treatments and procedures. Facilitate emotional support and help to establish coping strategies. The post will be predominantly in the children’s unit, but also you may be required in other areas of the hospital where children are cared for.
A Play Assistant’s main duties include implementing therapeutic and developmental play to help children cope with illness and hospitalisation, preparing them for medical procedures through age-appropriate explanations and play techniques, and supporting their emotional well-being by reducing anxiety and distress. They also work to maintain cognitive, social, and physical development during hospital stays, collaborate with families and healthcare teams to improve communication and involvement, and advocate for the child’s needs to ensure a positive, child-centered care experience.
Our STAR values – Service, Teamwork, Ambition and Respect – are a golden thread running through everything we do. These values serve as a guiding principle, driving us towards our vision of delivering great joined up services to our local community. Whether at home, in the community, or within the hospital, our goal is to empower individuals to lead independent and healthier lives.
Play Provision and Environment
1. Provide and maintain a safe, child‑friendly, welcoming environment that promotes play, normality, and routine during hospital admission.
2. Create, plan, and implement individual and group play programmes, adapting activities to accommodate the child’s medical needs, frequent interruptions, and any physical, environmental, or emotional limitations.
3. Ensure the playroom and bedside play spaces support the child’s well‑being, independence, and emotional security.
Assessment, Observation and Documentation
1. Assess each child’s developmental, emotional, and therapeutic play needs, adapting programmes accordingly.
2. Observe, evaluate, and document play sessions, contributing written play‑based observations to the child’s overall assessment in line with Trust and professional standards.
3. Identify anxieties related to treatment, procedures, or safeguarding concerns and report promptly to Play Specialists or relevant professionals.
Support for Children and Families
1. Provide emotional, practical, and therapeutic support for children and their families during periods of stress or uncertainty.
2. Play with and care for children when parents or carers are unable to be present.
3. Act as anadvocatefor the child and family, ensuring dignity, confidentiality, and sensitivity at all times.
4. Communicate effectively with children, young people, families, and staff using age‑appropriate, accessible language.
Teamwork and Multi‑Disciplinary Collaboration
1. Participate as an active member of the multi‑disciplinary healthcare team, sharing relevant information to support the child’s care.
2. Work in partnership with staff, students, and volunteers, offering guidance and modelling good practice in play.
3. Support patient‑experience activities
Equality, Rights and Safeguarding
1. Respect the values, cultural backgrounds, and religious beliefs of children and their families, ensuring inclusive and sensitive service delivery.
2. Uphold and promote theRights of the Child, as outlined by UNICEF.
3. Recognise safeguarding concerns and respond appropriately following Trust procedures.
Resources, Safety and Environment Management
1. Monitor play resources, identifying when equipment requires replacement or repair, and inform senior staff or the Play Service Coordinator.
2. Ensure all toys, equipment, and play areas are cleaned, checked, and maintained in compliance with Trust Health & Safety standards.
3. Support safe movement of children, including assisting with buggies or wheelchairs, to enable participation in play.
4. Assess and receive public toy donations, ensuring suitability and safety for the hospital environment.
Professional Development
1. Gain experience and broaden knowledge of the hospitalised child’s developmental, emotional, and therapeutic needs.
2. Reflect on personal practice through supervision and appraisal and maintain an up‑to‑date professional portfolio.
3. Attend training and courses to maintain current knowledge and best practice in healthcare play.
4. Participate in audits and contribute to service improvement initiatives.
This advert closes on Wednesday 18 Feb 2026
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