The title Hospital Play Specialist was coined in the 1970’s to define to the role
of a group of staff who used play in
hospital. Play has a special function in the hospital environment. Although they lead playful activities and use play as therapeutic tool, hospital play specialists are neither play therapists nor play leaders. Working closely as part of the multi-disciplinary team, hospital play specialists;
During the last 40 years, the profession has earnt respect from the medical and nursing staff and is now recognised by government and professional bodies as an essential part of paediatric care. New hospitals are designed with playrooms in place and old ones are adapted to incorporate more play space.
Children’s hospitals in Britain have large Play Departments employing up to 40 hospital play specialists each. In general hospitals, small teams of play staff work in different areas of the hospital, such as out patients clinics, children’s units and adolescent wards.
In 2005, the NHS introduced a new salary structure under Agenda for Change.
Hospital play specialists have a set of national profiles which recommend the
banding for play staff. These are as follows:
Play Assistants and newly qualified play specialists-Band 4
Qualified and experienced play specialists-Band 5
Team leaders/professional leads- Band 6
Play service managers/clinical specialists in play- Band 7
Please see Agenda for Change
More information about the role of the HPS can be found within our
Code of Professional Conduct.