Hospital Play Specialist

Hospital Play Specialists (HPS) use purposeful therapeutic play to help children and young people in hospital settings manage their emotional responses to illness, medical procedures, and the stress of hospitalisation. You prepare children for procedures using age-appropriate explanation and procedural play (needle play, medical equipment familiarisation), provide normalising play activities during admissions, support children in coping with pain, fear, and separation from family, and contribute to clinical assessment by observing developmental and emotional responses through play.

HPS work on general paediatric wards, oncology units, outpatient departments, emergency paediatric units, CAMHS liaison, and specialist children's hospitals. You work as part of the multidisciplinary paediatric team, alongside paediatricians, nurses, child life specialists, play therapists, and CAMHS professionals. The National Association of Hospital Play Staff (NAHPS) is the professional body, and the Healthcare Play Specialist Education Trust (HPSET) oversees the qualification framework — the Foundation Degree in Healthcare Play Specialism or the Level 4 Diploma, both of which are required by NHS trusts for HPS roles. The role is not HCPC-regulated, but NAHPS registration and HPSET qualification create the professional standard.

Every NHS children's hospital and paediatric unit benefits from a Hospital Play Specialist service — the evidence base for therapeutic play in paediatric settings, including reduced procedural anxiety, improved medication adherence, and better developmental outcomes during hospitalisation, is well established. NHS CAMHS liaison services and child life programmes continue to develop, expanding the range of settings in which HPS work. The CQC inspection framework for children's services includes play and development provision as a quality indicator.

The HPSET qualification and NAHPS membership create a professional standard that differentiates qualified HPS from generic play or activity workers. The therapeutic, child-centred, and developmentally informed nature of the role cannot be replicated by volunteers or lower-qualified staff for children with acute medical and psychological needs.

Morning: arrive on the children's oncology ward — therapeutic play session with a seven-year-old having a lumbar puncture, using procedural play beforehand to familiarise him with the equipment and coaching breathing strategies during the procedure. Normalising play activities with four other children currently admitted. Afternoon: preparation session in the outpatient department for a group of children attending for blood tests — using roleplay and medical kit to reduce fear. Ward round attendance to contribute observations about a child's emotional state. Document in the clinical notes.