Play Specialist Team

The Role of the Hospital Play Specialist within the Multi-Disciplinary Team

The team of Hospital Play Specialists (HPS) work in partnership with the multidisciplinary team to minimise any negative effects of hospitalisation on the individual child and his/her family.

For some children this may be their first experience of hospital, whilst others may have had recurrent admissions.  However, a common experience of all children is the anxiety of being away from familiar surroundings and in some cases separation from the primary carer, compounded by pain and illness.

In an environment of strange sights, sounds and smells the child's need for normality is even greater for a hospitalised child. Play can promote a sense of security and enhance recovery.

The HPS complements the clinical care of the child by ensuring the emotional needs are addressed thereby contributing to a holistic approach to carer treatment.

How is Play used in a Paediatric Setting?

Normal Play
Children communicate through play and can use it to tell the health care team about their feelings and concerns.  The opportunity to use play as a medium for communication is vital for healthy social and emotional development.  Play enables the child to continue to develop socially, physically, intellectually and emotionally.

Play can help the child regain skills lost through illness or hospitalisation and aid further development.

Preparation for Procedures
The HPS uses various methods of directive and non-directive play to prepare the child and family for medical and surgical interventions. Honest explanations are given about the procedure but will, of course, depend on the child's cognitive level and past experiences of hospital.

The HPS enables the child to find appropriate coping strategies such as guided imagery and relaxation techniques. This acknowledges the child's fear of pain whilst empowering him/her to take some control of the situation.

Our experience shows that children who have been sensitively prepared for procedures are more co-operative during the event and cope better with further investigations and treatment. Play preparation can reinforce information already given.

If doctors and nurses request our assistance prior to a procedure being c arried out on a child we can work with the child and family to reduce fear, misunderstanding and increase co-operation which may transform the whole process into a positive life experience.

Individual Referrals
The HPS takes referrals from all members of the multi-disciplinary team. The most common cases for referral are needle phobia, hospital phobics, children with feeding/eating problems and children who are admitted on more than one occasion where no physiological cause can be found  for their complaints.

Play is a powerful medium and an effective tool which crosses all ages and cultural boundaries. Play specialists use this resource to provide therapeutic play programmes to meet the individual needs of the child and often their siblings.

Home Visits
It has long been recognised that in order to reduce psychological effects of
hospitalisation, the child should return to the security of his/her own environment as soon as possible.  Some children may require the intervention of the Paediatric Outreach Nursin g Team. In such cases HPS may carry out home visits to reduce developmental regression that can be associated with illness (for example children who are oxygen dependent in the home).

Play is a natural part of childhood whethe r in hosp ital or at home. Therefore all members of the multi-disciplinary team are encouraged to access the play service to ensure that we are truly providing a family centred philosophy of care.