Gamer In Residence: Sponsorship Available

Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust

Job Summary

An exciting opportunity has been created for a Gamer in Residence to join our expanding play team. This is a brand new role aimed to work prominently with the adolescent population minimising trauma through gaming and being our in house gaming expert. This role will allow you to utilise your passion for gaming into improving patient care in the hospital resulting in better patient outcomes. As the gaming expert you will lead in teaching gaming techniques for our play team. You will be the link person between the GOSH play team and our GOSH charity gaming colleagues plus external gaming charities.

 

Main duties of the job

  • To devise gaming programmes for children and young people in hospital, according to their individual needs and as part of the overall care plan.
  • Where appropriate, to support and involve parents in their child or young person’s gaming sessions.
  • To empathise with and facilitate emotional support to families during times of stress or crisis.
  • To assist in the creation of a welcoming, caring, and safe play environment for children, young people and their families.
  • To establish effective communication, both verbal and written, with all members of the multi-disciplinary team.
  • To provide play-based observations to influence and support the overall assessment of the child.
  • To ensure that up to date written records and activity data are maintained in accordance with Trust standards.
  • To contribute to the development of protocols, standards, guidelines, and competencies for the department.
  • Identify current challenges and seek to overcome these through partnerships, funding or resources.
  • Provide a safe environment for children, young people, staff and volunteers to game together.
  • Manage and expand the gaming inventory.

Person Specification

Academic/Professional qualification/Training

Essential

  • Basic Secondary Education up to 5 GCSEs at grades A-C/ 9-4 or beyond, including English and Maths

Desirable

  • Relevant qualification to the role within technology, gaming, healthcare, education, play, youth work and/or any other subject area which correlates to gaming with sick children in an acute hospital setting.

GOSH Culture and Values

Essential

  • Our Always values

Experience/Knowledge

Essential

  • Experience of social media and content creating
  • Gaming Experience and an in-depth knowledge of gaming on a broad range of games and platforms
  • Proficient with gaming technology, devices and general technical skills
  • Experience of working in an environment with children and/or young people/ young adults
  • Knowledge of current best practice and guidelines of gaming for children and young people
  • Experience of working and co-ordinating services within a large team
  • Basic understanding of confidentiality

Desirable

  • Theoretical knowledge and understanding of therapeutic play and child development
  • Theoretical knowledge and understanding of therapeutic play and child development
  • Knowledge of the value of play for sick children
  • Knowledge of effects of hospitalization on children, young people and their families
  • Basic knowledge of the principles of information governance
  • Experience of working in a paediatric hospital/ healthcare

Skills/Abilities

Essential

  • Ability to work with and provide activities to individual and groups of children/adolescents
  • Excellent interpersonal skills
  • Ability to build strong trusting relationships with children, young people and their families
  • Ability to be adaptable and dynamic in an ever-changing workplace
  • Ability to reflect and adhere to profession boundaries of the role, understanding when to escalate issues
  • Ability to be flexible, and proactive to provide an inclusive service and overcome challenges
  • To be committed to an open culture, speaking up about issues faced and working within the team to find solutions
  • Ability to reflect and critically appraise own performance
  • To co-create the service with input from the children and young people and to change and diversify when required to suit the needs of the patients
  • Health, safety, and risk awareness
  • IT Skills

Desirable

  • Documentation skills
  • Presentation Skills

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

Closing Date: 01 December 2025

To apply for this job please visit apps.trac.jobs.