12 November 2022
IMPORTANT! Audit 2022
Registrants who have been selected for audit in 2022 should submit a Profile Form which includes data for Year 1 (2019-2020), Year 2 (2020-2021), and Year 3 (2021-2022).
All sections of the form should be completed for each year:
- Practice History
- Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
- Practice-related Feedback
- Reflections 1 and 2
- Manager Review
Where CPD opportunities have been compromised by the Covid-19 situation during Year 2, this should be stated under ‘Current Practice’ for the relevant year. If this is the case, the registrant should include as much information as is available but will not be penalised if the CPD activities for Year 2 do not add-up to 15 hours, or if there are fewer than 2 examples of Practice-related Feedback.
08 January 2021
COVID-19: HPS ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES
During this challenging and exceptional phase of COVID-19, Health Play Specialists may be asked or directed by their line manager, or a senior manager within the organisation, to undertake different roles and responsibilities.
If you are asked to work in a different department, or with a different patient group, you need to discuss and plan for this with your line manager. You need to ensure that you receive the necessary training to assume an extended or different role and should strive to the best of your ability to keep within the boundaries of the Code of Professional Conduct and Standards.
You also need to consider how the service you provide to children and young people will be affected by any change in your role and responsibilities and seek to mitigate as far as possible any detrimental consequences of the change. You will need reassurance that you will return to your core role at the earliest opportunity and that any change to your responsibilities is temporary.
Following phase 1 of the pandemic, we heard many stories of the positive impact made by HPS who were transferred to work in adult services. Some adult teams are now asking to have Health Play Specialists as core members of their teams and writing research articles in support of this.
During phase one of the Pandemic, HPSET assured all registered HPS that their registration status would not be compromised while covering other directed duties. We confirm that, for this acute phase of work only, HPSET will continue to support you to maintain your registration.
All Health Play specialists still need to re-register online by 31 March and should record on the profile form any temporary changes of role and responsibilities. Please contact registration@hpset.org.uk with any specific enquiries not covered by the above statement.
07 January 2021
IMPORTANT! Audit 2021
Registrants who have been selected for audit in 2021 should submit a Profile Form which includes data for both Year 1 (2019-2020) and Year 2 (2020-2021).
All sections of the form should be completed for each year:
- Practice History
- Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
- Practice-related Feedback
- Reflections 1 and 2
- Manager Review
Where CPD opportunities have been compromised by the Covid-19 situation, this should be stated under ‘Current Practice’. If this is the case, the registrant should include as much information as is available but will not be penalised if the CPD activities for Year 2 do not add-up to 15 hours, or if there are fewer than 2 examples of Practice-related Feedback.
03 December 2020
CPD Audit 2021 – Update
The Registration Standards Committee have allowed for some flexibility in the CPD requirements for the year 2020-2021 (See below). This is to accommodate practitioners who have been shielding/self-isolating/on sick leave and in recognition that training opportunities have been affected by COVID-19-restrictions.
However, registrants should not use this as an excuse to leave whole sections of the profile form empty, but should include as much information as possible.
If your personal circumstances mean that you have not engaged with any CPD during 2020-2021, or have not received any practice-related feedback, you need to explain this under ‘Current Practice’ in the relevant section of the form for Year 2.
07 July 2020
CPD Audit 2021
IMPORTANT!
The disruption and reorganisation of paediatric services during the Covid-19 emergency has affected training and CPD opportunities for all healthcare practitioners, including Health Play Specialists.
HPSET’s Registration Standards committee have therefore agreed an amendment to CPD profile requirements for the year 2020 – 2021.
Current Practice
Registrants should record if their HPS practice has been affected by the Covid-19 crisis, including whether they have been social isolating/shielding or re-deployed to a different work area.
CPD Activity Examples
The requirement for 15 hours CPD per year has been suspended for this year only.
Registrants should still enter data for any CPD activities carried out during the year, if this is available, but will not be penalised if these amount to fewer than 15 hours.
Practice-related Feedback
The requirement for 2 examples of Practice-related Feedback has been suspended for this year only.
Registrants should still enter data for any Feedback received, if it is available, but will not be penalised if this is unavailable.
Reflections
Registrants are still required to write two reflective accounts for the year 2020 – 2021 but these do not need to relate to a CPD activity or example of Practice-related Feedback if these are unavailable.
Alternatively, for this year only, the registrant may reflect on one or more of the following:
- an example of relevant reading or research
- mandatory training or other online course
- an example of a novel or unfamiliar clinical experience or initiative
- changes to working practice during the Covid-19 situation
Manager’s Review
If the line manager is unavailable to review/discuss the profile form, the registrant should still enter the manager’s details and give the reason why the review has not been possible.
All those due for audit in 2021, will receive an updated version of this information by email in September.
Please refer any further queries to the registration coordinator at registration@hpset.org.uk
12 June 2020
Covid-19 letter to students and mentors
Please find below a copy of the the letter sent to Students and Mentors on 12 June 2020 relating to the Foundation Degree in Healthcare Play Specialism.
Click to download Covid-19 Letter to students and mentors
12 May 2020
Florence Nightingale Tribute
HPSET and all registered health play specialist wish to acknowledge Florence Nightingale’s birthday and celebrate with our nursing colleagues.
Our nurses today, demonstrate their skills, knowledge, care, compassion and courage as we work together during the Covid 19 Pandemic.
Monday 6th April 2020
Please find below a copy of the the letter sent to Students on 06 April 2020 relating to the knock-on effects of COVID-19.
Click to download Letter sent to Students – 06 April 2020
Tuesday 31st March 2020
During this acute stage of the Coronavirus Pandemic in the UK, all healthcare services are experiencing challenging times as wards close to their core work, with an increase in the number of patients admitted to hospital with Corvid 19. Hospice and community service moving to different ways of working and working with different patients.
Health Play Specialist are part of close working teams. The scope of many roles are changing and the way we work will change for a period of time. As nursing and other staff numbers reduce due to illness and self -isolation it is important that we support the work of the team to care for patients and their families. Play is still important, many of your play opportunities and roles will be suspended as planned surgery and investigations and many other services are cancelled.
If you are asked or directed to change your role and the way you work, ensure that you are trained and understand the new ways of working. The changes will need to be in place for the duration of the Pandemic only, with a planned return to your core role as soon as possible. During this period of time there will be no impact on your registration.
Work closely with your employers policies and practices, each service will have their own emergency plans and will implement them as the virus affects services in your area, these plans have been in development for a long time, we used them during the Swine Flu a few years back and learnt many lessons on service delivery.
We will later in the year, when we have a greater understanding of the impact of the Coronavirus issue guidance for completing the audit profile for 2020/21. We will ensure that no registrant is disadvantaged as a result of their practice during this time and can maintain their registration.
We understand and support you as you are asked to work in different ways. Take care of yourselves by following your local infection control policies and practices, new ways of working may be introduced, look after each other and your families.
If you have any concerns or question I can be contacted on admin@hpset.org.uk.
Tina Clegg
Monday 23rd March 2020
HPSET is working with The University of West London and the Colleges to ensure that no student is disadvantaged as a result of the impact of Coronavirus. We are looking at solutions for loss of academic studies and practice hours. There are many different scenarios we need to take into consideration so that we have a fair and equitable solution whilst maintaining the integrity of the course and Public Register.
The challenges we all facing are complex and rapidly changing, keep yourselves and your families safe.
Friday 13th March 2020
A joint statement from NAHPS and HPSET
Tina Clegg and Penelope Hart-Spencer have met to represent both HPSET and NAHPS to discuss the impact of Covid-19 on the health play specialist profession.
We have been following the guidance from Public Health England https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/public-health-england and Royal College of Nursing https://www.rcn.org.uk/covid-19 and we advise you to read these pages.
As this is a rapidly changing situation, it is essential that you keep yourself informed of changing policy and decisions made, particularly by Public Heath England.
We advise you to work closely with your employer’s policies and practices.
As a result of the pandemic, NAHPS and HPSET have cancelled masterclasses, study days and conference until further notice.
All meetings for HPSET and NAHPS have been cancelled. During this time, we will continue to work on our plans for the merger of the charities and the PSA application, communicating via email and telephone.
Re-registration will not be affected as the deadline for annual submissions and profiles is the 31st March 2020.
We will provide updates on both websites when we have information, we can share with you.
Yours Sincerely
| Tina Clegg | Penelope Hart-Spencer |
| Chair of HPSET | Chair of NAHPS |
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