Chaplain / Spiritual Practitioner

Job responsibilities

Main Duties and Responsibilities

Provide direct spiritual care to patients and family members and, as appropriate, to the wider community of TH.

Provide pastoral support to those with any faith or no faith, including patients, their family members, staff and volunteers.

Provide direction and advice on the provision of spiritual care as an integral part of the multidisciplinary team.

Provide informed ethical, spiritual and pastoral resources.

Participate in the setting, monitoring and reviewing of individual patient care plans to ensure patients spiritual needs have been assessed.

To capture and present on data collection informing service delivery.

To facilitate the provision of appropriate rites, rituals, and religious/ spiritual expression reflecting the faith groups represented by patients, carers, staff and volunteers in response to specific need.

Take part in and develop education and/ or induction for staff and volunteers where appropriate and time permitting.

Develop and maintain relationships with faith leaders of all faiths within the areas conducive to the work and developments of the Hospice as an integral part of the local community Liaise with other hospice spiritual care coordinators/chaplains within the regional network.

Maintain the Hospice multifaith room.

Take personal responsibility for maintaining and demonstrating awareness of developments and good practice in the provision of spiritual care nationally, considering the impact of this locally within the Hospice movement in particular and health/social care in general.

Participate in appropriate education, learning and development as required by the Hospice. Maintain the appropriate knowledge and skill levels to meet accepted National Standards (NICE/ CQC guidelines).

Support and play an active role in the organisational development of the Hospice, including supporting the Fundraising Team in identifying opportunities to promote initiatives.

Other Criteria

Essential

• Flexible approach to
• working patterns

Desirable

• Experience of leading
• a team and/ or
• leading a team of
• volunteers
• Willingness to work
• alongside trainees

Experience

Essential

• Ability to use art,
• poetry, symbolic
• language, narrative,
• mindfulness or/and
• ritual, to aid self expression within a
• safe working
• relationship
• Evidence of
• continuing
• professional
• development
• Experience of working
• within a multi
• professional team

Desirable

• Evidence of
• understanding the
• principles of data
• collection/ audit
• Experience of working
• in a specialist palliative
• care service or health
• care setting
• Experience of
• teaching and
• presenting

Skills/Abilities

Essential

• Ability to use initiative
• and plan own work
• Excellent verbal and
• written communication
• skills
• Excellent listening
• skills
• Ability to establish and
• nurture key
• relationships within the
• organisation
• Ability to see things
• from another persons
• perspective
• Good team working
• skills and commitment
• to working
• collaboratively within a
• multi
• -disciplinary team
• Good planning and
• organisational skills
• Possesses emotional
• intelligence, especially
• with regards to
• working alongside the
• diverse frameworks of
• others (diverse faiths,
• spiritualties and
• secular philosophies)

Qualifications

Essential

• To be or work towards becoming a member of the UK Board of Healthcare Chaplaincy (UKBHC)
• Ability to develop and maintain relationships with faith leaders of all faiths
• Possess a mature faith, spirituality or personal philosophy which gives you a sense of meaning and direction

Desirable

• Pastoral Care, Theological, Psychospiritual, Psychosocial qualification to Degree level
• Teaching qualification
• Counselling and/ or specific pastoral care qualification
• Be a registered and
• accredited counsellor
• or psychotherapist
• (BACP/UKCP)
• Or be a registered
• professional (e.g.,
• social worker, nurse,
• allied health
• professional)
• To be a member of
• Association of
• Hospice and Palliative
• Care Chaplains
• (AHPCC) or be willing
• to join

Knowledge

Essential

• Knowledge of care
• giving
• Has an empathy and
• understanding of
• issues encountered by
• patients with palliative
• care needs

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.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).