Job summary
To provide strategic leadership and operational management of the Chaplaincy and Spiritual Care Service across the Trust, ensuring high-quality, inclusive pastoral, spiritual, and religious care for patients, families, carers, and staff, in line with NHS England Chaplaincy Guidelines (2023) and UKBHC standards
Main duties of the job
About us
At East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust (ELHT), we care for over 600,000 people across five hospital sites and community services. Our vision is to provide safe, personal, and effective care every time. We are proud of our inclusive culture and commitment to staff wellbeing and development.
We are seeking an experienced and compassionate Head of Chaplaincy & Spiritual Care Services to lead and develop our multi-faith chaplaincy team. This is a senior leadership role responsible for ensuring high-quality, inclusive spiritual, religious, and pastoral care for patients, families, and staff across the Trust.
You will:
- Provide strategic leadership and operational management of the Chaplaincy & Spiritual Care Service.
- Ensure compliance with NHS England Chaplaincy Guidelines and UKBHC standards.
- Deliver staff wellbeing initiatives, including reflective practice and critical incident support.
- Build strong partnerships with local faith and belief communities.
- Lead service development, workforce planning, and governance reporting.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Job description
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Educated to degree level (or equivalent) in a relevant subject (eg counselling, pastoral care, psychology, psychotherapy, religious studies or theology).
- Masters level degree or recent evidence of working towards this with agreement to complete a masters with demonstrable outcomes of learning relevant to healthcare chaplaincy that includes systematic study in any of the following fields: counselling, pastoral care, psychology, psychotherapy, religious studies or theology).
- Counselling qualification and professional registration
- Leadership qualification or equivalent experience
- Teaching/mentoring qualification or equivalent experience
Desirable
- Evidence of ongoing continuous professional development
- Eligible to be authorised by appropriate faith or belief group to practice as a healthcare chaplain
- Registered or eligible to hold registration to hold of the UKBHC
Experience
Essential
- Experience of undertaking teaching/training
- Evidence of leading new initiatives in the field of pastoral, spiritual and religious care
- Significant experience in chaplaincy in a setting involving extensive support to people with complex health needs
- Experience of providing spiritual care within a secular setting to people of any or no faith.
- Demonstrate experience of pastoral skills to meet the needs of patients, carers and staff.
- Experience of leadership in a team context
- Working in close co-operation with others of differing professional backgrounds
- Using counselling skills in pastoral care
- Offering appropriate liturgical or ritual support to people with a variety of beliefs in non-faith settings
- Experience of working in a multi-faith/belief context
- Able to evidence managing diverse colleagues and volunteers
Knowledge and skills
Essential
- Key management skills
- Highly effective communication skills
- Analytical and decision making skills
- Excellent verbal, written and presentation skills
- Ability to lead and coordinate research and audit activity
- Ability to prioritise a wide range of strategic and operational issues on a daily basis
- Able to interpret need and respond appropriately.
Personal
Essential
- Able to work in accordance with Trust Values and Behaviours.
- Committed to continual quality and service improvement.
- Self-aware and committed to continual professional and personal development. Able to accept and respond positively to feedback from supervision.
- Committed to promoting a positive image of people with mental health conditions and learning disabilities.
- Committed to promoting a positive image of the Chaplaincy & Spiritual Care Service, the Directorate and the wider Trust.
- Enthusiastic for the post with a firm belief in the efficacy of Chaplaincy within an acute setting
- Able to work as part of a Team
- Highly motivated and enthusiastic
- Flexible and adaptable
- Takes responsibility of own professional development
Other
Essential
- Able to comply with ELHT policy and procedures
- Ability to work appropriate hours to meet the needs of the service
- Hold a driving licence/ ability to travel independently in accordance with Trust policies and service need
- In good standing with a faith or belief community affiliated to the Network for Pastoral, Spiritual and Religious Care in Health, and eligible to be duly accredited by a recognised authority within it.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Educated to degree level (or equivalent) in a relevant subject (eg counselling, pastoral care, psychology, psychotherapy, religious studies or theology).
- Masters level degree or recent evidence of working towards this with agreement to complete a masters with demonstrable outcomes of learning relevant to healthcare chaplaincy that includes systematic study in any of the following fields: counselling, pastoral care, psychology, psychotherapy, religious studies or theology).
- Counselling qualification and professional registration
- Leadership qualification or equivalent experience
- Teaching/mentoring qualification or equivalent experience
Desirable
- Evidence of ongoing continuous professional development
- Eligible to be authorised by appropriate faith or belief group to practice as a healthcare chaplain
- Registered or eligible to hold registration to hold of the UKBHC
Experience
Essential
- Experience of undertaking teaching/training
- Evidence of leading new initiatives in the field of pastoral, spiritual and religious care
- Significant experience in chaplaincy in a setting involving extensive support to people with complex health needs
- Experience of providing spiritual care within a secular setting to people of any or no faith.
- Demonstrate experience of pastoral skills to meet the needs of patients, carers and staff.
- Experience of leadership in a team context
- Working in close co-operation with others of differing professional backgrounds
- Using counselling skills in pastoral care
- Offering appropriate liturgical or ritual support to people with a variety of beliefs in non-faith settings
- Experience of working in a multi-faith/belief context
- Able to evidence managing diverse colleagues and volunteers
Knowledge and skills
Essential
- Key management skills
- Highly effective communication skills
- Analytical and decision making skills
- Excellent verbal, written and presentation skills
- Ability to lead and coordinate research and audit activity
- Ability to prioritise a wide range of strategic and operational issues on a daily basis
- Able to interpret need and respond appropriately.
Personal
Essential
- Able to work in accordance with Trust Values and Behaviours.
- Committed to continual quality and service improvement.
- Self-aware and committed to continual professional and personal development. Able to accept and respond positively to feedback from supervision.
- Committed to promoting a positive image of people with mental health conditions and learning disabilities.
- Committed to promoting a positive image of the Chaplaincy & Spiritual Care Service, the Directorate and the wider Trust.
- Enthusiastic for the post with a firm belief in the efficacy of Chaplaincy within an acute setting
- Able to work as part of a Team
- Highly motivated and enthusiastic
- Flexible and adaptable
- Takes responsibility of own professional development
Other
Essential
- Able to comply with ELHT policy and procedures
- Ability to work appropriate hours to meet the needs of the service
- Hold a driving licence/ ability to travel independently in accordance with Trust policies and service need
- In good standing with a faith or belief community affiliated to the Network for Pastoral, Spiritual and Religious Care in Health, and eligible to be duly accredited by a recognised authority within it.
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.
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).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Additional information
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.
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).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
