Hospital Chaplain- Christian | Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust

Calderdale & Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust; Calderdale; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A regional healthcare trust is seeking a hospital chaplain to offer pastoral care and support to patients, families, and staff. The role involves conducting religious services, coordinating support for special events, and collaborating with a multidisciplinary team. Candidates should possess a relevant theological background and have skills in communication and crisis negotiation. This role is integral to maintaining spiritual care quality within the healthcare setting.

Qualifications

• Must provide specialist pastoral, spiritual, and religious care.
• Commitment to professional and spiritual growth required.
• Experience in offering support in challenging situations.

Responsibilities

• Provide pastoral, spiritual, and religious advice for patients and staff.
• Conduct religious services and coordinate events.
• Support the Lead Chaplain in daily operations.

Skills

Skilled communicator

Professional chaplaincy identity

Ability to negotiate in sensitive situations

Knowledge of major faith traditions

Education

Relevant theological background or equivalent

Job description

Overview

To be a member of the multi-faith hospital chaplaincy team offering pastoral, spiritual and religious care to all patients, visitors and staff. To provide specialist and pastoral, spiritual and religious advice and care for Christian patients, families and staff. Maintain, participate in and develop pastoral, spiritual and religious care in the Trust through providing support, training and facilitation of reflective practice, including ethical considerations for all staff under the guidance of the Lead Chaplain. To assist with the supervision and direction of chaplaincy support for all, including recruitment, training, and support of chaplaincy volunteers.

Responsibilities

• Provide specialist pastoral, spiritual and religious advice and care for patients, families and staff within Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust.
• Have a professional chaplaincy identity rooted in one’s own religious/spiritual/pastoral heritage that integrates professional values and behaviours, skills and specialist knowledge.
• Be a skilled communicator and able to establish and maintain relationships, often in challenging and sensitive situations.
• Be able to negotiate and work within highly complex and sensitive situations and to provide or advise on the spiritual care that is required.
• Be able to make specialised independent judgements regarding spiritual care, dependent upon the situation.
• Have a commitment to one’s own professional and spiritual growth and development.
• Provide pastoral advice and support to staff of all disciplines and grades, both in professional and personal matters, and participate in initiatives to promote good quality spiritual and religious care.
• Develop and maintain skills and knowledge necessary to provide person-centred, evidence-based chaplaincy care to both healthcare staff as well as patients and their families.

CHFT context

CHFT is an integrated Trust of 6,500+ colleagues providing hospital and community services to patients and communities across Calderdale and Kirklees. We are rated as ‘Good’ by the Care Quality Commission, are a top performing Trust for Elective Recovery, Emergency and Cancer Care and widely acknowledged as a national digital lead in caring for people across our local and regional systems. Our people are at the core of everything we do, hence our commitment to One Culture of Care. We seek an inclusive, collaborative, creative, innovative and compassionate leader to join us in this role.

Responsibilities: Conducting religious services

• To ensure Trust is aware of relevant religious festivals and events and coordinate and/or establish support for any special events under the guidance of the Lead Chaplain.
• Arrange and conduct services of public worship and facilitate gatherings for meditation, prayer or reflection in the Trust’s hospitals.
• Ensure that the Chapel and Prayer Rooms in the Trust's Hospitals are suitably maintained and furnished.
• Arrange and conduct Contract Funerals (miscarriages, stillbirths, neonatal deaths and adults) as required.
• Provide or enable appropriate rites and rituals, particularly with regard to death and the dying, the seriously ill and birth rites, as required and as consistent with the post holder’s authorised scope of practice.

Teaching

• Participate in the training of students/staff/volunteers.
• Recruit, train and prepare chaplaincy volunteers for their role, including End-of-Life Companions.
• Undertake own relevant statutory and mandatory training using the Trust’s e-learning package.
• Demonstrate a commitment to research-based practice and clinical excellence in chaplaincy.
• Produce written material and provide publicity for the Chaplaincy and Trust as required.
• Disseminate information concerning healthcare to local Christian communities, promoting inclusion and reducing health inequalities.

Working as a chaplain and member of the Multi-disciplinary team

• Participate in the on-call duty rota, providing out of hours cover for weekends and public holidays for patients of all faiths, traditions and none.
• Support the Lead Chaplain in the day-to-day running of the Chaplaincy and deputise in their absence if required.
• Have knowledge of the major faith traditions and respond appropriately in identifying support for patients, families and staff as required.
• Contribute to developing a sustainable chaplaincy service across the Trust, aligned with the Trust’s strategic direction and values.
• Attend monthly chaplaincy team meetings and other required meetings.
• Plan and prioritise own workload in response to patient, staff and visitor needs.
• Respond to Major Incidents on behalf of the Chaplaincy Team, as required under the guidance of the Lead Chaplain.
• Maintain adequate Electronic Patient Records with confidentiality; contribute to audit and research within spiritual care practice.
• Contribute to the implementation of the Chaplaincy Team’s aims and objectives; support an inclusive approach to developing and delivering chaplaincy services.
• Liaise with other healthcare staff so that spiritual assessment and care form part of the continuum of care; attend multidisciplinary and department meetings as necessary.

This job description is an outline and may be amended following consultation with the post holder.