Band 5 - Chaplain, Chaplaincy

West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust; Watford; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 60,000

Job description

Job Summary

We are recruiting for a part-time Chaplain (15 hours per week). As a Chaplain within our NHS Trust, you will play an essential role in providing compassionate pastoral, religious and spiritual care to a diverse range of patients, relatives and/or carers, and our dedicated staff and volunteers.

This role offers you the opportunity to engage with individuals from all faiths, beliefs and none, ensuring everyone receives equal and inclusive care and support.

We encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and aim to have a team that represents the wider community that we serve. We champion equality, diversity, inclusion and aim to create an environment where everyone feels valued with a sense of belonging.

Building on your experience as a faith leader and Chaplain, are you enthusiastic and passionate about delivering good quality pastoral, spiritual and religious care to people in a busy hospital environment?

We seek a Chaplain to join the Trust's Chaplaincy team which provides pastoral, spiritual and religious care to patients, relatives/carers, visitors, staff, and volunteers, whatever their faith, beliefs, culture, or lifestyle.

You will have responsibility for meeting the spiritual, pastoral, religious care needs of all patients, relatives/carers, and staff irrespective of faith or belief.

Main duties of the job

You will visit various wards consistently to be accessible to patients, staff, and visitors in need of spiritual, religious, and pastoral support including End of Life care.

The post holder will ensure that the pastoral spiritual or religious needs of patients, their relatives or carers, staff, volunteers, and visitors are met compassionately and inclusively through their own ministry and/or that of the team (including volunteer chaplains).

Ensuring opportunities for prayers are readily available for patients and staff, catering to diverse spiritual practices.

You will be expected to sensitively identify the needs of individuals from all faiths and those with no faith and ensure everyone receives appropriate support. You will be expected to uphold chaplaincy standards and quality of care in line with the NHS Chaplaincy guidelines for NHS managers on pastoral, spiritual and religious care (published 2 August 2023), and standards of professional practice agreed by the Trust.

The post-holder will also, as part of the team, share in continuing development of chaplaincy in the Trust, as well as attending meetings relevant to role, fostering a collaborative approach to spiritual care, demonstrating flexibility and responsiveness to out-of-hours emergency calls and providing urgent pastoral, religious and spiritual care as required.

To advise staff, patients, and carers on spiritual and multicultural issues, especially but not uniquely those relating to own faith/belief community.

About Us

With a new hospital planned for Watford and work underway to update theatres at St Albans City Hospital, this is an exciting time to join us. We are building on the success of our award-winning virtual hospital and re-imagining models of care, working ever more closely with partners and making the most of advances in digital healthcare. Staff wellbeing and development are a priority at our Trust, as is the role of innovation in improving clinical care, outcomes and patient experience. Our vision is Excellent patient care, together and our values are to be empowered, compassionate, professional and inclusive. They capture an important balance across what we must all do as individuals and to support others. We offer a variety of flexible working options as we recognise the importance of a good work life balance.

Job Description

Job responsibilities

To provide holistic support by offering comprehensive, pastoral, religious, spiritual, and emotional support to patients, their relatives/ carers, staff, volunteers, respecting diverse spiritual and cultural backgrounds.

To communicate clearly and empathetically with patients, relatives, and staff always.

To use effective communication and inter-personal skills to provide and receive complex information in particularly sensitive circumstances, such as following the receipt of bad news where there may be barriers to understanding or acceptance.

To document chaplaincy records in accordance with information governance policies.

To positively cultivate and maintain good relationships with local faith and belief communities/spiritual groups to enhance the support network available to our service users.

To cooperate with staff at all levels of the Trust.

To offer relevant advice on all aspects of bereavement both before and after death in supporting patients, relatives, and staff.

Due to the nature of the work undertaken within this role which includes meeting the needs of patients, relatives and staff, there is an occupational requirement for the post holder to be in full fellowship with a faith or belief group and to be authorised and endorsed or a suitably qualified Clergy, or lay person.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Recognised theological qualification, authorisation/licence to minister from an accountable agency/organisation in the UK

Desirable

• Health Chaplaincy Certification or working towards certification.
• Counselling qualification

Knowledge

Essential

• Willingness and open to learn about a range of Religions and Beliefs.
• Understanding of, and commitment to, equality, diversity and inclusion.

Desirable

• Knowledge of NHS

Experience

Essential

• Experience of supporting people of any faith and no faith
• To have experience of pastoral ministry

Desirable

• Working in an NHS setting

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.

Employer details

Employer name: West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

Address: Cross Site, Watford, WD18 0HB

Employer's website: http://www.westhertshospitals.nhs.uk