Lead Chaplain

Band 5 Nurse and Band 2 Healthcare Support Worker recruitment is centralised, meaning when you apply you will be considered for a number of roles across the Trust. If you have any questions please email: nursing.careers@ouh.nhs.uk.

Main area: Chaplaincy Grade NHS AfC: Band 8a Contract Permanent: 1 in 3 on call Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week (Additional on call during evenings and weekends.) Job ref 321-CORP-7067696-B8a-PUB

Site: John Radcliffe Hospital Town Oxford Salary £53,755 - £60,504 per annum pro rata Salary period Yearly Closing 02/04/2025 23:59

Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is one of the largest NHS teaching trusts in the country. It provides a wide range of general and specialist clinical services and is a base for medical education, training and research.

The Trust comprises of four hospitals - the John Radcliffe Hospital, Churchill Hospital, Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre in Headington and the Horton General Hospital in Banbury.

Our values, standards and behaviours define the quality of clinical care we offer and the professional relationships we make with our patients, colleagues and the wider community. We call this Delivering Compassionate Excellence and its focus is on our values of compassion, respect, learning, delivery, improvement and excellence.

Job overview

The post holder is responsible for leading the delivery of Chaplaincy and associated services across all sites. They will also be responsible for developing a Trust Policy on Spiritual Care. The post holder will manage departmental budget, offices, staff, volunteers and the chaplaincy services based at all Trust Hospital and Hospice sites.

The post holder will ensure appropriate teams are in place to deliver both planned and 24/7 emergency support to patients and relatives.

Main duties of the job

1. Communication: The postholder is responsible for complex communication, both across the Trust when developing communication on difficult or sensitive matters, but also in direct patient care situations where sensitivity is essential and emotions are extreme (e.g. surrounding traumatic death or child loss). External communication is also required with faith communities and with media (in liaison with the communications team).
2. Knowledge training and experience: As lead for the service, there is an expectation that the postholder will have experience both of leading a team and delivering chaplaincy care across a range of settings.
3. Analysis and judgement required: The post holder will be expected to demonstrate an ability to make very difficult judgements on complex issues and determine a course of action for themselves, their team or indeed the organisation as a whole.
4. Broad strategic longer-term planning: The post holder is central to planning delivery of chaplaincy care (in its broadest sense) across all sites, including MDT working models, work with faith and belief communities and working agreements with other trusts/hospice provision.

Person specification

• Proven responsibility for professional leadership and operational management of a diverse group.
• Postgraduate qualification in Healthcare Chaplaincy or related subject such as Psychospiritual Care.
• Endorsed by an appropriate or recognised faith or belief organisation to operate in healthcare chaplaincy settings as set out in Job Description.
• Qualification (or working towards) in pastoral supervision, coaching, management, or leadership.
• Planning and delivering successful organisational change and/or service improvement.

COVID-19: The COVID-19 vaccination remains the best way to protect yourself, your family, your colleagues and of course our patients from the virus when working in our healthcare settings. Whilst COVID-19 vaccination is not a condition of employment, we do encourage our staff to get vaccinated.

Next Steps: Please make sure that you read the job description and person specification, and that your supporting statement reflects this as your application will be judged against these criteria. Candidates selected for interview will be contacted after the short-listing process, usually within 2 weeks.

No unsolicited recruitment agency telephone calls or emails.