Lead Chaplain

NHS; Oxford; On-site; GBP 53,000 - 61,000

Job description

Job Summary

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.

About Us

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 four hospitals - the John Radcliffe Hospital, Churchill Hospital and 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.

These values put patients at the heart of what we do and underpin the quality healthcare we would like for ourselves or a member of our family. Watch how we set out to deliver compassionate excellence via the OUH YouTube channel.

Date Posted: 24 March 2025

Pay Scheme: Agenda for Change

Band: Band 8a

Salary: £53,755 to £60,504 a year per annum pro rata

Contract: Permanent

Working Pattern: Full-time

Reference Number: 321-CORP-7067696-B8a-PUB

Job Locations:

John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, OX3 9DU

Job Description Responsibilities:

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.

Person Specification

Essential:

• Proven responsibility for professional leadership and operational management of a diverse group.

Desirable:

• Postgraduate qualification in Healthcare Chaplaincy or related subject such as Psychospiritual Care.

Essential:

• Relevant degree plus experience managing chaplaincy provision.
• Endorsed by an appropriate or recognised faith or belief organisation to operate in healthcare chaplaincy settings as set out in Job Description.

Desirable:

• Qualification (or working towards) in pastoral supervision, coaching, management, or leadership.
• Planning and delivering successful organisational change and/or service improvement.

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. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website.

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.

Employer Details:

Employer Name: Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Address: John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, OX3 9DU

Employer's Website: https://www.ouh.nhs.uk/