Trust RC Chaplain

Job overview

Luton and Dunstable Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Bedford Hospital have merged to form the Bedfordshire Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, and an exciting opportunity has arisen for a person-centred RC Priest to join the existing chaplaincy team as a RC Chaplain for L&D site.

The successful candidate will be an enthusiastic, caring, and reliable team player with demonstrable, extensive chaplaincy experience, and educated to university degree level. You will be fully accredited and authorized and in good standing with the Roman Catholic. You will have excellent communication skills and be able to work collaboratively with other colleagues in this ecumenical and multi-faith and belief team under the direction of the Head of Chaplaincy.

Main duties of the job

You will be part of a friendly, collaborative, supportive team of chaplains and chaplaincy volunteers who have a heart for providing high quality pastoral, spiritual, and religious care to patients, visitors, and staff of all faiths and beliefs, including those who do not consider themselves as religious. Alongside the Head of Chaplaincy you will provide mentoring, support, and supervision to our chaplaincy volunteers, as well as contributing to the development and delivery of education and training programs relating to pastoral, spiritual, and religious care across the Trust. You will have specialist knowledge of other faiths and cultures to work generically when necessary as well as experience of working with multi-discipline teams for palliative/end of life care and the Bereavement Team.

For further details / informal visits contact:

Revd Varkey Eappen, Head of Chaplaincy [email protected] / 01582718484

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The Chaplaincy Team is responsible for the spiritual, pastoral and religious care of patients, visitors and staff within the Luton and Dunstable Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, and has concern for those of all faith communities and none. The Chaplains are an integral and integrated part of all pastoral and bereavement care.

OBJECTIVES AND PURPOSE OF THE POST:

The Team Chaplain shares with the Lead Chaplain and the Chaplaincy Team in the delivery and development of the Chaplaincy Service within the Luton and Dunstable University Hospital Trust and facilitating spiritual care to patients, visitors and staff of all faiths or none. The post holder will be the Chaplain with primary responsibility for developing and enhancing the Chaplaincy’s End of Life care and support.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Delivering the Chaplaincy Service

• Working with the Lead Chaplain to deliver and develop the Chaplaincy service as we explore new ways of working within the new trust to be created by the merger of the L&D and Bedford Hospital.
• With the Lead Chaplain, and chaplaincy and other colleagues to develop a vision for the chaplaincy services collaboratively and in line with the Trust’s strategic direction.
• To work in an ecumenical and inter faith Chaplaincy Team, respecting and valuing difference and diversity.
• Working with a unified and common purpose approach and respecting diversity in Faith
• To be involved in the training, supervision and support of chaplaincy volunteers which includes upskilling the team and other colleagues in understanding and knowledge of areas of the Muslim Faith where needed
• To work within the NHS Chaplaincy Guidance and any other relevant policy or guidance from the DoH and NHS and Chaplaincy bodies.
• To be participate in an on-call rota to offer advice and support out of hours when required.
• To be a part of the Chaplaincy response within the Trust’s major incident plans and response.
• To meet the requirements for registration with the UK Board of Health Care Chaplaincy and liaise with other Health Care Chaplains for appropriate support and training.
• To abide by the current edition of the Code of Conduct for Health Care Chaplains.

• To participate in and attend appropriate working groups and meetings as agreed with the Lead Chaplain

Pastoral and spiritual care.

• To share in the provision of pastoral, spiritual and religious care for patients, staff, volunteers, students and visitors of all faiths and none.
• To have knowledge and skills in religious and cultural issues and keep guidance on these issues up to date.
• With the Lead Chaplain to ensure provision of worship spaces and worship resources and opportunities for worship for patients, visitors and staff.
• To have particular responsibility for the spiritual, pastoral and religious care of End of Life patients in the L&D. In consultation with the Lead Chaplain and Team develop other areas of specific responsibility.

Working relationships

• To develop and foster good working relationships with chaplaincy colleagues and colleagues throughout the hospital
• The chaplains should maintain close links with all those involved in the emergency services, critical care units, maternity services and providers of post mortem services.
• To act as a chaplain to the organization, networking with governors, the executive and the unions as required.
• To work collaboratively with staff from other professional groups
• To be aware of changes within the NHS and to support staff through those changes and available as an advisor on ethical or moral issues

Training and Education

• To participate in the planning and delivery of education and training programmes for the chaplaincy team and trust staff and others.
• To be open to topics for research and be alert for opportunities to collaborate with other staff, locally and more widely, to include spiritual care dimensions in other research projects.
• To read journals and search websites to identify new opportunities for development.

Administration

• To keep the chaplaincy offices and worship spaces suitably and appropriately maintained.
• To keep rotas and contact lists up to date
• To develop information leaflets and e-resources for staff, patients and relatives.
• To design and produce service sheets and posters for particular events.

Maternity and NICU

The chaplains work with the maternity and neonatal teams to provide continuity of care for parents with non viable foetus deaths, still births and neo natal deaths. This includes religious rites when appropriate, discussions with parents before and/or after the delivery, advice on funeral arrangements and on-going care where needed including an annual remembrance service. The chaplain will liaise with the Bereavement Midwife and lead services for those parents who wish to have a Hospital funeral and will be available to take private burials when requested.

1.1. PERSONAL TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT

• To identify training needs and the ways to meet them in order to produce and pursue a personal development plan.

• To investigate possible topics for research
• To read journals and search websites to identify new opportunities for development.