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When the NHS was established in 1948, it was decided that the hospital
authorities should give special attention to provide for the spiritual
needs of both patients and staff. It was also deemed appropriate
that a hospital should have a chapel and that a chaplain should
be appointed to care for the patients and staff.
More about history of the chapel at
Addenbrooke's.
Why ‘chaplain’?
The word chaplain comes from the Latin word for a cloak and the
word grew out of the story of St Martin meeting a man without a
cloak, begging in the rain. If St Martin had met the man's need
by giving him his own cloak he would have shifted the problem to
himself. Instead he tore his own cloak in two and shared it, half
for the beggar and half for himself. It was, therefore, recognised
that a chaplain is someone who shares support with those in the
storms of life and offers some spiritual help and direction in those
difficult times.
As hospitals grew from hospices (places where travellers could find
hospitality, Christian love and medical care, on their journey),
so it is appropriate that hospitals have their own chaplains who
can continue within that tradition of offering care and support
to those in difficult times.
History:
When the NHS was first established, it was decided that the needs
of the whole person ought to be considered. This meant that if hospitals
were of a specific size then a chaplain was appointed to work in
the establishment so that the religious needs of patients were duly
catered for.
The close connection between the State and the Church of England
meant that all the posts went to Anglicans (i.e. Church of England
ministers), and it was assumed that the majority of patients would
be Anglican. The needs of the other denominations, particularly
the Free Churches, were recognised by the appointment of Free Church
chaplains.
A careful protocol was followed so that the respective chaplains
only visited their own 'followers'. This was also a reflection of
the strong denominationalism that was evident in the church community.
The 1990s saw a great shift in the culture of our society with the
upsurge of new age thinking and ideology. While this development
was viewed by some as a threat to traditional values, it can also
be seen as a clear desire by a large number of people to have their
real needs met in a relevant way. Many people's spiritual needs
were not being addressed within the church culture and, therefore,
they found expression elsewhere and significantly in the New Age
movement. This movement to a post-modern culture was paralleled
with changes in the NHS with the introduction of Trusts. One consequence
for chaplaincy was to see the increase in the number of Free Church
chaplains appointed by the Trusts and the creation of ecumenical
chaplaincies.
Whether this development was conscious and deliberate, or piecemeal
and based on the decision not to allow chaplaincy to be so restrictive,
is hard to know. The consequence is that where it has been allowed
to develop, it has been considerable. It has provided the way forward
for a dynamic development of service as the priority of the need
of the patient has been placed at the top of the agenda.
Nowadays:
The demands of hospital life are particular and immediate. The issues
of life and death are constantly on the agenda. The needs of people,
both patients and relatives, are intense and wide ranging. The need
for individuals to feel cared for and experience some sense of compassion
and understanding of their particular situation is continual. Whether
those people have a particular faith system or cultural background
does not always determine whether they will ask for help. It is
often the case that those with little predisposition for religion
will ask for help from the chaplaincy because they feel some need
that may be met from that quarter.
People are looking for someone who will sympathetically engage with
them and respond compassionately to them as people. The need for
spiritual care is awakened and the experience of encountering someone
who can tune into their wavelength is important if that level of
need is to be met.
It is a basic care for the person and a respect for the individual
that is fundamental to our work. This basic ideology places chaplains
in the vanguard of pastoral care and it is vital that the practice
of chaplains matches their conviction. If chaplains are committed
to affirming basic values of care compassion and respect, then this
must find its expression in each member of the team adhering to
that viewpoint, and placing their own preferences to one side for
the sake of the patient or their relative.
You can find out more about the Chaplaincy today here
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