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In a modern hospital, chaplains work alongside patients, staff
and their relatives across the whole hospital community and for
a variety of reasons.
We hope the following information will answer some of the questions
you might have about chaplaincy within an acute hospital such
as Addenbrooke’s.
Role of chaplains today
The basic role of the chaplain is to be involved with others in
the provision of holistic care to the hospital community.
'Holistic care' is concerned with the whole person and includes
not only a person’s physical health but also their social,
emotional and spiritual health or well being.
Chaplains are pastoral practitioners who seek to build a relationship
of trust through compassionate presence and thereby offer help
and support to a diversity of people. Such support might focus
on the emotional or spiritual adjustment to illness or a search
for meaning and purpose during difficult times. Help in crisis
situations, including family/relational issues as well as bereavement
care, are regular areas of chaplaincy involvement.
Chaplains work alongside other health care professionals collectively
and collaboratively to provide psycho-social-spiritual services
for patients and families.
The chaplain's specialty is to possess a particular understanding
of the relation between faith, illness, and the emotional and
mental conflicts that arise. A chaplain seeks to motivate and
initiate meaningful use of each individual's beliefs and attitudes
in the management of their problems.
The chaplain's role is supportive, serving as a counsellor and
guide to the psycho-spiritual needs of the staff and patients.
The chaplain's ministry to the patients is a prime responsibility.
Often, the chaplain will come into contact with the patient's
family and be able to respond to their needs as required.
Hospital Staff form another major area of pastoral responsibility
for the chaplain. The chaplain can make an effective contribution
to the hospital's total pastoral care by working alongside the
various members of the team. The chaplain makes and receives direct
referrals, consults in confidence with staff members concerning
patients, and provides meaningful patient-staff care.
Key areas of focus:
1. Patient focus
Chaplains seek to:
• Develop an integrated pastoral care ministry of support,
guidance, nurture and encouragement.
• Provide information on faith traditions and access to
resources and rituals.
• Assist patients to cope with the psychological, social
and spiritual aspects of their diseases and problems.
• Help identify spiritual and religious 'filters'.
• Offer counselling services related to problems/issues
that patients might share with a professional religious worker
eg fear of death, guilt, and forgiveness.
• Act as a facilitator between patients and hospital staff,
or family and patient, or family and staff, as required.
• Serve as a religious resource person for the patient.
• Serve as a representative of the religious community to
the institution.
• Invite clients to express feelings and explore the meaning
of their experience e.g. about an illness or other life stress.
• Work with family and friends for their own healing and
support of their loved one.
• Explore spiritual resources for rehabilitation, healing
and growth.
2. Staff Focus
Chaplains seek to:
• Work with staff to support clients.
• Provide pastoral care services to the staff of the hospital.
• Establish a training function for those staff interested
in personal development in the area of psycho-social-spiritual
concerns.
• Facilitate groups of staff for team building and debriefing.
• Participate in case conferences regarding patients and/or
problem issues.
• Help other professionals identify and attend to their
own needs and issues, by providing staff support and valuing their
particular contribution.
• Serve as an intermediary or resource person in some of
the complex situations of healthcare.
• Serve as a resource for those addressing the complex ethical
issues involved in making healthcare decisions.
3. Church and Community Relations
Chaplains seek to:
• Assist the local churches to develop programmes of chaplaincy
support.
• Develop a group of lay people to assist the chaplaincy
team provide holistic patient care.
• Enlist and maintain a volunteer's programme.
4. Co-ordinate the hospital's religious activities
Chaplains seek to:
• Support various religious staff groups.
• Co-ordinate outside use of religious resources in the
hospital.
• Control the distribution of religious materials within
the hospital.
5. Pastoral services
Chaplains seek to:
• Create and maintain a pastoral care services department.
• Engage in appropriate research to strengthen the pastoral
services department.
• Maintain appropriate professional relationships with the
hospital administration.
Ecumenical chaplaincy
For the vast majority of people who find themselves in hospital
the denomination of the chaplain is not important. What is needed
is that the person is someone who provides relevant spiritual
and pastoral care to the person in need at the time. It is this
recognition that is important and is what unites Christian believers
at the time of need, rather that the details of church personship
that too often cloud the agenda and do not allow the real needs
of the person at this time to be addressed and met.
More about Ecumenical
chaplaincy for Catholic patients
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