The Development of Healthcare Chaplaincy

Abstract

Healthcare chaplaincy is going through a period of considerable challenge amidst current financial austerity within public sector provision. However, such cutbacks have sharpened the need for chaplains not only to show that their practice enhances the wellbeing of service users, their carers, staff and organisations but that their contribution is unique and value for the tax payers' money. This article seeks to enable readers to understand more fully the different roles healthcare chaplain play as an increasingly integrated aspect of healthcare provision. It also describes the need for chaplains to be proficient in the language of healthcare culture as well as pastoral theology and why reflective practice is key to person-centred spiritual care.

Spirituality across Disciplines: Research and Practice:

“…Spirituality is frequently identified in the literature as featuring connectedness with the Self, 1 with Other, 2 with creation and with mystery/transcendence de Souza 2006;Ellis and Lloyd-Williams 2012;Fletcher 2016;Kelly 2012a;Liu and Robertson 2011; Sheldrake 2007). Spirituality, as connectedness, can be represented on a continuum ranging from secular spirituality through to religious spirituality (Murray et al 2004).…”

“…Practice informed by spirituality refrains from taking a position of problem solving, but rather it listens with the heart (Fletcher 2016;Kelly 2012a), where the beliefs of the professional are put aside in dual respect to allow the beliefs of the Other to be the focus (Hodge 2005). Spiritual care is not an expert coming to solve a problem because this present circumstance "needs to be lived through" (Kelly 2012b), and the patient is the expert on their life, not the professional (Macleod 2013;Pesut 2003).…”

“…Spiritual care is about focussed discussion rather than formal assessment (Ellis and Lloyd-Williams 2012), and most commonly arises from an ordinary interaction between two humans where spiritual care is the professional interest of one (Pesut et al 2012). Care for the spirit is relational, allowing and enabling each person to be as they need to be at this time, rather than attempting to soften fury, calm distress, or provide answers to existential uncertainty (Kelly 2012a). For the patient who actively wants to explore beliefs, meanings, and connections, spiritual care is an expression of companionship that 18 Spiritual Screening in Community-Based Palliative Care by the.…”

“…These aspects are the foundation of spiritual care which involve the offering of sacred space where big questions can be contemplated (Kelly 2012a). The literature indicates the basic competencies of spiritual care that are expected of the multidisciplinary team:…”

Should emergency nurses attempt to meet patients’ spiritual needs?

“…Many UK trusts are discussing whether hospital chaplains should be retained (Tanner 2014), even though their services have been described as beneficial and irreplaceable (Kelly 2012).…”