Spiritual Care Practitioner & Chaplain
Job Description
Job summary
At The Myton Hospices, we provide specialist care and support for people with life-limiting illnesses, and their loved ones, from the point of diagnosis to end of life. We are a much-loved and well supported charity, at the heart of our community. We have three hospices, a range of community services, and 25 charity shops in Coventry and Warwickshire.
Join our committed and welcoming team, delivering high-quality, compassionate and professional Spiritual, Pastoral and Religious Care.
We are seeking a Chaplain and Spiritual Care Practitioner with:
- Advanced communication and pastoral skills
- Compassion, self-awareness and emotional maturity
- Willingness to work and grow in a new developing team
- Ability to work at CBCBC (UKBHC) standards for healthcare chaplains
- The right to work in the UK (we cannot provide sponsorship)
Other roles you may have experience of might include: Pastoral Care; Ministry; Healthcare Chaplaincy.
This position is for 15 hours per week to be worked over a minimum of 2 days, to include Mondays in Warwick. Travel to Coventry and Rugby will also be required and you may be required to participate occasionally in our out-of-hours rota.
We will carry out an enhanced DBS check including the adults barred list because you will be providing holistic palliative care to adults. We will arrange and cover the cost of this check, if you are offered the role.
Main duties of the job
You will support patients, carers, staff and volunteers in their spiritual lives in the broadest sense. The focus is on understanding what matters most to people, especially when facing a life-altering illness, dying or death. You will be part of a multi-disciplinary team delivering holistic care.
As a Chaplain and Spiritual Care Practitioner, a typical day might include:
- Supporting patients and families with loss, anticipatory grief, existential concerns and bereavement
- Offering insight and support to colleagues
- Offering, facilitating or partnering in the delivery of spiritual care rites, rituals and practices
- Enabling the marking of appropriate key feasts, festivals and celebrations
We are committed to building an inclusive workplace and encourage everyone to bring their true selves to work. However you identify, and whatever background you bring with you, we welcome you to apply. If there are any adjustments that would help improve your experience with Myton, we encourage you to share this with us.
We particularly welcome applications from people with disabilities and from ethnic minorities, who are currently under-represented in our hospices. We also believe our interview process should be inclusive and transparent. If there is anything missing, or a way we can improve, please do let us know.
About us
Myton is an amazing place to work, where the role every person plays has a positive impact for our patients, living with terminal illnesses, and their families. In recognition of this, we offer a wide range of employee benefits, including:
- Increased employer pension contribution orkeep your NHS pension
- 28 days annual leave + bank holidays, increasing with long service
- Additional leave purchasing
- Winter savings scheme
- Discount schemes including Blue Light Card
- Death in service benefit
- Dedicated wellbeing team & mental health first aiders
- Colleague Support Service: confidential financial, legal & mental health support
- Cycle to work scheme
- Free on-site flu jabs
- Free feminine hygiene products
- 24/7 GP access
- Free eye tests
- #DoingOurBit online fitness and wellbeing platform
- Menopause support
We now share interview questions with all candidates in advance, to help reduce nerves and enable you to truly show your best abilities. You are also welcome to bring any notes with you to your interview, if you would find this helpful.
Job responsibilities
Role Purpose - Spiritual Care Practitioners (SCPs)/Chaplains form a team responsible for the delivery of the Spiritual, Pastoral and Religious care of patients, carers, volunteers and staff from a variety of backgrounds and traditions across The Myton Hospices.
As part of the multidisciplinary team, SCP/Chaplains provide specialist knowledge and expertise in matters relating to spiritual and cultural beliefs, experiences and practices, particularly pertaining to specialist palliative and end of life care provision as part of holistic care.
Location - SCPs/Chaplains will have a main link site and in addition there will be requirement to cover provision at any of our other sites and to participate in group and organisation meetings and training which may take place in Warwick, Coventry or Rugby or online. As we are a multi- site organisation some flexibility relating to place of work will be required. We reserve the right to change the work base of our employees to meet our business needs.
Myton Core Values - Our Core Values underpin everything we do and all employees are expected to comply with our values and reflect these in their day to day work.
Duties and Responsibilities
Spiritual, Pastoral and Religious Care
- Promote, educate and deliver broad, inclusive and deep spiritual care for patients, families, staff and volunteers.
- Work within a high quality team of practitioners, participating in training, reflective practice and team activity.
-Facilitate and deliver high quality spiritual support for people using the services of The Myton Hospices, as they come to terms with living with their own particular situations, supporting them as they find their sense of meaning and purpose. This will include inpatient and outpatient services.
- Undertake holistic person-centred assessment of individual pastoral and spiritual needs and support the exploration of issues of spirituality where required.
- Recognise diversity and promote inclusivity and equity across services for people of all religions and those with no specific religious beliefs.
- Operate under both policy and initiative regarding spiritual needs in crisis situations and assess individual needs, referring on to appropriate person / service or faith group as necessary.
- When required, facilitate or if appropriate conduct services within The Myton Hospices.
- Facilitate the delivery of services, prayers or rituals consistent with the faith or belief of the individual patient or family member.
- Participate fully in multidisciplinary meetings and contribute to discussions to ensure the individual pastoral, religious and spiritual needs of patients and families are identified and addressed as part of holistic care planning.
- Keep clear and accurate patient records in accordance with The Myton Hospices clinical record-keeping guidance. This will involve writing in patient notes on our electronic systems.
- Work with the multidisciplinary team in the provision of bereavement care, including offering advice and information to families about funerals / memorial services and other related issues and, if appropriately trained and qualified, to officiate funerals on occasion.
- Work alongside Spiritual Care Lead and the Fundraising and Marketing to support memorial and remembrance services.
- Support the provision of spiritual care out of hours when required.
- On occasion to represent Spiritual Care Service at relevant functions and events across the locality and to participate in wider education and learning opportunities.
- Keep up to date with national, regional and local developments in palliative and end of life spiritual care guidance and provision.
- Work closely with the Spiritual Care Service Lead and other members of the Spiritual Care Team, including volunteers, to ensure a safe, holistic and professional service is delivered.
- Undertake regular clinical or pastoral supervision by an appropriately trained person outside of the organisation.
- Maintain healthy connections to own spirituality in a way that is life-giving and job-sustaining (the detail of which would be worked out with the Spiritual Care Service Lead).
PWBS/Outpatients and community developments:
- Foster links with local organisations and community groups to promote the services of Myton Hospices and to ensure the best care for patients and families.
- Awareness and working appropriately with the local Compassionate Communities movement to implement initiatives, increase awareness, and offer training relevant to spiritual care services across Coventry and Warwickshire.
- Awareness of and possibly working with the No Barriers Here movement as developing at Myton Hospices under the Spiritual Care Lead.
Staff and Volunteer Support
- Participate in and deliver reflective practice sessions with staff and volunteer teams.
- Assess and respond to volunteers and staffs spiritual and pastoral needs (individual/collective).
- Be actively aware of issues, changes and ...
