About this role
Job summary
Our dedicated Spiritual and Pastoral Care Team is seeking chaplains to join us in enhancing and developing the pastoral, spiritual, and religious care services we provide. This is an exciting opportunity to contribute meaningfully to a supportive and diverse environment. We work in a variety of contexts covering all age groups including mental-health inpatient units, general (community) hospitals, and community mental-health teams.
We welcome applications from people of all faiths and belief backgrounds who hold the appropriate qualifications. We are actively looking to foster inclusivity and broaden the diversity of our team.
All applications will be considered based only on the essential and desirable criteria listed in the Person Specification attached. In collaboration with our existing chaplains, you will provide spiritual and pastoral support to patients, carers and staff from various backgrounds, delivering religious care as applicable to your own faith or belief tradition.
We offer flexible part-time or full-time positions, with negotiable working hours to suit your schedule. The primary base for this role will be the Littlemore Mental Health Centre in Oxford but with additional travel required across the Trust including Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and further afield.
If you are a compassionate, qualified professional eager to make a difference and be part of an inspiring team, we would love to hear from you!
Main duties of the job
The primary duty of the chaplain is to offer spiritual and pastoral care to inpatients, community service users, families, carers and Trust staff in coordination with the rest of the Spiritual and Pastoral Care team. Chaplains are expected to assess spiritual, pastoral and religious needs and either to offer religious care where appropriate or to make onward referrals to ensure these needs are provided for.
Please refer to the job description attached for a comprehensive list of duties
About us
Oxford Health is a great place to work and to be able to showcase the best of yourself when making an application you are encouraged to read the "candidate guide to making an application" which is attached to all roles. Please include details around qualifications (including years these were gained particularly if we need to assess for clinical roles that these are still valid) and ensure that the supporting statement is tailored to the role you are applying for and addresses the essential criteria found in the JD.
As a Trust we provide physical, mental health and social care for people of all ages across Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Swindon, Wiltshire, Bath and North East Somerset. Our services are delivered at community bases, hospitals, clinics and people's homes, delivering care as close to home as possible.Our vision is that no matter who you are or where you are, you will tell us that you receive: "Outstanding care delivered by an outstanding team"
Our values are:"Caring, safe and excellent"
At Oxford Health we offer a wide range of benefits designed to support your career and wellbeing. These include:
Excellent opportunities for career progression Individual and Trust wide learning and development 27 days annual leave, plus bank holidays, rising to 33 days with continuous service NHS Discount Pension scheme Lease car scheme Employee Assistance Programme Mental Health First Aiders Staff accommodation (waiting lists may apply) Staff networking and support groups
Job description Job responsibilities
Specific duties and responsibilities include:
Visit inpatient units and community service users as required to provide spiritual, pastoral and emotional support and make provision for appropriate religious support where required Support staff wellbeing and be available to staff for spiritual, pastoral and religious support where appropriate Establish good working relationships with clinical and other staff including community mental health teams Assess spiritual and religious needs where appropriate and communicate with the multi-disciplinary team as part of a holistic care plan Assist in the provision, maintenance and care of spiritual and religious resources including multi-faith spaces, prayer rooms and sanctuaries Lead spiritual and/or religious rituals or practices as appropriate or arrange for these to be provided Contribute towards chaplaincy service innovation and development Encourage an interest in spiritual and pastoral care among other health professionals and assist in the provision of training Encourage an interest in mental health and wellbeing among faith and belief communities Contribute to the implementation of spiritual, pastoral and religious care by service managers as an integral aspect of standard service delivery and support the development and dissemination of an integrated and holistic model of patient care that is inclusive of psychospiritual care Promote spirituality as a quality of organisational life through personal integrity in attitude and behaviour Serve as a resource to the Trust on spiritual, ethical and religious matters and provide guidance in areas of specialist knowledge Actively challenge societal stigma and social exclusion in promoting mental and emotional wellbeing for all people and communities Proactively undertake professional, personal and spiritual development Ensure that the health and welfare of patients is at the centre of all Trust activities Promote quality of care and safety of patients, visitors and staff and strive for continuous quality improvement Appropriately document encounters and support provided in Trust systems Preserve appropriate confidentiality regarding patients, families, carers and staff
Please refer to the job description and guidance notes attached for further information on this role
Person Specification
Knowledge Essential
Awareness of NHS guidance and standards for chaplaincy Knowledge of / engagement with other faith/belief traditions Expert knowledge of own faith/belief position
Desirable
Knowledge of NHS and healthcare environments
Qualifications Essential
Bachelor's degree including (or in addition to) study in a relevant field (pastoral care, theology, religion, counselling, psychotherapy) Endorsement to practise from recognised faith/belief group or equivalent
Desirable
Postgraduate qualification in a relevant field Registered with Council for Professional Chaplains and Pastoral Carers (formerly UKBHC) Other qualification (complete or in process) in supervision, coaching or leadership Other qualification (complete or in process) in mental health, psychology or psychotherapy/counselling Evidence of consistent CPD
Experience Essential
Offering spiritual and pastoral care Offering care beyond own faith/belief boundaries with evidence of commitment to an inclusive approach to chaplaincy
Desirable
Professionally supervised clinical practice as a healthcare chaplain Supervising volunteers or pastoral assistants Working with excluded and marginalised people and those who have suffered from discrimination and prejudice Working with mental ill health
Knowledge Essential
Demonstrable detailed knowledge of own faith/belief position Knowledge of and engagement with other faith/belief traditions
Desirable
Knowledge of current research in spiritual, pastoral and religious care in healthcare
Skills Essential
Lead ritual or other spiritual or religious practices or processes in a way that is sensitive to the pastoral context and faith/belief needs of those present Apply theoretical knowledge of ethical issues relating to healthcare Capacity to reflect critically on the practice and experience of providing pastoral care and to find or search for meaning through exploration of spiritual issues Capacity to work in emotionally, spiritually and psychologically demanding and distressing contexts Work collaboratively in a multi-faith and multi-disciplinary context Analyse and articulate complexity in written records of pastoral encounters
Desirable
Ability to lead reflective practice Ability to deliver training at a variety of levels Ability to act as an informed theological/philosophical and ethical resource in complex pastoral and clinical situations
Disclosure and Barring Service Check This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Employer details Employer name Oxford Health NHS Trust
Address Littlemore Mental Health Centre
Oxford
OX4 4XN
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.oxfordhealth.nhs.uk (Opens in a new tab)