About this role
Job summary
As a Band 6 Chaplain, you will be part of the Chaplaincy and Spiritual Care Team, providing compassionate, person-centred spiritual, pastoral, religious, and emotional support to patients, relatives, carers, volunteers, and staff. Working within a multidisciplinary environment, you will contribute to the delivery of holistic care, ensuring that the spiritual and pastoral needs of people from all faiths, beliefs, and none are recognised and supported.You will provide timely chaplaincy support across a range of clinical areas, including acute wards, critical care, emergency departments, end-of-life care settings, and outpatient services. The role involves supporting individuals during times of illness, crisis, loss, bereavement, and major life transitions, while promoting dignity, inclusion, and wellbeing.The post holder will work collaboratively with healthcare professionals, faith community representatives, and external organisations to ensure high-quality spiritual care is delivered in accordance with Trust values and professional chaplaincy standards. You will also contribute to staff wellbeing initiatives, education and training programmes, service development, and quality improvement activities.
Main duties of the job
Provide spiritual, pastoral, and religious care to patients, families, carers, and staff.Support people of all faiths, beliefs, and none in a respectful and inclusive manner.Respond to urgent referrals, including end-of-life situations, critical illness, and bereavement.Facilitate prayer, worship, sacraments, blessings, and religious observances as appropriate.Support families during periods of distress, uncertainty, and grief.Work as an active member of multidisciplinary teams.Provide pastoral support and wellbeing interventions for staff.Contribute to safeguarding, dignity, equality, diversity, and inclusion initiatives.Maintain accurate records and comply with Trust policies and professional guidelines.Participate in the on-call chaplaincy rota where required.Support service development, audits, training, and quality improvement projects.
About us
Outstanding reputation as one of the UK's leading NHS Foundation Trusts, known for excellence in patient care, education, research, and innovation.Commitment to staff wellbeing, with one of the most comprehensive health and wellbeing programmes in the NHS, supported by Guy's & St Thomas' Charity.Excellent training and development opportunities, enabling staff to learn, progress, and grow throughout their careers.Inclusive and diverse workforce, with a strong commitment to equality, accessibility, and ensuring every member of staff feels valued.Health and wellbeing support, including occupational health services, physiotherapy, wellbeing initiatives, fitness facilities, and staff support programmesNHS pension scheme and generous annual leave entitlement, alongside a range of family-friendly policies.Flexible working opportunities, supporting work-life balance where service needs allow. [swlstg.nhs.uk]The opportunity to work within a Trust that values the contribution of chaplaincy and holistic care as part of supporting patients, families, and staff from diverse faiths and beliefs.
Job description Job responsibilities
To provide high-quality spiritual, pastoral, religious, and emotional care to patients, relatives, carers, volunteers, and staff of all faiths, beliefs, and none. The Chaplain contributes to holistic patient care, supporting wellbeing, dignity, compassion, and person-centred care within the healthcare environment.
Spiritual and Pastoral Care
Provide spiritual, religious, and pastoral support to patients and those important to them, irrespective of faith, belief, culture, or background.Offer compassionate listening and emotional support during times of illness, crisis, distress, loss, and bereavement.Respond promptly to urgent referrals, including end-of-life situations, critical care admissions, trauma incidents, and safeguarding concerns.Facilitate opportunities for reflection, hope, meaning, and resilience during periods of uncertainty and anxiety.Support patients in exploring spiritual and existential concerns arising from illness, treatment, disability, or life-changing diagnoses.
Religious Care
Provide faith-specific support, prayer, sacramental ministry, blessings, and religious rites as appropriate.Liaise with local faith leaders and community faith representatives to ensure patients can access support according to their beliefs and traditions.Facilitate worship services, religious observances, and faith celebrations within the hospital.Ensure patients' religious and cultural needs are recognised and respected within their care plans.Support staff in understanding the religious and cultural needs of patients.
Support to Families and Carers
Provide support to relatives and carers during periods of critical illness, uncertainty, and bereavement.Accompany families through difficult conversations and significant clinical events.Offer practical guidance and advocacy where appropriate.Support families following unexpected deaths, stillbirths, neonatal losses, and major incidents.Assist with arrangements relating to spiritual care, funerals, memorial services, and remembrance events.
End-of-Life and Bereavement Care
Provide specialist spiritual care and support to patients approaching the end of life and those close to them.Participate in end-of-life care planning and multidisciplinary discussions where appropriate.Facilitate religious rituals, prayers, blessings, and sacraments at the end of life.Support families during and after a patient's death.Contribute to bereavement services and memorial events.
Staff Support and Wellbeing
Provide confidential pastoral support to staff experiencing stress, moral distress, burnout, grief, or personal difficulties.Contribute to staff wellbeing initiatives and resilience programmes.Offer reflective practice sessions, Schwartz Rounds, and opportunities for staff reflection.Support staff following traumatic incidents, patient deaths, complaints, or major organisational events.
Multidisciplinary Working
Work collaboratively with healthcare professionals across all clinical areas.Participate in ward rounds, multidisciplinary team meetings, safeguarding discussions, and ethics consultations as required.Advocate for patients' spiritual and religious needs within care planning.Contribute to the development of holistic, patient-centred services.
Ethical and Values-Based Support
Support patients, families, and staff facing ethical dilemmas and complex decision-making.Assist with discussions relating to treatment choices, advance care planning, organ donation, and end-of-life decisions.Promote dignity, respect, compassion, and inclusion in all aspects of care.
Education and Training
Deliver teaching and training on spiritual care, cultural competence, bereavement support, and religious awareness.Support the induction and development of healthcare staff regarding spiritual care provision.Supervise chaplaincy volunteers, students, and trainees where appropriate.Contribute to service development, quality improvement projects, and audits.
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
Promote an inclusive chaplaincy service that serves people of all faiths, beliefs, and none.Foster positive relationships with diverse faith and belief communities.Ensure care is delivered in a culturally sensitive and non-discriminatory manner.
Governance and Professional Practice
Maintain accurate records in line with Trust policies and professional standards.Adhere to safeguarding, confidentiality, infection prevention, and information governance requirements.Participate in clinical supervision, continuing professional development, and appraisal processes.Contribute to audit, research, service evaluation, and quality improvement initiatives.
Key Skills and Attributes
Excellent communication and active listening skills.Empathy, compassion, and emotional resilience.Ability to work with people of all faiths and none.Experience supporting individuals facing illness, loss, trauma, and bereavement.Ability to work independently and within multidisciplinary teams.Strong organisational and time-management skills.Commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion.Understanding of healthcare ethics and patient-centred care.
Person Specification
Qualifications Essential
Bachelor's Degree or religious equivalent work Ordained Anglican minister in good standing. Comprehensive knowledge of faith & belief systems to work in multi-faith context
Desirable
Experience in delivering pastoral, spiritual and religious care in healthcare setting
Other Essential
Experience of supervising volunteers Evidence of ability to manage time prioritising workload
Desirable
Demonstrate compassion and empathy Demonstrates flexibility and adaptability in responding to service needs.
Knowlege & Skills Essential
Theological knowledge on ethical issues related to healthcare IT skills
Desirable
Demonstrate compassion and empathy
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.
Certificate of Sponsorship Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Employer details Employer name Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust
Address Guy's and St Thomas'
London
SE1 7EH
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.guysandstthomas.nhs.uk/careers/careers.aspx (Opens in a new tab)