About this role
Job summary
Nightingale House Hospice provides specialist palliative care, free of charge, for patients and families across Wrexham, Flintshire, East Denbighshire, Barmouth and the border towns, including Oswestry and Whitchurch. With only 20% of our £5.6m annual running costs funded by government, our staff and more than 400 volunteers play a vital role in serving the local community.
We are looking for an experienced Spiritual Care Coordinator to join our Family Support Team on a permanent basis. In this role, you will provide compassionate, inclusive spiritual care for patients, those close to them, staff and volunteers, while helping to embed spiritual support as an integral part of holistic palliative care.
Main duties of the job
Provide excellent spiritual care across the organisation for patients, those close to them, staff and volunteers in a variety of settings across the Nightingale House Hospice catchment area.
Work alongside the clinical multi-disciplinary team to support the delivery of high-quality, evidence-based holistic palliative care.
Help devise and implement strategies that develop Nightingale Houses spiritual support services within palliative care provision and contribute to the growth of the wider team.
Supervise and support Spiritual Care Volunteers to ensure a consistent standard of care across all hospice services.
Ensure spiritual care is offered as an integral, culturally sensitive part of holistic care, reflecting each patients beliefs, values or philosophy of life, as well as the needs of those close to them.
About us
In return Nightingale House offers:
A positive and friendly working environment.
The opportunity to make a real difference.
Excellent training and development opportunities for those that want them.
Generous holiday allowance that increases with length of service.
Staff lunch Menu with 50% discount.
Employee Assistance Programmes.
Retail Discount Scheme.
Live Events Discount Scheme
Staff Discount in Caffi Cwtch.
Refer a Friend Bonus Scheme
Birthday Voucher
Job description Job responsibilities
1. Provide expert spiritual support to patients and those close to them, staff and volunteers, in order to contribute to the delivery of a high standard of holistic palliative care.
2. Supervise and support Spiritual Care Volunteers, in order that a high a standard of spiritual care care is provided across all settings.
3. To assess, develop and implement pastoral and spiritual care to children, young people and adults including those close the them as they come to terms with their own particular situations.
4. Provide compassionate emotional, spiritual and pastoral support to families, carers and significant others before and after the death of a patient.
5. Offer individual bereavement support through active listening, emotional support, spiritual care and signposting to specialist services where appropriate.
6. Assess the spiritual, emotional and bereavement needs of patients and families, identifying those who may require additional support or referral to specialist counselling or mental health services.
7. Facilitate conversations around anticipatory grief, loss, end-of-life concerns, meaning, hope and coping strategies. Maintain contact with bereaved relatives in accordance with hospice policies, offering follow-up support and information regarding available bereavement services.
8. Be available, particularly around end-of-life situations, liaising with the clinical team to offer spiritual support to the dying person and those close to them.
9. Assist in the planning and delivery of remembrance services, memorial events and other opportunities for families and staff to commemorate those who have died. Support people of all faiths, beliefs and cultures, ensuring bereavement care is inclusive, sensitive and person-centred.
10. Work collaboratively with the multidisciplinary team to ensure holistic bereavement care is integrated into the patient's and family's care journey.
11. Provide guidance and support to staff experiencing grief following the death of patients, colleagues or personal losses.
12. Contribute to the development, evaluation and continuous improvement of bereavement support services within the organisation.
13. Maintain accurate and confidential records of bereavement interventions in line with organisational policies and professional standards.
14. Promote awareness of grief, loss and bereavement issues through education, training and support for staff and volunteers.
15. Liaise with the Patient Flow team to triage referrals to the service and ensure appropriate prioritisation and allocation of support.
16. Demonstrate and maintain close working relationships with Nightingale House multi-disciplinary teams, contributing to patient review meetings as required, in order that full information is available and considered.
17. Complete relevant electronic patient records ensuring compliance with GDPR and Hospice policy, in order that full and accurate information is held and appropriate confidentiality is maintained.
18. To work with colleagues to develop and expand their coping skills to enable them to work more effectively with families in crisis.
19. To support and/or facilitate debrief and supervision sessions for the multi-disciplinary team.
20. Contribute to the bereavement services provided by the Hospice which includes planning, facilitating and performing relevant rituals for the deceased and bereaved. And, and, where required, support bereavement support services offered by the organisation such as bereavement group drop in.
21. Assist with recruitment, induction and training of volunteers in the Chaplaincy provision to ensure the delivery of an effective service that meets the needs of patients and those close to them.
22. Cooperate with regular audit and evaluation of Nightingale Houses Chaplaincy provision to ensure continued effectiveness and improvement of services.
23. Responsible for Nightingale Houses spiritual care spaces to ensure the availability of spaces suitable for reflection and/or prayer for all.
24. Assist the organisation of Nightingale Houses remembrance events, offering a level of bereavement and emotional support during these events.
25. Review and advise on the updating of Nightingale houses spiritual care policies and guidelines, to ensure they are up to date with trends and developments in spiritual care in Hospices, the Alliance of Hospice and Palliative Care Chaplains (AHPCC)
26. Be a registered Chaplain with the UK Board of Healthcare Chaplaincy (UKBHC)
27. Maintain and develop collaborative relationships with local faith, belief and cultural communities.
28. Flexibility to promote and develop the Spiritual Care services to families, staff and the wider community.
Person Specification
Qualifications Essential
Appropriate Degree level qualification with further qualification(s) in Pastoral Theology or Healthcare Chaplaincy. Membership of the Association of Hospice and Palliative Care Chaplains. Evidence of CPD.
Desirable
A recognised Mindfulness qualification.
Experience Essential
Extensive experience of providing spiritual, pastoral and/or religious support in highly complex, emotional and distressing situations, e.g. trauma or similar. Significant experience of leading public and memorial events. Significant experience of taking a leading role in institutional spiritual care issues such as training, support, ethical discussions and policy review. Significant experience of leading and motivating volunteers to deliver safe and effective care and support.
Desirable
Experience of working in a hospice or health care setting. Experience of policy and/or standards development.
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.
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 Nightingale House Hospice
Address Chester Road
Wrexham
Clwyd
LL11 2SJ
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.nightingalehouse.co.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)