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Job summary

Main area
Chaplaincy
Grade
Band 5
Contract
Permanent
Hours
Part time - 6.5 hours per week
Job ref
427-6715000-A
Employer
Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Royal United Hospital Bath
Town
Bath
Salary
£29,970 - £36,483 per annum, pro rata
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
04/12/2024 23:59

Employer heading

Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust logo

Assistant Chaplain (Roman Catholic)

Band 5

Job overview

This is an exciting post as a Team Chaplain at the RUH. The Spiritual Care Team aims to provide Religious and Spiritual Care and support to patients, their family, carers and Trust staff - engaging with people of all faiths and diverse spiritualities, without prejudice, fully embracing the principles of the Equality Act 2010.

You will be an excellent team player, committed to team working and the development of other people with an ability to work on your own initiative, whilst remaining accountable to others. You will have the ability to enable others from any faith and spirituality to address their Spiritual and Religious needs in a manner consistent with their own culture, background, values and beliefs. 

Main duties of the job

This role involves providing spiritual care across the Trust in clinical and non-clinical area to patients, carers, staff and volunteers.  It includes responding to referrals, but also a proactive presence throughout the Trust, particularly in palliative areas.  It is part of a 7-day a week on-site chaplaincy presence, with evening on-call from home urgent response service.  Working as a Team is key, both within the Spiritual Care, but also alongside staff colleagues across the Trust seeking to uphold the Trust values of everyone matters, working together and making a difference. 

Working for our organisation

At the RUH we put people at the heart of what we do, working together as one team to make a difference for our patients, each other, and our community. No matter what your role is, we value everyone’s contribution in supporting the exceptional, person-centred care we pride ourselves on.

We are proud to be  in the top 20 best hospitals to work for in the country. 

We are committed to creating a compassionate and inclusive environment. This can be seen in our growing community of staff networks – celebrating successes and creating opportunities to listen and learn. We value our differences, champion kindness and civility, and truly believe that diversity makes us stronger.

A culture of learning, developing and innovating is the thread that runs throughout our whole organisation. We want to support you to thrive, taking your career to its full potential.

We value staff wellbeing, with a well-established programme of support. We believe in a holistic approach spanning all aspects of living a healthy life, including physical, emotional, spiritual and financial wellbeing. We’ve even got a pool!

We are committed to supporting you and hope you want to join our team. In the meantime, find out more about living and working the beautiful historic city of Bath, learn about our extensive package of staff benefits, and read about how we’re providing healthcare fit for the future with the landmark Dyson Cancer Centre and our passion for research.

 

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please find attached to the vacancy a detailed person specification and job description for further information about this role.

Person specification

Qualifications & Training

Essential criteria
  • Bachelor’s Degree (or equivalent) with demonstrable outcomes of learning relevant to healthcare chaplaincy that includes systematic study in any of the following fields: counselling, pastoral care, psychology, psychotherapy, religious studies or theology.
  • Endorsement to practice as a healthcare chaplain by a Roman Catholic Diocese.
  • Evidence of commitment to continued learning.
Desirable criteria
  • Qualification (or working towards) with demonstrable outcomes of learning relevant to healthcare chaplaincy
  • Willingness to work towards registration with UKBHC

Knowledge & Experience

Essential criteria
  • Knowledge of the tenets and tradition of the Roman Catholic faith.
  • Experience of providing pastoral and/or spiritual Care
  • Use of ritual within pastoral care
  • Reflect on the experience of self and others
  • Knowledge of spiritual issue encountered in sickness, dying, death and bereavement
  • Manage time appropriately, prioritising workload.
Desirable criteria
  • An identity rooted in one’s own religious/spiritual/pastoral heritage that integrates professional values and behaviours, skills and specialist knowledge.
  • Awareness of, and engagement with, faith/belief traditions beyond your own.
  • Specialist knowledge of NHS guidance and directives on delivering Spiritual Care within the NHS.

Values

Essential criteria
  • Values and respects others, treats everyone as an individual, is non-judgemental
  • Motivated to be genuinely kind and caring
  • Helps and co-operates with colleagues
  • Pro-active and takes responsibility
  • Willing to learn, open to change
  • Motivated to make a difference in whatever way they can
  • Takes pride in themselves, their appearance, their role and where they work.

Specific Skills

Essential criteria
  • Work collaboratively, contribute to team and sustain positive working relationships with colleagues.
  • Commitment to working collaboratively in a multifaith/belief context.
  • Establish and sustain relationships demonstrating empathy and compassion in pastoral settings, developing good communication with a range of people about difficult, challenging distressing or sensitive matters in equally difficult or distressing situations.
  • Fluent and effective communicator in speech and writing.
  • Recognise and maintain boundaries within pastoral settings.
  • A lived spirituality and ability to relate personal faith to pastoral situations and grow through times of challenge.
  • Competent use of self in chaplaincy practice including emotional availability, cultural humility, appropriate self-disclosure, positive use of power and authority, and clear and responsible boundaries.
  • Commitment to work within UKBHC Code of Conduct.
  • Ability to handle highly sensitive confidential or contentious information in a highly emotive or hostile atmosphere working consistently under stress.
  • Good level of competence in administration, computer skills and time management, including keeping to deadlines and the ability to work flexibly.
Desirable criteria
  • Understanding of and/or engagement with audit, service evaluation or research.
  • Create and lead ritual in a way that is sensitive to the pastoral context and faith/belief needs of those present.
  • Ability to apply theoretical knowledge of ethical issues relating to health care.

Physical Skills & Effort Emotional Effort

Essential criteria
  • Requires good physical, mental and emotional stamina. To be able to work substantial distances around the hospital with long periods of standing. To be able to work creatively as part of a team or as a lone worker.
  • Ability to recognise and manage personal stress and to maintain clear judgements and decisions under pressure.
  • Sustained exposure to high level emotional distress in breaking news of a close family member’s death, being present in the hospital mortuary to support bereaved family members when viewing the deceased.
  • Potential exposure to contact with body fluids, medications and x-rays is an inevitable part of bedside chaplaincy work.

Requirements due to Working Environment

Essential criteria
  • Ability to travel independently in accordance with organisation policies and service need.
  • Ability to attend an urgent on-call referral within 60 minutes.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Apprenticeships logoNo smoking policyPositive about disabled peopleCare quality commission - GoodArmed Forces Covenant Gold AwardWe offer Wagestream - A financial wellbeing benefit which lets you access your pay as you earn it.Disability confident employerWomens Staff Network

Applicant requirements

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Narinder Tegally
Job title
Lead Chaplain
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
01225824039
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