Job Summary
Thank you for considering an appointment at Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, part of the University Hospitals of Northamptonshire NHS Group.
We are seeking to appoint an experienced and motivated multi-faith chaplain who shares our passion for providing excellent spiritual, pastoral and religious care to patients, visitors, and staff.
We wish to appoint someone who can work flexibly and creatively as part of our multi-faith team. The successful candidate will demonstrate substantial spiritual and pastoral care experience in a multifaith setting and be endorsed by their faith community or belief group. Previous experience of healthcare chaplaincy is essential. Ideally you will be registered with the UKBHC.
Our Chaplains are committed to providing effective and appropriate spiritual and pastoral care to all the patients, visitors, and staff within the Kettering General Hospital community. The successful candidate will be able to work collaboratively within the Spiritual and Pastoral Care team to deliver a timely and sensitive service across the hospital, often providing support to people in times of crisis and at the end of life.
Main duties of the job
1. Work collaboratively within the Spiritual and Pastoral Care Team and our volunteers delivering a safe and effective service meeting the needs of the Trust in providing spiritual, pastoral, and religious care for patients, visitors, and staff.
2. Visit all wards and departments, providing spiritual and pastoral care to patients and their visitors as appropriate.
3. Provide an approachable presence within the hospital and to build working relationships with all wards and departments, delivering spiritual and pastoral support to staff as appropriate.
4. Work with the Lead Chaplain to provide a service committed to equality, diversity, and inclusion, ensuring that the Spiritual and Pastoral Care service is accessible to people of all faiths and none, within our hospital community.
5. Working with the Lead Chaplain to ensure that suitable facilities are provided for religious observance, prayer, and reflection for all who require them.
1. Work in partnership with faith representatives in the community to provide religious, spiritual, and pastoral care.
Support the provision of corporate acts of worship, and to lead services as appropriate.
3. Share in a 24/7 On-Call Out of Hours Service (for which an on-call allowance is paid, as is payment for the out of hours response time on-site) as Duty Chaplain. This is approximately one weekday on-call per week and one weekend day per month. The requirement is to be on-site within 30-45 minutes.
Person Specification
Educations, Training and Qualifications
Essential
- First Degree in Theology/Religious Studies or Equivalent Professional Qualifications to Level 6 or above.
- The candidate should be in good standing with and formally endorsed by their relevant Faith Community or Association – (for example – ordained priest or lay minister in good standing with their faith community or authorising body and having permission to practice.) Evidence required.
- Evidence of continuing personal and professional development.
- Membership of the United Kingdom Board for Health Care Chaplaincy (UKHBC).
Knowledge and Experience
Essential
- Currently working as a healthcare chaplain and/or spiritual and pastoral care in an hospital setting.
- Experience of successful team working.
- Experience of working on projects with targeted outcomes, deadlines and reporting processes.
- Experience of working in a multi faith team and/or in an international setting with people of other faiths and beliefs than own.
Skills
Essential
- Excellent listening skills and ability to respond appropriately during in-depth one to one encounters.
- Ability to build rapport and develop trust.
- Ability to be calm, empathetic and compassionate in distressing situations.
- Able to recognise and to maintain professional boundaries.
- High quality oral and written communication skills.
- Computer and word processing skills.
- Ability to prioritise tasks and manage a range of activities.
- Ability to provide Spiritual and Religious Care for the dying, critically ill and newly bereaved, including those experiencing sudden death or pregnancy loss.
- Pastoral or Counselling skills or other relevant training / certification.
Key Competencies/Personal Qualities and Attributes
Essential
- Passionate and committed to bring our Dedicated to Excellence values to life, improving the way we work with each other, particularly focusing on empowerment, equality diversity and inclusion of our staff, patients and service users
- Knowledge of the NHS and committed to accepting and supporting others across the full Equality Diversity and Inclusion agenda without prejudice or bias. Understanding of Equality and Diversity legislation.
- Knowledge of and sensitivity to a range of religious denominations, world faiths and religious traditions, cultures and life philosophies.
- Need to fulfil the emergency on-call requirement of being on-site within 30 – 45 minutes.
- Requires physical, emotional and spiritual stamina and to be able to walk substantial distances around the hospital site with long periods of standing presence at bedside.
- Ability to recognise and manage personal stress and to maintain clear judgements and decisions under pressure.
- Sustained exposure to high levels of emotional distress in breaking news of a close family member’s death, being present in the hospital mortuary to support bereaved family members to see their loved ones.
- Potential risk and exposure to contact and/or presence of body fluids, medications, communicable diseases and infections, as well as their mitigations – wearing of PPE including scrubs – is an inevitable part of current Spiritual and Pastoral Care practice.
- Understanding of the place of spirituality in a large secular organisation.
- Evidence of theological and religious studies in the past three years.
- Full driving licence.
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.
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).
Closing Date: 26 February 2025
