Hospital Chaplain | Mersey and West Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

An opportunity has arisen to join the Spiritual Care and Chaplaincy team at Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. The post-holder will contribute to delivering high‑quality spiritual, pastoral and religious care over five hospital sites to patients, carers, families and staff often dealing with highly emotive situations. You will be part of a team of chaplains working across the Trust to deliver a 24/7 on‑call service.

As well as supporting staff and patients at times of need you will also be an advocate for spiritual care, liaise with faith leaders, supervise chaplaincy volunteers/students and contribute to educational opportunities to teaching sessions for staff and volunteers. You will work as part of the spiritual care and chaplaincy team at Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust on a daily basis.

Within the service you will share responsibility for ensuring the provision of spiritual, pastoral and religious care across all trust sites including appropriate rites, ceremonies and events to support both staff and patients. You will be part of the 24/7 trust‑wide on‑call rota and be able to respond within the Trust standard. There will be opportunities to contribute to service projects to improve and develop the delivery of spiritual care and chaplaincy within the Trust.

Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust serves a population of over 600,000 with a workforce of over 9000 dedicated and skilled staff across 21 sites. We strongly believe that the communities we serve should all have access to Five Star Patient Care. Our Services include acute care, primary care, and community services across multiple hospitals, and we are proud of our achievements, including being rated Outstanding by CQC and listed among the Top 100 places to work in the NHS.

• Respond to urgent calls during normal working hours, often involving emotionally difficult situations.
• Offer support to patients and their families as they approach the end of life and provide bereavement support as required.
• Work flexibly and be part of a multi‑disciplinary team.
• Support parents and families following a pregnancy or baby loss, providing ongoing support and services appropriate to their needs.
• Actively participate in and sometimes lead the “Our Babies” month service for early pregnancy loss.
• Be available to participate in the spiritual care and chaplaincy service 24/7 on‑call service, which is offered in significant life‑changing situations and can be demanding and emotionally challenging.
• Plan and lead funerals that the Trust is responsible for providing.
• Participate in the planning and leading of annual services and events, including adult, baby and child memorial services.
• Support other team members and be a key part of the spiritual care and chaplaincy team.
• Represent the chaplaincy and spiritual care service at various meetings within the Trust, such as the End‑of‑Life Steering Group, Patient Experience Council, Faith Consultation Group, Dementia and Delirium Steering Group and Organ Donation Group, and present reports as required.
• Provide supervision to spiritual care and chaplaincy volunteers and bank/on‑call chaplains in their day‑to‑day duties.
• Communicate and provide complex and sensitive information to staff, patients, and families.
• Liaise with representatives of local faith communities where appropriate.
• Ensure that all referred individuals are supported in a timely, dignified manner, regardless of personal belief or lifestyle choices.
• Treat all information gained through the chaplaincy role in accordance with Trust policy with absolute confidentiality, unless a lawful requirement compels disclosure to external agencies.
• Work in accordance with the UK Board of Health Care Chaplaincy Professional Code of Conduct.
• Assess urgent and non‑urgent referrals and respond accordingly, and in pastoral situations assess the needs of patients and those important to them to deliver appropriate pastoral, spiritual, and religious support.
• Keep detailed records securely of patient contact and information.
• Attend, support and plan service meetings and other meetings as required.
• Participate…