East Surrey Hospital Chaplaincy and Spiritual Care Volunteer

Being a chaplaincy volunteer is a rewarding but difficult role within a supportive spiritual care team. It is above all a privilege to get to know patients and staff and to share a little of their journey and experience.

We welcome your enquiry, as in such a large teaching hospital as this, there is a great need for chaplaincy volunteers to complement the work of the chaplains.

Coming into hospital can be a challenging experience for instance being away from home and family, some for long and complex admissions.  In a teaching hospital, whilst some patients are local, many are away from their own community and support networks.

Whilst in the hospital, patients might experience many separations and losses. Religious and non-religious alike may feel cut off from family and friends, and even from themselves, even those who have strong religious belief may not feel fully supported by their faith communities.

The chaplains within the hospital Trust are here to support the spiritual need both religious and non-religious, of patients, relatives, and staff.

Chaplaincy and Spiritual Care Department -To whom are we available?

We are a chaplaincy and spiritual care department. This means that we are available to all people, irrespective of their belief, ethnicity, age, gender or sexual orientation, and provide a confidential, supportive, listening ear.

Some patients who are religious might have specific needs e.g.:

• Sacraments
• Knowing themselves supported by their faith community.
• Religious observances e.g., prayer, fasting, scripture.
• Special requirements e.g. diet, rituals around birth and death.

Being a chaplain is a pastoral role not a preaching or proselytising one.

We must at all times be courteous, confidential, respectful and we are not here to preach, judge or proselytise.  We work within strict NHS guidelines and we should not impose our beliefs on others.  We support patient-centred care and, therefore, we encourage the patient to talk about what is important to them and not what is important to us. 

Please note that chaplaincy volunteering is not suitable if you are within two years of a major illness or bereavement. 

What skills do I need?

To be a volunteer Chaplaincy you should:

• Be sufficiently self-aware, mature and stable to show that they are able to sustain the role of a chaplaincy volunteer.
• They should be able to talk about how they have faced change and held diversity.
• They should be able to respect diversity and differences, including, but not limited to, culture, gender, sexual orientation, spirituality and religion.

Reflective Skills

A volunteer chaplain should:

• Be able to make connections between different kinds of experience.
• Be able to recognise their strengths and weaknesses in offering pastoral support.
• Be able to interpret experiences.
• Be willing to learn and to encourage others in the reflective process.

Communication Skills

A volunteer chaplain should:

• Communicate well in a language that people understand.
• Be able to speak naturally and effectively in ways that are balanced, appropriate, accessible and sensitive to the situation.
• Demonstrate and develop listening and empathetic skills.

Relationships

A volunteer chaplain should:

• Be able to demonstrate that they can form and maintain healthy relationships with others.
• Generate trust and display honesty.
• Work collaboratively with the chaplaincy team.
• Be able to receive feedback in constructive ways.
• Function pastorally in a manner that respects the physical, emotional and spiritual boundaries of others, and to uphold confidentiality.