Spiritual Care Chaplaincy in NHS Scotland

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Spiritual Care / Chaplaincy in NHS Scotland

• Rev Chris Levison
• Healthcare Chaplaincy Training and Development
  Officer
• Spiritual Care Advisor

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Quotes

• We are not human beings seeking spiritual
  experience. We are spiritual beings seeking what
  it means to be human. Teilhard de Chardin
• Those who do not run from our pains but touch
  them with compassion bring healing and new
  strength. The paradox is that the beginning of
  healing is in the solidarity with the pain. In
  our solution orientated society it is more
  important than ever to realise that wanting to
  alleviate pain without sharing it is like wanting
  to save a child from a burning building without
  the risk of being hurt.
  Henry Nouwen
• Religious Care is given in the context of shared
  religious beliefs, values, liturgies and
  lifestyle of a faith community
• Spiritual Care is usually given in a one to
  one relationship, is completely person centred
  and makes no assumptions about personal
  conviction or life orientation
• Spiritual Care is not necessarily religious.
  Religious Care, at its best, should always be
  spiritual HDL
  (2002) 76

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Background Note

• NHS and Chaplaincy
• Spirituality in Scotland Steering Group
• Guidelines for Spiritual Care and Chaplaincy in
• NHSScotland
• Training and development Unit
• HDL (2002) 76

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Spiritual Care in NHSScotland HDL (2002) 76

• Whole Person Care
• Involving All Staff not just chaplains
• Spiritual and Religious Care
• Spiritual Care is integral to health care.
• Policies and Implementation Plans
• Departments of Spiritual and Religious (or
  pastoral) Care
• Spiritual Care Committees in each Board

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What is meant by spiritual

• A way of perceiving which relates to self, to
  others, to the natural world and to the
  transcendent.
• An aspect of health alongside physical, mental
  and social well being.
• A quality that goes beyond religious
  affiliation, that strives for inspiration,
  reverence, awe, meaning and purpose (Murray
  and Zetner)
• Spirituality (like pain) is what a person says
  it is. (Lothian Spiritual Care Policy)
• Somewhere between wind chimes and monasticism
  (Nick Thorpe journalist and author)

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What do we mean by spiritual need/care?

• Narayanasamy(1991 Identified 9 aspects of
  spiritual need.
• The need for meaning and purpose
• The need for harmonious relationships
• The need for forgiveness
• The need for a source of hope and strength
• Creativity
• The need for trust
• The need to express personal beliefs or values
• The need for spiritual practices
• Expression of God or deity

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Underlying Principles

• Impartial, Accessible, Available to those of all
  faiths and life stance or no declared faith
• Respect and Value Diversity
• Sensitive, encouraging, open, compassionate,
  supportive.
• Upholding Rights of Patients and Staff
• Given in consultation with others
• Fair For All ( Including diversity strands
  Ethnicity, Gender, Age, Sexual Orientation,
  Disability, Religion and Belief)

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What does research tell us?
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Is Research Reliable?

• Koenig et al (2001) (examined1200 studies)
• In the vast majority of the good quality studies,
  religious beliefs and practices rooted within
  established religious traditions were found to be
  consistently associated with better health and
  predicted better health over time. (P 591)
• William Iler et al (2001) Regular
  chaplains visits to patients with COPD (Chronic
  Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) resulted in less
  anxiety at discharge, length of stay was
  considerably less, satisfaction with hospital
  significantly higher.
• The support of a chaplain has a demonstrable
  effect on the hospital patient.

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Spiritual Care Service principles

• Person Centred not this is how you should look
  at things, but, how do you see it?
• Culturally Competent not an expert in
  comparative religion, but aware of the variety of
  beliefs and customs, and knowing ones
  limitations
• Professional not in terms of distant, but
  adequately trained, consistent, non judgemental
  and integrated.

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Why Spiritual Care?

• Clinical reasons it increases well being and
  aids healing and peace
• Ethical reasons it is the right thing to do
• Legal reasons quality and fair whole person
  care is a human right / discrimination is illegal
• Business reasons it is cost effective

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Standards for NHS Scotland Chaplaincy Services

• Religious and Spiritual Care Needs
• Access to Chaplaincy and Spiritual Care Services
• Partnership with faith and belief groups
• Staff Support
• Professional Development Education, Training
  and Research
• Resources including supervision
• To the Institution e.g. major incidents, ethics,
  etc

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Education

• For Chaplains (with theological/pastoral
  background)
• Introductory Course
• Continuous Professional development
• Clinical Pastoral Education
• Qualification in Chaplaincy (Inc Faith/Cultural,
  Bereavement, NHS, etc)
• Research
• For All or Any Staff
• Spiritual Care Modules
• Clinical Pastoral Education
• Multi Cultural/Faith Awareness
• Bereavement Training / Counselling Skills etc

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Spiritual Care Awareness

• More Facilitating than Giving
• Requires an understanding of listening with
  attention rather than intention
• The provider/facilitator needs to be aware of
  her/his own belief system and has to have thought
  through things like loss, belief and
  relationships, not in order to give answers, but
  to hear a persons pain.
• It is to enable, allow and help a person to
  explore their own journey and to encourage their
  own search for meaning and hope.
• It is to give a person the opportunity to reflect
  within a supportive framework.
• Is to help people in their search for peace in
  the way that is best for them.

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