ENHCC
European Network of Health Care Chaplaincy
Health
Care Chaplaincy
in the United Kingdom
Association of Hospice and Palliative Care Chaplains
What follows is a summary of
the issues which the Executive of the AHPCC has in its current workload.
1. Membership : Currently stands at 141
2. Communication : The Executive has been reviewing its contact with its
membership and its working liaison with Help the Hospices, the overarching body
for hospice and palliative care in the UK. This has already led to an increase
in confidence regarding communication issues among our membership and with the
Executive
3. The AHPCC website : The website - www.ahpcc.org.uk – has been
revamped and is now regularly updated and is more user-friendly. The website
also makes current news and information available to members, including the
recently published “Healthcare Chaplains' Research Review - The Potential for
Efficacy of Healthcare Chaplaincy and Spiritual Care Provision in the NHS (UK)”
- available from www.mowatresearch.co.uk .
4. Newsletter : A decision was taken last year to discontinue a printed
newsletter. Our editor now prepares an on-line newsletter which is made
available by e-mail to all members 4 times a year – or more frequently should
the need arise. The current issue can also be accessed via the website, as can
copies of previous editions. The editor can be contacted at editor@ahpcc.org.uk.
5. The AHPCC annual conference : Entitled “Here’s Hoping…”, the AHPCC
annual conference is planned for Swanwick, Derbyshire, from 19-21 May 2008, and
will contain a variety of ways of exploring the place of hope in palliative
care.
6. Networking : AHPCC Executive members continue to be involved in
developmental aspects of Healthcare Chaplaincy throughout the UK, including the
Multi-Faith Group on HealthCare Chaplaincy (MFG), The Chaplaincy Academic and
Accreditation Board (CAAB), and the working group for Competencies and
Capabilities for Healthcare Chaplaincy in Scotland (under NES).
7. Professional issues : The President of the AHPCC meets regularly with
the leads of the other professional chaplaincy organisations within the UK to
explore issues of mutual concern - such as moves towards professional
registration. The AHPCC is also in communication with Mike Penning MP who heads
up the “All parliamentary group on healthcare chaplaincy” in the Westminster
Parliament.
8. Contact : The main-office bearers can be contacted via the links on
the website, and, for further information on the matters outlined above, you can
make contact with the President at president@ahpcc.org.uk.
Rev Tom
Gordon
President of AHPCC from May 2007 to May 2009
Work role
I am chaplain (full time) with Marie Curie Cancer Care in the Marie Curie
Hospice, Edinburgh, where I have worked for 14 years. Among other aspects of
that role, I
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advise Marie Curie Cancer Care (a UK charity with 10 hospices) on spiritual issues;
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write and lecture on all aspects of spiritual and religious care and bereavement issues;
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am a member of the Bereavement Support Team;
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supervise a team of three additional voluntary chaplains.
Background:
I have been a Church of Scotland minister in two Edinburgh parishes over 20
years before taking up the hospice appointment.
Other professional aspects:
I am author of two books: ‘A need for living’ (2001), offering insights into the understanding and delivery of spiritual care, and ‘New journeys now begin’ (2006) on aspects of grief and loss, both published by Wild Goose Publications – www.ionabooks.com. In addition, I am
a regular contributor to anthologies and collections of poems, prayers and worship material, and my writings appear regularly in ‘The Coracle’, the quarterly magazine of The Iona Community;
co-author with David Mitchell of the chapter on ‘Making sense of spiritual care’ in the second and revised edition of ‘Palliative Nursing: Improving end-of-life care’, edited by Kinghorn and Gaines, published by Elsevier in 2007;
co-author with David Mitchell and Cameron Langlands of the chapter ‘Spiritual Competence’ in ‘Spirituality, Values and Mental Health: Jewels for the journey’, edited by Coyte, Gilbert and Nicholls, foreword by John Swinton, published by Jessica Kingsley in 2008;
one of the originators of the ‘Spiritual and Religious Care Competencies for Specialist Palliative Care’, and co-author with David Mitchell of the accompanying ‘Assessment and self assessment tool’;
a member of the Health and Healing Task Group of the Church of Scotland;
a member of the editorial board of the ‘Scottish Journal of Healthcare Chaplaincy.
[May 2006]
Rev Karen
Murphy
Role within professional organisation – Secretary of the Association of
Hospice and Palliative Care Chaplains.
I am a Methodist minister and worked in inner city and rural areas for 20 years
before taking up my current post.
Current employment – Following 7 years working as a part time hospice in
a Sue Ryder hospice, I am now a full time chaplain at Weston Hospicecare, a
hospice in the south west of England. The hospice has 10 patient beds, a Day
Hospice which meets 3 times weekly, and a team of 6 specialist community nurses
who care for people at home.
My role involves:
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Supporting patients, carers and staff through spiritual care
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Contributing to each aspect of the hospice’s work with referrals to see patients and carers at home and in the hospice
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To offer teaching to staff and volunteers on spiritual care
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To manage a team of chaplaincy volunteers
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To offer supervision to staff to support their working practice
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Sharing support of the bereaved with the Bereavement Team
Other Information
I have recently represented AHPCC at national level in discussions concerning
End of Life Care in Britain. The programme of care is being launched this summer
and is the basis for major change in the delivery of care at the end of life.
Weston Hospicecare has been involved with several new initiatives in palliative
care. This includes a course for patients of working age offering a ‘tool kit’
of coping strategies for their situation; we are currently piloting a document
on Advance Care Planning which offers staff the opportunity to discuss with
patients difficult questions about wishes at the end of life that are realistic
and achievable; our patient records are now held totally on computer using a
programme called ‘Crosscare’ which enables staff to record and read details of
patient care. I have been able to develop a spiritual assessment element of this
programme which has been very successful in giving staff confidence in the area
of spiritual care.
I am interested in exploring spirituality in a society that is indifferent to
traditional religion, how this affects spiritual care of patients and how staff
understand interpret spiritual care in response to these changes.
[May 2008]
The College of Health Care Chaplains
With approximately 1,000 members the College of Health Care Chaplains is the largest body of choice for chaplains working in the United Kingdom. A part of the amicus union, the College is able to access high quality support from experienced advisers about all aspects of the chaplains’ employment in the UK’s national health service. The College also provides opportunities for members to meet locally and discuss a wide range of concerns relating to chaplaincy in Northern Ireland, Wales, Scotland and England. The College produces many reports and recommendations for chaplains, including a Code of Conduct, and works closely with the Scottish Association of Chaplains in Healthcare and the National Association of Hospice and Palliative Care Chaplains.
For the College chaplaincy is about maintaining the special nature of spiritual care within a framework of professional practice recognised by other health workers. We see chaplains as part of the team caring for patients, their visitors and also the health care staff.
Website: www.healthcarechaplains.org
Rev’d Anne Aldridge
(President of the College of Health Care Chaplains)
Anne has been an ordained Priest in the Anglican Church for nine years.
Having worked in a Parish for a number of years prior to ordination as a
Pastoral Assistant, Anne went on to serve as the Curate there and at the
same time began as Chaplain to the local children’s hospice. Anne’s
background is in teaching (all age ranges from 0-18 and currently
adults!). She is married to Rob and they have four children and one
granddaughter. They have lived in the Cambridge area of England for the
last twenty years.
In 2003 Anne was appointed as a fulltime Assistant Chaplain at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge and in 2004 she was promoted to Deputy Team Leader. Her particular interest is in Paediatrics (including neonatology) and she has had several articles published in Chaplaincy Journals and currently in the Bereavement Care Journal.
In January 2008 she succeeded Rev Dr Chris Swift as
President of the College of Health Care Chaplains.
Anne is passionate about chaplaincy and keen to ensure that it is seen as
an essential aspect of health care.
[May 2008]
Imam Yunus Dudhwala
Multifaith Coordinator, College of Healthcare Chaplains
Yunus Dudhwala initially started work at Newham Healthcare NHS Trust (now
Newham University Hospital NHS Trust) as a Muslim Chaplain in 1998 on a
part-time basis whilst working as an Imam in a local mosque. After a brief
shift to Prison Chaplaincy he returned to Newham in February 2003 becoming
the first person in the UK from a minority faith to lead a Chaplaincy
Department in the NHS. He is a trainer on Multifaith modules and courses
organised by various chaplaincy bodies in the UK and helps mange the Islam
Resource Group of the College. He is the Multifaith Coordinator on the
National Professionals Committee of the College of Healthcare Chaplains
and has been invited to speak at several national conferences in the past
year on how to deal with different faith communities in healthcare
settings.
[May 2008]
Health Care Chaplaincy in England and Wales
Health care Chaplaincy in England and Wales continues to meet the needs of patients in a variety of health care settings, from large acute NHS trusts to small general practice groups.
Since the last European network consultation in Lisbon there have been a continuous stream of changes in terms of NHS structures and the on going cash flow problems. There have been some notable instances of chaplaincy being devalued in one or two areas but on the whole chaplaincy is robust and effective.
This has been helped by the General Synod of the Church of England debate on hospital chaplaincy, which led to a statement supporting the work that is undertaken in the health care arena by chaplains. Within Parliament an All Party Group for HealthCare Chaplaincy has recently been set up which has members of all the political parties and Faiths within it. This will add political influence to our aim of embedding the provision of chaplaincy within Statute. The Conservative Party have also named a front bench shadow spokesman for Healthcare Chaplaincy – which is a first. , In January 2008 The Queen was pleased to appoint Fr Edward Lewis as a Chaplain to Her Majesty This is a recognition of the place of Healthcare Chaplaincy in our national life and makes Edward a member of the Royal Household. ( www.nhs-chaplaincy-spiritualcare.org.uk )
The Roman Catholic Church, through their Health Care Reference Group, has been seeking to support not only chaplains but also all who work in the NHS. On going research and the development of the ‘Care of the Catholic Patient’ have served to strengthen the care given to members of the Roman Catholic Church in times of sickness and hospitalisation. ( www.rcdow.org.uk/healthcare )
The Free Churches group continues to work with 21 Free Church Denominations to provide realistic and appropriate chaplaincy services in all areas of health care. The Secretary for Health Care Chaplaincy is now also the Secretary for Churches Together for Healing bring the different threads of healing and wholeness together.( www.churches-together.net )
The Christian churches are still at the centre of chaplaincy services
and are supported by the work of the Churches Committee for Health Care
Chaplaincy. In some areas it is the work of other faith chaplains that
take the lead. In Bradford and in Newham the patient population dictates
the make up of the chaplaincy team, which has members of other Faiths in
the lead or whole time members of the team. The Multi Faith dimension is
supported and guided by the Multi Faith Group for Health Care Chaplaincy.
The Multi Faith Group (www.mfghc.com) is at present working with others on the development
of an agreed curriculum for initial health care chaplaincy education, and
is also working through a process to develop ‘authorisation/
accreditation’ system for each faith group (the Christian Churches have
had systems in place for some considerable time).
The Joint Training Office (which comprises of the Free Churches, Roman Catholic Church and Church of England) continues to provide a range of training courses for Chaplains from residential initial courses, run for us by Cardiff University, to a foundation degree in health care chaplaincy run at St Mary’s University College Twickenham to day courses on a variety of current topics.
In summary the work of healthcare Chaplaincy in the UK continues a time honoured tradition of seeking to serve Christ in the sick and in those who look after them
Father Peter Scott
Father Edward Lewis
Revd Debbie Hodge
[May 2008]
Hospital Chaplaincies Council
The Church of England
Revd Edward J Lewis
Chaplain to Her Majesty The Queen
Chief Executive & Director of Training
Hospital Chaplaincies Council
The Hospital Chaplaincies Council [HCC] was
established in 1952. It is a Council of the General Synod of the Church of
England. Given the Established nature of the Church of England it is
ultimately accountable to Parliament through the Church Commissioners. The
Chairman is the Lord Bishop of Gloucester [The Rt Rev Michael Perham] who
is also the Church of England's lead bishop on Healthcare matters.
The Council consists of members elected by the General Synod as well as
those with experience in the world of healthcare. A list of current
members is attached. As Chief Executive, I serve the Council and run the
Office based at Church House Westminster. (My own background is of being
involved in hospital chaplaincy since ordination, 25 years ago. Twelve of
those as a whole time chaplain, leading a Multi-Faith team in the
Midlands. As an undergraduate I was also a nursing auxiliary.)
Although small in number the HCC office deals with policy forming and
operational matters as well as offering pastoral care to chaplains. HCC
also co-ordinates the work of the National Health Service Assessors panel,
who provide the professional opinion at interviews for chaplains. It also
co-ordinates the Bishop's Advisers Group. These are representatives of
Diocesan/Area Bishops (usually senior staff who represent Healthcare
Chaplaincy at Bishops staff meetings).
There are some 300 whole time and 1,500 part time Anglican chaplains, (in
England) who are employed by the National Health Service.(425 whole/3000
part time UK wide) We co-operate with both the Roman Catholic and Free
Church authorities and increasingly with representatives of the World
Faiths. Healthcare chaplaincy in the UK is unique in that it is funded
from general taxation.
Training and Education for Chaplains
The Joint Training Office is also based at this office. Its role is to
provide suitable training for both new and experienced chaplains.
Significant developments have taken place within the context of training
since the Network last met. From September 2006 Introductory training for
new chaplains is under Cardiff University. Successful completion will
result in an award of 20 academic credits for the participant. Cardiff
also offer the MA in Healthcare Chaplaincy and plan to become a centre of
excellence for chaplaincy. info@stmichaels.ac.uk A Foundation Degree at St Mary’s University
College Twickenham www.smuc.ac.uk/healthcare/modules/htm enables chaplains to set their
practical experience within the context of academic study and debate.
The South Yorkshire Strategic Health Authority, which had the NHS lead for
Chaplaincy, published 'Caring for the Spirit' in 2003 www.yorksandhumber.nhs.uk This continues to be rolled out across
the country. As this is a new initiative, progress is slow but sure. The
present push is the setting up of collaboratives across areas to enable
chaplains to meet and exchange good practice and information.
Website: www.nhs-chaplaincy-spiritualcare.org.uk
[May 2008]
Multifaith Group for Healthcare Chaplaincy (MFGHC)
MFGHC includes representatives of the nine World
Faiths:
Bahai, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jain, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh and
Zoroastrian Faiths.
The object of the MFGHC is the advancement of multifaith healthcare
chaplaincy in England and Wales. The Group seeks to further this object by
facilitating a common understanding and support for healthcare chaplaincy
amongst Faith Groups, chaplaincy bodies and users; providing a means of
consultation between the Faiths about healthcare chaplaincy; and working
in co-operation with healthcare and chaplaincy organisations, bodies and
authorities.
In particular, the MFGHC seeks to provide advice to the Department of
Health about multi-faith healthcare chaplaincy on behalf of all Faith
Groups; to enable those Faith Groups engaged in healthcare chaplaincy to
formulate, agree and promulgate policy on healthcare chaplaincy in
consultation with other chaplaincy bodies; and to promote the highest
quality of healthcare chaplaincy through the development of agreed
standards across all Faith Groups and within healthcare organisations.
Website: www.mfghc.com
[May 2008]
Rev Fr Edward Lewis
Chaplain to Her Majesty The Queen
(Chief Executive and Director of Training for the Hospital Chaplaincies
Council, Church of Enland)
The Rev Fr EDWARD LEWIS has been an Anglican priest for 24 years. In
January 2008 Her Majesty The Queen appointed him as a chaplain. He is
Chief Executive and Director of Training for the Hospital Chaplaincies
Council [www.nhs-chaplaincy-spiritualcare.org.uk]
of the Church of England (C of E).
This Council (Chairman The Bishop of Gloucester) is a Council of the
General Synod of the C of E, relating to the Department of Health, the
National Health Service and the Church. Working with the Roman Catholic
and Free Churches the Joint Training Office commissions and runs training
courses for healthcare chaplains. There are also excellent ecumenical
links as well as links with those of other World Faiths. Prior to taking
up this National post in November 2000, Edward was Senior Chaplain at
Walsall Hospitals NHS Trust in the West Midlands, leading a Multifaith
team of 9 Chaplains and Volunteers. He has also been a part-time hospital
chaplain and Parish Priest in Wales.
He is Chief Officer for the MultiFaith Group for Hospital Chaplaincy (MFGHC) [ www.mfghc.com ] which covers England & Wales.
A graduate of the University of Wales,he has degrees of BA and BEd and an MA in Bioethics from the University of Surrey. He is a visiting lecturer at St Mary’s University College Twickenham and Cardiff University.
Edward is also a Justice of the Peace in the City of Westminster, a
Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and Member of the Institute of
Directors. He is currently a supply priest at St John's Church Watford.[www.saintjohnswatford.org.uk]
He attended the Network Consultations in Turku, Dublin and Lisbon and was
elected to the network committee in 2006.
[May 2008]
Revd Debbie Hodge is Free Church Secretary for Health Care Chaplaincy.
Ordained as a minister in the United Reformed Church in 2000, Mrs Hodge has
served at Leaside Methodist/ United Reformed Church in Ware and in a variety
of Chaplaincy post in higher education and health care settings.
Debbie has a background in the National Health Service. She trained at St
Bartholomew's Hospital, London and has worked as nurse, nursing tutor and as
Principal Lecturer in Nursing at the University of Hertfordshire. She
maintains her nursing links as a member of the National Steering Group for
Parish Nursing as a lecturer.
She is an Associate lecturer at St Marys College, Strawberry Hill, and
lectures at St Michaels College Cardiff (soon to be the Centre for
Chaplaincy Studies. Her current studies include the development of a 'Model
of Spiritual care'. Based at Churches Together in England she is the
Secretary of Churches Together for Healing and Executive Officer for the
Women's Coordinating group (including the Violence Against Women sub group)
[May 2008]
Northern Ireland Healthcare Chaplains Association
The Revd Jennifer Bell is secretary of the Northern Ireland Healthcare Chaplains' Association, a role she assumed in March 2007. She is an Anglican Priest and Vicar of the United Parishes of Templepatrick and Donegore. Her background is in chaplaincy, first in America as a CPE resident and then in Belfast, and she works as a locum chaplain in several hospitals.
Chaplaincy in Northern Ireland is denominationally based. Chaplains work mostly on a part time basis, although the number of full time chaplains has increased in recent years. Chaplains are both funded by the hospital trusts and by their own denominations. The NIHCA exists to offer further training to chaplains, to improve their knowledge base in the area of chaplaincy, and to offer support and fellowship. Training days are run three times a year, two 2-day training events and one 1-day training event. The Association is run by an Executive Council made up of 13 elected members representing the four main Christian denominations in Northern Ireland - Church of Ireland, Methodist, Presbyterian and Roman Catholic.
[May 2008]
Healthcare Chaplaincy in Scotland
At present in Scotland there are around 350 part time and just over 60
whole time chaplains. The majority of chaplains are appointed to look
after the whole healthcare community where they are working. This includes
patients, their carers and staff. They come from a variety of backgrounds
and are expected to work across all denominations, and with those of
different faiths and no faith. They are expected to provide spiritual care
for all and to facilitate the religious care of those who require the
administrations of someone from a specific faith community or belief
group. If the chaplaincy team is not equipped to provide specific
religious care they will do all they can to make appropriate arrangements.
Since January 2007 all whole time chaplains have become direct employees
of the health service. Before that they were mostly employed through the
agency of the Church of Scotland, although finance was supplied by the
area Boards of the National Health Service. Some part time chaplains are
also now direct employees and we expect this development to continue.
The most significant change in recent times was a directive, a “Health
Departmental Letter”, which went to all chief executives, containing
guidance about spiritual care and chaplaincy. Since then they have
developed Spiritual Care Committees in most Boards which are forums for
staff, chaplains and local faith and belief groups to share and discuss
the development of the spiritual care service and be aware of the needs of
different groups. Because of the broad understanding of spiritual care the
Scottish Humanist Society is often represented alongside the different
faith communities.
That “Letter” of 2002 is under revision and a conference to launch revised
guidance takes place on 18th June 2008. The new guidance will further
explain the role of the health service in spiritual and religious care and
will be a guide to the future development of chaplaincy and spiritual
care. Reference is made to the growing evidence base which supports the
value of this type of care, issues surrounding the appointment and
employment of chaplains are examined, difficulties such as Data Protection
are aired, recent developments are noted and ways forward are recommended.
The Department of Health and Wellbeing within the devolved Scottish
Government has supported a Healthcare Chaplaincy Training and Development
Unit which three years ago became part of NHS Education for Scotland (NES),
a Board which deals with the training and education of all healthcare
staff. Chaplains are in many ways regarded as a health profession although
they do not yet have that official registered status. Through NES we have
been able to produce a “Multi Faith Resource for Healthcare Staff”,
“Standards for NHS Scotland Chaplaincy Services”, and, most recently,
“Spiritual and Religious Care Capabilities and Competences for Healthcare
Chaplains”, a framework of competences, knowledge and awareness needed by
chaplains, which is being used to develop education, principally a
certificate in health care chaplaincy which in due course will become part
of mandatory training.
There is still a huge need for staff to be better educated as to the full
meaning of spiritual care. As the health service is being reminded of the
need to be “patient focussed”, so we hope the needs of individuals as
whole people, hence their spiritual needs, are being better recognised.
The work of the chaplaincy associations towards a more professional
understanding of chaplaincy is welcome and also very complicated. They are
committed to working towards acceptance of chaplaincy as a registered
health care profession, although this is still several years away. They
are
- AHPCC: Association of Hospice and Palliative Care chaplains (Scottish Branch)
- SACH: Scottish Association of Chaplains in healthcare
- CHCC: College of Healthcare Chaplains (Scotland Branch)
These associations are working closely with the Training Unit and with
colleagues elsewhere in the United Kingdom to develop the work and
understanding of chaplaincy.
Chaplaincy in Scotland is not without its difficulties, however we feel it
has a higher profile than before and we are committed to continuing to
promote the work though the example, study, research, and development by
all who are involved in spiritual care.
Chris Levison
[May 2008]
Rev Chris Levison
Training and Development Officer
for Healthcare Chaplaincy in Scotland
I have been a parish minister of the Church of Scotland, a university chaplain, a part time healthcare chaplain, a whole time chaplain, and, for the last four and a half years, the Training and Development Officer for Healthcare Chaplaincy in Scotland. A year ago my secondment to this role came to an end and I was asked to become a permanent health service employee based within NHS Education, a health board which is responsible for the training and education of all healthcare professionals. I have worked in this new context for a year and am beginning to see the possibilities of increased multi disciplinary training and work. My line manager is the Director of Allied Health Professions and increasingly chaplains are being seen in this context. I am also Spiritual Care Advisor for the NHS in Scotland and visit all the board areas in this role.
My remit is: to organise in-service courses for chaplains; develop a progressive and continuing chaplaincy education programme; and to relate to churches, faith communities and the health service in order to implement the spiritual care policies developed in response to the Scottish Executive Health Department’s initiative of 2002, “HDL 76 Spiritual Care in NHS Scotland”.
This department
has been developing a patient focussed approach and an equality and
diversity agenda. There has been considerable work with minority groups and
strands i.e. ethnicity, gender, age, sexual orientation, disability and
religion/faith. The rationale is that if we learn how to treat minorities
with more sensitivity and care then we will be learning to treat all our
patients, their carers and the staff in a more helpful, wholesome and health
promoting way. I continue to work with chaplaincy associations as they
develop a more professional outlook in terms of organisation, training,
standards, code of conduct, and as they integrate into an ever changing
health service.
Website: www.chaplains.co.uk
[April 2006]
Scottish Churches Committee for Healthcare Chaplaincy
Rev Fred Coutts
Rev Fred Coutts has worked since 1989 as a
hospital chaplain in a large teaching hospital in Aberdeen.
As Head of Spiritual Care for NHS Grampian, he leads a team of
full time and part time chaplains serving the hospitals in the
north east of Scotland. Before entering chaplaincy he served as a parish minister of the Church of
Scotland (Presbyterian). He is a member of the ecumenical
Scottish Churches Committee for
Healthcare Chaplaincy and served as part-time Training Officer for
Healthcare Chaplaincy in Scotland from 1997-2001. He has
participated in all the Network Consultations since Crete in
2000.
Fred created the Network website after the Crete Consultation. He serves on the Network Committee as Webmaster .
[April 2008]
John Thomson
Ministries Support Officer with the Church of Scotland
I am a Ministries Support Officer with the Church of
Scotland with a particular responsibility for the encouragement,
development, support and review of healthcare chaplaincies. I liaise with
the Scottish Executive Health Department and the Regional Boards of the
National Health Service (NHS) in Scotland in the appointment, supervision
and review of chaplains; act as a point of information and advice for
Churches, chaplains and NHS Boards; and generally keep a national overview
and perspective of the Church of Scotland contribution to the chaplaincy
service. Although my job is based at the Church’s Offices in the city of
Edinburgh I try to maintain regular contact with all of the chaplains,
both part time and whole time, and have a timetable for visits to
hospitals throughout Scotland. This is a vital aspect of my work which
keeps me in touch with the chaplains and enables me to be aware of the
issues which face them.
I am secretary to the (Christian) ecumenical healthcare chaplaincy
committee in Scotland and represent the Church of Scotland on the National
Spiritual Care Development Committee which is a multi-faith group.
At present the Church of Scotland retains responsibility in Scotland for
the appointment and employment of some part-time generic chaplains backed
by the financial support of the NHS. Since January 2007 all whole-time
chaplains are now appointed and employed directly by area NHS Boards.
[May 2008]
SACH (Scottish Association of Chaplains in Healthcare)
The Scottish Association of Chaplains in Healthcare has 140 members and
exists to assist healthcare chaplains to provide effective spiritual,
religious and pastoral care within the contemporary healthcare setting.
The aim is to represent chaplains and to set and maintain high standards
of care, provide support, advice and fellowship.
SACH sponsors the Scottish Journal of Healthcare Chaplaincy which has a growing
international reputation focussing on the practice of chaplaincy from
different perspectives.
Website www.sach.org.uk
Rev Derek Brown
President of SACH (Scottish Association of Chaplains in Healthcare)
Derek has worked as a chaplain for nearly 21 years. He works as a lead
Chaplain in the Highlands of Scotland managing the service in the extreme
north of the Scottish mainland from a base in Inverness. He served 14 of
those years a chaplain in a Hospice.
He is currently beginning a research project in intensive care and is
chair of the Chaplaincy Registration Steering Group which was set up to
oversee chaplaincy becoming a recognised healthcare profession in the
United Kingdom.
Rev Margery Collin is head of Spiritual Care
Services for the Forth Valley region of Scotland, working in Falkirk and
Stirling acute hospitals and Strathcarron Hospice. She has a background in
teaching and is trained as a counsellor. Her particular area of interest
is palliative care in which she is currently pursuing further study.
She is a member of the ecumenical Scottish Churches Committee on
Healthcare Chaplaincy and also secretary of the Scottish Association of
Chaplains in Healthcare.
[May 2008]