Concerns are raised about future of hospital chaplaincy

-10/10/06

The Archbishop of Ca


Concerns are raised about future of hospital chaplaincy

-10/10/06

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, has given strong support to the work of hospital chaplains and has stressed the need for a commitment to securing effective chaplaincy services across the National Health Service at a time of job cutbacks and financial restraint.

Others are calling for a review of the system and its existing guidelines ñ with more attention to the spiritual and pastoral needs of a range of non-Christian patients and practitioners.

The discussion had been prompted by the situation in Worcestershire, where the local Acute Hospitals NHS Trust is pressing ahead with a 70% cut in hospital chaplaincy posts, despite strong opposition from some local community groups, the Anglican Bishop of Worcester, Dr Peter Selby, and the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Birmingham, the Most Rev Vincent Nichols.

Reports received from chaplaincy teams in other parts of England suggest that cutbacks are also underway elsewhere, highlighting a worry that the Worcestershire example might set a precedent for future staff cuts.

Chaplaincy arrangements have been a subject of some controversy in recent years. Non-Anglican Christians, other faith groups and humanists say that they are underrepresented in the present set up and that the needs of those working in the health service are correspondingly compromised.

Specialists in pastoral care, the British Humanist Association (BHA) and a range of religious leaders have been pushing for a much more inclusive approach combining funded and voluntary work.

But the National Secular Society (NSS) has said it wishes to axe chaplaincy, dismissing it as ìreligious supportî and claiming in a recent press release that that ìit would hardly be missed if it went.î Director Keith Porteous-Wood said: “If jobs are to go it should not be front line ones before chaplains, given that these can be provided by local [faith groups].”

A health care professional told Ekklesia that the needs of the non-religious and of other faith communities needed real attention, but that she found the NSSís approach ìshrill, negative and insensitive to peopleís diverse needs.î

As part of its response to guidelines on chaplaincy published by the NHS in 2003, the BHA said it was increasingly being asked by NHS trusts for guidance on meeting the ëspiritual needsí of patients without religious beliefs, and some of its members already provide support in some hospitals and hospices.

In a recent meeting with Health Minister, Lord Warner, Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Williams spoke of his concern about reports of disproportionate cuts in chaplaincy services in some parts of the NHS.

Whilst recognising the financial constraints on the NHS and the need to ensure that all areas ñ including chaplaincy – bear their fair share of any cutbacks, Dr Williams stressed that chaplaincy should neither be considered a ësoft targetí, nor bear a disproportionate burden of staff reductions.

Dr Williams also stressed the importance of recognising that chaplains were not just ëpart-time vicars, visiting their sick parishionersí, but that in the right circumstances, they were also confidantes of the hospital executive and NHS Trust.

Lord Warner confirmed to Dr Williams that whilst it was the responsibility of individual Trusts to set and follow their own staffing policies, the guidance issued by the Department of Health in November 2003 relating to chaplaincy services remained very much in place. He confirmed that he would be contacting the local Strategic Health Authority to remind them of this and to ensure that the Archbishopís concerns were known.

The British Humanist Association has pointed out that the consultation around the 2003 guidelines failed to take the full diversity of viewpoints into account.

Dr Williams has now written to all Anglican chaplains in order to assure them of his continuing support and blessing for their ìvital work in ministering to patients, relatives, staff and institutionsî.

In his letter, Dr Williams told the chaplains that he will continue to press the case for secure chaplaincy provision across the NHS: ìI will be consulting with colleagues and other church and faith leaders to see how best we can continue to press the importance of religious and spiritual care within the NHS, upon the government and upon local NHS Trusts.î

At present the NHS tacitly recognises the nine major world faiths: Baha’Ì, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Jainism, Judaism, Islam, Sikhism and Zoroastrianism. But civil rights campaigners say that the needs of the non-religious and those who are ëspiritual but not religiousí should also be reflected in pastoral, equalities and anti-discrimination policies.

The BHA points out that after Christians, humanists and the non-religious make up between 15-23 per cent of the population, according to the Office of National Statistics ñ compared to just over 5 per cent for other faith traditions.

Health workers believe that personal, pastoral and spiritual support for patients is a vital component of the healing process, alongside clinical and professional treatment.


Concerns are raised about future of hospital chaplaincy

-10/10/06

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, has given strong support to the work of hospital chaplains and has stressed the need for a commitment to securing effective chaplaincy services across the National Health Service at a time of job cutbacks and financial restraint.

Others are calling for a review of the system and its existing guidelines ñ with more attention to the spiritual and pastoral needs of a range of non-Christian patients and practitioners.

The discussion had been prompted by the situation in Worcestershire, where the local Acute Hospitals NHS Trust is pressing ahead with a 70% cut in hospital chaplaincy posts, despite strong opposition from some local community groups, the Anglican Bishop of Worcester, Dr Peter Selby, and the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Birmingham, the Most Rev Vincent Nichols.

Reports received from chaplaincy teams in other parts of England suggest that cutbacks are also underway elsewhere, highlighting a worry that the Worcestershire example might set a precedent for future staff cuts.

Chaplaincy arrangements have been a subject of some controversy in recent years. Non-Anglican Christians, other faith groups and humanists say that they are underrepresented in the present set up and that the needs of those working in the health service are correspondingly compromised.

Specialists in pastoral care, the British Humanist Association (BHA) and a range of religious leaders have been pushing for a much more inclusive approach combining funded and voluntary work.

But the National Secular Society (NSS) has said it wishes to axe chaplaincy, dismissing it as ìreligious supportî and claiming in a recent press release that that ìit would hardly be missed if it went.î Director Keith Porteous-Wood said: “If jobs are to go it should not be front line ones before chaplains, given that these can be provided by local [faith groups].”

A health care professional told Ekklesia that the needs of the non-religious and of other faith communities needed real attention, but that she found the NSSís approach ìshrill, negative and insensitive to peopleís diverse needs.î

As part of its response to guidelines on chaplaincy published by the NHS in 2003, the BHA said it was increasingly being asked by NHS trusts for guidance on meeting the ëspiritual needsí of patients without religious beliefs, and some of its members already provide support in some hospitals and hospices.

In a recent meeting with Health Minister, Lord Warner, Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Williams spoke of his concern about reports of disproportionate cuts in chaplaincy services in some parts of the NHS.

Whilst recognising the financial constraints on the NHS and the need to ensure that all areas ñ including chaplaincy – bear their fair share of any cutbacks, Dr Williams stressed that chaplaincy should neither be considered a ësoft targetí, nor bear a disproportionate burden of staff reductions.

Dr Williams also stressed the importance of recognising that chaplains were not just ëpart-time vicars, visiting their sick parishionersí, but that in the right circumstances, they were also confidantes of the hospital executive and NHS Trust.

Lord Warner confirmed to Dr Williams that whilst it was the responsibility of individual Trusts to set and follow their own staffing policies, the guidance issued by the Department of Health in November 2003 relating to chaplaincy services remained very much in place. He confirmed that he would be contacting the local Strategic Health Authority to remind them of this and to ensure that the Archbishopís concerns were known.

The British Humanist Association has pointed out that the consultation around the 2003 guidelines failed to take the full diversity of viewpoints into account.

Dr Williams has now written to all Anglican chaplains in order to assure them of his continuing support and blessing for their ìvital work in ministering to patients, relatives, staff and institutionsî.

In his letter, Dr Williams told the chaplains that he will continue to press the case for secure chaplaincy provision across the NHS: ìI will be consulting with colleagues and other church and faith leaders to see how best we can continue to press the importance of religious and spiritual care within the NHS, upon the government and upon local NHS Trusts.î

At present the NHS tacitly recognises the nine major world faiths: Baha’Ì, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Jainism, Judaism, Islam, Sikhism and Zoroastrianism. But civil rights campaigners say that the needs of the non-religious and those who are ëspiritual but not religiousí should also be reflected in pastoral, equalities and anti-discrimination policies.

The BHA points out that after Christians, humanists and the non-religious make up between 15-23 per cent of the population, according to the Office of National Statistics ñ compared to just over 5 per cent for other faith traditions.

Health workers believe that personal, pastoral and spiritual support for patients is a vital component of the healing process, alongside clinical and professional treatment.