Head of Spiritual

Job summary

Our Department of Pastoral and Spiritual Care supports a diverse community of patients, carers and staff. We are seeking to appoint a Lead Chaplain / Head of Pastoral & Spiritual Care who will work alongside an Assistant Chaplain and our team of volunteers to provide generic pastoral and spiritual support at the Hillingdon and Mount Vernon Hospitals.

Applicants must have a relevant professional qualification, and experience of providing pastoral and spiritual support, underpinned by relevant knowledge and understanding

Main duties of the job

All chaplains within the team are required to work generically across the diversity of religious faiths and non-religious world views. Applicants who wish their role to additionally include religious support from a specific faith perspective will need to be endorsed by the relevant faith community.

A critical part of the role includes the recruitment, training and support of pastoral support volunteers. Candidates will therefore be required to show evidence of management or supervisory experience within a volunteering context, and knowledge and understanding of the principles of volunteer management.

This is an exciting opportunity to join us as the Lead Chaplain / Head of Pastoral & Spiritual Care.

Occasional weekend working may be required with time off in lieu. You will also need to be a car driver with access to a car

About us

The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is the only acute Hospital in the London Borough of Hillingdon and offers a wide range of services including accident and emergency, inpatient care, day surgery, outpatient clinics and maternity services. The Trust's services at Mount Vernon Hospital include routine day surgery, delivered at a modern treatment centre, a minor injuries unit and outpatient clinics.

The safety and well-being of our patients and of our staff is paramount and we are making urgent improvements to address this - particularly in infection prevention and control. We are making progress and going forward by working in partnership with local GPs, charities,community services, academic partners, our local authority, neighbouring hospitals and the wider North West London Integrated care system, and ensuring that we listen and work in partnership with our local population. We are absolutely focused on ensuring that our hospitalsprovide high quality, safe and compassionate care, while drive forward the building of the new Hillingdon Hospital.

We have over 3,500 members of staff that are proud to care for nearly half a million people, with a vision to be an outstanding provider of healthcare through leading health and academic partnerships, transforming services, to provide the best care where needed.

Job description

Job responsibilities

To view the main responsibility, please see the attached the Job Description and Person Specification

Person Specification

Person Spec

Essential

Educated to degree or diploma level in a relevant subject such as pastoral support, counselling, or social care A supporting statement from religious or non-religious organisation representing a specific faith, belief, or world-wide view Paid or voluntary experience in a pastoral support setting Leading and developing a team Paid or voluntary work within an ethnically diverse setting Effective budget and people management Experience of managing the staff/client interface in a pastoral support setting An understanding of the role of pastoral and spiritual support in health and social care settings An understanding of professional and emotional boundaries, and the ability to maintain them

Desirable

A qualification at diploma level in spirituality, religious studies, or theology Management or leadership qualification (or equivalent experience) A working knowledge of the beliefs and practices of some of the major world faiths and beliefs represented in the local community (Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Humanism, Islam, Judaism, Sikhism)

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