Trainee Trust Chaplain

University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust

The closing date is 16 April 2025

Job summary

An exciting opportunity has arisen and we are looking to recruit Hospital Chaplain to join Plymouth University Hospitals Trust Chaplaincy team. We are looking for an applicant who is kind, compassionate, of good standing within their faith or belief community and who is enthusiastic about delivering pastoral, spiritual and religious care across our Trust. You will be working with patients, their relatives and friends, staff, volunteers and students, whatever their cultural and faith tradition, for the purpose of pastoral, spiritual and religious care.

This role is demanding and the successful candidate will need to be emotionally intelligent and able to work within clear boundaries so as to be able to manage difficult situations whilst acting as a reflective practitioner so previous pastoral experience is essential. We are looking for someone who understands the complexities of working in a team and will enjoy the challenges of Chaplaincy in an acute hospital. This is a progression post from a Band 5 to a Band 6 after 12 months within the Hospital setting. Suitably experienced applicants can start at Band 6 pay band.

***Preference will be given to internal Trust staff, as well as 'Priority' and 'At Risk' status including NHS At Risk staff throughout Devon who are able to display recent relevant experience as dictated by the Person Specification.***

Main duties of the job

  1. Specialist knowledge and practice:to provide specialist knowledge of one's own faith tradition as well as a knowledge of other traditions, cultures and faith communities. With regard to birth rites, serious illness, and death and the dying, to provide specialist knowledge of one's own faith community, its rites and rituals.

  1. Policy implementation:to be aware of Trust and Departmental polices, acting on these as required.

  1. Direct patient care:as a skilled communicator, to be able to establish and maintain relationships, sometimes in pastorally challenging, as well as unpredictable, unpleasant and hostile environments. To be able to negotiate and work within complex and sensitive situations and to provide or refer for pastoral, spiritual and religious advice and care as necessary. To be able to make independent specialist judgements regarding pastoral, spiritual and religious care, dependent upon situation. To work independently, adapting to unpleasant working conditions when required, and to refer issues to the Head of Department as appropriate.

  1. Multi-disciplinary practice: to co-operate with clinical and management staff wherever possible in multi-disciplinary meetings and department meetings as and when attendance is appropriate. To play a full part in discussions where pastoral, spiritual and religious needs of patients might be a component of care-planning

About us

We are a people business - where every member of staff matters and can make a difference. Patients are at the heart of everything we do. Joining University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust means becoming part of a team of dedicated staff, who are committed to leading the way through innovation, clinical excellence and great customer care. The Trust has great opportunities for career development in a highly progressive working environment. We offer all of this in a vibrant, modern city with a historic reputation for adventure. PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL COMMUNICATION WILL BE ELECTRONIC, PLEASE CHECK YOUR EMAIL ACCOUNT REGULARLY. If you have any issues with applying online and need additional support including reasonable adjustments with the application process please contact the recruitment team on 01752 432100. We recognise that work life balance is important for our colleagues and so we invite requests from applicants around less than full time/flexible working for our advertised roles. Please contact the recruiting manager to discuss this prior to your application submission. We commit to giving this full consideration in each case. We encourage people from diverse backgrounds to apply for our roles, as diversity strengthens our teams. It is sometimes necessary to close vacancies before the closing date. If you have not heard from us within 4 weeks of the closing date, please assume that you have not been shortlisted.

Date posted

01 April 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 5

Salary

£29,970 to £36,483 a year Per Annum, Pro Rata

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

216-AJ-A7096857

Job locations

Derriford Hospital

plymouth

PL6 8DH


Job description

Job responsibilities

  1. To have keyboard skills and office skills as required. To attend such training as agreed with the Head of Pastoral & Spiritual Care.

  1. To participate in innovation and change within both the Department and the service it offers.

  1. To contribute to the development and implementation of the Departments strategy plan in the context of its commitment to the objectives of the Trust. To work with the Head of Department and Team Chaplain for certain areas of implementation.

  1. To respond to major and critical incidents on behalf of the Department.

  1. To be responsible for ones own professional and spiritual development. To attend team meetings when available, as well as other meetings and supervision. To be a reflective practitioner and be willing to become a member of a professional body. To undertake an annual retreat.

Job description

Job responsibilities

  1. To have keyboard skills and office skills as required. To attend such training as agreed with the Head of Pastoral & Spiritual Care.

  1. To participate in innovation and change within both the Department and the service it offers.

  1. To contribute to the development and implementation of the Departments strategy plan in the context of its commitment to the objectives of the Trust. To work with the Head of Department and Team Chaplain for certain areas of implementation.

  1. To respond to major and critical incidents on behalf of the Department.

  1. To be responsible for ones own professional and spiritual development. To attend team meetings when available, as well as other meetings and supervision. To be a reflective practitioner and be willing to become a member of a professional body. To undertake an annual retreat.

Person Specification

Knowledge and Experience

Essential

  • oTo have proven demonstrable pastoral, spiritual and religious experience
  • oTo have developed proven knowledge of spiritual care issues (with specialist knowledge of own tradition and others), multi-faith issues and cultural care.
  • oTo understand spiritual assessment and care.
  • oDemonstrable experience of working with people of differing cultures and faiths.
  • oTo be open to working collaboratively with colleagues from differing liturgical and sacramental traditions

Qualifications

Essential

  • A degree or graduate certificate relevant to your faith community or belief group or demonstrable equivalent
  • oTo be recognised as an authorised practitioner by a faith community which is a member of Churches together in Britain and Ireland.
Person Specification

Knowledge and Experience

Essential

  • oTo have proven demonstrable pastoral, spiritual and religious experience
  • oTo have developed proven knowledge of spiritual care issues (with specialist knowledge of own tradition and others), multi-faith issues and cultural care.
  • oTo understand spiritual assessment and care.
  • oDemonstrable experience of working with people of differing cultures and faiths.
  • oTo be open to working collaboratively with colleagues from differing liturgical and sacramental traditions

Qualifications

Essential

  • A degree or graduate certificate relevant to your faith community or belief group or demonstrable equivalent
  • oTo be recognised as an authorised practitioner by a faith community which is a member of Churches together in Britain and Ireland.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

Additional information

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

Employer details

Employer name

University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust

Address

Derriford Hospital

plymouth

PL6 8DH


Employer's website

https://www.plymouthhospitals.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)


Employer details

Employer name

University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust

Address

Derriford Hospital

plymouth

PL6 8DH


Employer's website

https://www.plymouthhospitals.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)


For questions about the job, contact:

Lead Chaplain

Rev Simon Fletcher

simon.fletcher1@nhs.net

01752245255

Date posted

01 April 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 5

Salary

£29,970 to £36,483 a year Per Annum, Pro Rata

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

216-AJ-A7096857

Job locations

Derriford Hospital

plymouth

PL6 8DH


Supporting documents

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