Lead Chaplain

Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

The closing date is 12 May 2025

Job summary

We are looking for a compassionate leader to join our team of highly skilled chaplains. Together this team will ensure appropriate spiritual, pastoral and religious care is extended to all patients, their families and our staff across hospitals in Northumberland and North Tyneside.

We are looking for someone who can steer the development of our multi-faith chaplaincy service, provide day-to-day leadership to a busy team of paid and volunteer chaplains and play an active role in delivering care at the bedside.

Main duties of the job

Managing a trust-wide Chaplaincy Service providing spiritual, pastoral and religious care to patients, their families and staff.
Responsible for a team made up of paid chaplaincy staff and volunteers based at a variety of hospitals sites in Northumberland and North Tyneside.
Must maintain endorsement to practice as a healthcare chaplain by being authorised by an appropriate faith or belief group
Will be required to liaise closely with other managers, service leads and clinicians.
Will undertake appropriate financial management to ensure the department is managed within budget

About us

We manage three major locality hospitals at North Tyneside, Wansbeck and Hexham, plus a number of smaller community hospitals and clinics from Tynemouth to Berwick on Tweed, covering one of the largest geographical areas of any NHS trust in the country. Leading in innovation and quality - opening a state of the art Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital, the first of its kind in England. Do you want to work in one of the best performing NHS organisations in England? Work in an organisation that supports its staff and focuses on staff experience as much as it does the experience of its patients? You can live and breathe in an area that has the cleanest air, cost effective living, great nightlife, some of the best schools with a wealth of history available on your doorstep. Sound too good to be true? Well it isn't, this is what you get when you work for Northumbria Healthcare, this is the Northumbria Way! Please read 'applicant guidance notes' before submitting your application.

Date posted

29 April 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 7

Salary

£46,148 to £52,809 a year Per annum

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time, Flexible working

Reference number

319-7132626JN

Job locations

Trust-wide

North Tyneside

NE29 8NH

Job description

Job responsibilities

The post holder is required to provide spiritual, pastoral and religious support to patients, relatives, carers and staff.

The Chaplaincy Team Leader leads a trust-wide team of chaplains who provide a 24-7 service. The team work flexibly across a variety of trust locations and many of the team work on a part-time / voluntary basis. Highly developed communication skills are required to lead this team

The post holder will be required to build and maintain positive working relationships between the trust and the local community and in particular the different faith communities and belief groups.

There is a regular ongoing need to communicate with distressed patients, relatives and carers, therefore the ability to empathise, listen, communicate and respond sensitively and appropriately in emotive, sometimes hostile, circumstances is required.

Providing support to front line staff who seek the support of the hospital chaplains sometime in distressing circumstances is also a requirement for this post.

Liaises with colleagues in multi-disciplinary teams regarding the palliative care of patients.

Is required to anticipate barriers to effective communication and take action to improve communication. Barriers may occur when for example, the patient has a hearing impairment, aphasia due to stroke, dementia, cognitive impairment or when English is not a first language.

Needs to be able to respond effectively to complex issues when answering questions regarding suffering or the purpose of life and death.

As a manager, there is a requirement to demonstrate skills in negotiation, persuasion and motivation in dealing with colleagues, health care professionals and senior managers.

Ability to contribute to written reports and departmental policies.

Effective communication skills are needed to explain and implement changes to service delivery, operational procedures and policies which can be contentious and require agreement and co-operation with individual staff and staff groups.

Skilled communication is required to reach agreement/consensus in implementing service changes arising from a response to local and national guidance, organisational policy, legislative and regulatory changes.

Job description

Job responsibilities

The post holder is required to provide spiritual, pastoral and religious support to patients, relatives, carers and staff.

The post holder will be required to build and maintain positive working relationships between the trust and the local community and in particular the different faith communities and belief groups.

Providing support to front line staff who seek the support of the hospital chaplains sometime in distressing circumstances is also a requirement for this post.

Liaises with colleagues in multi-disciplinary teams regarding the palliative care of patients.

Needs to be able to respond effectively to complex issues when answering questions regarding suffering or the purpose of life and death.

As a manager, there is a requirement to demonstrate skills in negotiation, persuasion and motivation in dealing with colleagues, health care professionals and senior managers.

Ability to contribute to written reports and departmental policies.

Person Specification

Essential

Educated to degree level
Specialist knowledge of a range of religions, faiths and cultures acquired through theoretical training/practical experience
Computer literate for a range of software including word, excel and power point

Desirable

Recognised Counselling qualification
Full registration with the UK Board of Healthcare Chaplaincy

Experience

Essential

Substantial experience in providing spiritual care / chaplaincy
Demonstrable knowledge of National Health Care Chaplaincy standards
Knowledge of bereavement issues
Substantial experience in providing spiritual care / chaplaincy

Desirable

Previous line management experience
Previous working experience as a Healthcare Chaplain either full or part-time
Experience of and ability to implement major change

Person Specification

Essential

Educated to degree level
Specialist knowledge of a range of religions, faiths and cultures acquired through theoretical training/practical experience
Computer literate for a range of software including word, excel and power point

Desirable

Recognised Counselling qualification
Full registration with the UK Board of Healthcare Chaplaincy

Experience

Essential

Substantial experience in providing spiritual care / chaplaincy
Demonstrable knowledge of National Health Care Chaplaincy standards
Knowledge of bereavement issues
Substantial experience in providing spiritual care / chaplaincy

Desirable

Previous line management experience
Previous working experience as a Healthcare Chaplain either full or part-time
Experience of and ability to implement major change

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