Developing new guidelines for Chaplaincy in the NHS

Chris Swift

Session contentExplaining the guidelines project

Identifying & exploring key themes

Raising specific questions

Discussing those questions

Feedback & development

Plenary discussion

The Guidelines ProjectLegacy from previous NHS body – April

2013

Debate about delivery: MFG & CLF

NHS England (Equality)

Approach to project lead September 2013

Time-table for project 6 months

Draft guidelines expected January 2014

Consultation period to end of March 2014

Project Challenges & DriversTimescale

Engagement

Complexity (DPA etc.)

Politics

Agreement

Underpinning

(research)

2003 guidance archived

NHS changed/changing

Chaplaincy cuts

Equality

Weak provision in SC14

England falling behind

The ProcessReflecting on the context

Engaging knowledgeable people

Identifying key themes

Locating the target audience(s)

Recognising the political landscape

Producing something concise & useful

Challenges for meCommunity health care/GPs

Mental health care

Smaller teams/single practitioners

Multi-faith perspectives

Hospice settings

Chaplaincy relative to secure

facilities/HMP

A changing landscape:

Religion & Spirituality

The challenge of language

Religion: Relatively clear, specific,

authorised, but often viewed with suspicion

Spirituality: Ambiguous, broad, personal,

unauthorised, often viewed as attractive

& desirable

NHS indicators of support

Compassion:Compassion is how care is given through

relationships based on empathy, respect and dignity – it can be described as intelligent

kindness, and is central to how people perceive their care.

NHS Commissioning Board: Compassion in Practice 2012

Compassion:

We search for the things we can do, however small, to give comfort and relieve suffering.

The NHS Outcomes Framework 2012/13 DH

Public Sector Equality Duty places:

  “legal responsibilities to demonstrate that they are taking action on equality in policymaking, the delivery of services and public sector employment.The duties require public bodies to take steps not just to eliminate unlawful discrimination and harassment, but also to actively promote equality.”

EHRC Website Accessed 25/10/13

  The single public sector equality duty will require public authorities to:

Eliminate discrimination, harassment and victimisation.

Advance equality of opportunity. Foster good relations.

EHRC Website Accessed 25/10/13

 Religion and belief

Religion has the meaning usually given to it but belief includes religious and philosophical beliefs including lack of belief (e.g. Atheism). Generally, a belief should affect your life choices or the way you live for it to be included in the definition.

EHRC Website Accessed 25/10/13

Human Rights  There are reasonable implications to draw

from Human Rights legislation & public body duties:

The role of public bodies amounts to more than a willingness not to obstruct

Where someone is incapacitated and unable to exercise their rights without assistance the organisation has a role to enable rights to be observed

Picker Europe inpatient data relative to this

Future of ChaplaincyExisting reality recognised – spectrum ranging

between a direct provision model & a generic/facilitation model

Direct provision leads to prompt service, religion matched for the majority & larger minorities (equality)

Facilitation model provides spiritual care and facilitates religious care (service risk)

Both models engage with staff education; training; volunteer management; research; equality promotion

There are various combinations of these models

Spirituality – a final wordDr Clare Gerada – Britain’s ‘top GP’:

“medicine is an art as well as a science... Every patient is different... nothing prepares you for the consultation with the patient in front of you, dealing with their psychological, their physical, their social and increasingly, their spiritual needs.”

Women’s Hour Tuesday 22 October 2013