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The closing date is 14 August 2025
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Job summaryExpected Shortlisting Date
18/08/2025
Trust Roman Catholic Chaplain 37.5 hours plus on call
Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (LTHT) is one of the biggest NHS Trusts in the country, offering a range of both general and specialist hospital services. Spread across 7 hospitals on 6 sites, including the Leeds Cancer Centre and Leeds Childrens Hospital, the Trust has an international reputation for excellence in specialist care, research and academic training.
Chaplaincy and spiritual care services are acknowledged as a key part of the multi-disciplinary team across the Trust, delivering holistic care to patients, staff, students, and those important to them.
We now have an exciting opportunity for a chaplain to join our diverse team of chaplains, honorary and bank chaplains, and volunteers. We provide care 7 days a week, and in emergency 24 hours a day, striving to support people from all faiths and beliefs, religious and non-religious.
We are passionate about developing our team and our services using the Leeds Way, the Trusts values and culture, to deliver the best care possible.
This post is Trust wide but based mainly at Saint James University Hospital and Leeds General Infirmary The post holder will have specific responsibility for areas of the chaplaincy work as agreed with the Head of Chaplaincy Services.
This is an excellent opportunity to develop yourself and gain more skills within a supportive team.
Main duties of the jobIf you have significant experience in pastoral, spiritual and religious care in a healthcare setting; excellent interpersonal skills; the ability to work with and value diversity, proven track record of collaboration, and empowerment we would love to hear from you.
To appoint the right person to this position, we have added the opportunity for it to be a developmental role, starting and Band 5, working towards Band 6 after completion of specific competencies as defined by the United Kingdom Board of Healthcare Chaplains.
Given the nature of the post it is essential you are able to hold the faculty of, or be authorised by the Roman Catholic Bishop of Leeds. As part of shortlisting information will be shared with the Bishops office prior to interview to verify you fulfil these criterion.
For further information please contact The Revd Ben Rhodes, Head of Chaplaincy Services via [email protected] or Revd Jo Jones, Deputy Head of Chaplaincy Services [email protected] telephone (0113) 20 65935 or (0113) 20 64658
About usLeeds Teaching Hospitals is committed to our process of redeploying 'at risk' members of our existing workforce to new roles. As such, all our job adverts are subject to this policy and we reserve the right to close, delay or remove adverts while this process is completed. If you do experience a delay in the shortlisting stage of the recruitment cycle, please bear with us while this process is completed, and contact the named contact if you have any questions.
Leeds Teaching Hospitals is committed to our process of redeploying 'at risk' members of our existing workforce to new roles. As such, all our job adverts are subject to this policy and we reserve the right to close, delay or remove adverts while this process is completed. If you do experience a delay in the shortlisting stage of the recruitment cycle, please bear with us while this process is completed, and contact the named contact if you have any questions.
Job descriptionJob responsibilitiesJOB PURPOSE
Provide spiritual and pastoral care, and facilitate religious care to meet the needs of patients, staff, students and visitors of Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.
Take responsibility for a caseload of patients and service users with wide-ranging and complex spiritual, pastoral and religious needs and participate fully in the urgent On-Call Rota.
Significantly contribute collaboratively to an effective Chaplaincy department.
3. JOB DIMENSIONS
The post holder is based at St. James University Hospital but has a Trust-wide responsibility shared with the other Anglican/Free Church chaplains, volunteer honorary chaplains and Chaplaincy/Spiritual Care Team volunteers for the provision of spiritual, pastoral and religious care. Primary importance is given to spiritual and sacramental care needs but input is also be expected to generic pastoral needs and Trust policy development.
Responsibility for managing, supervising and supporting volunteer honorary chaplains, students and Spiritual Care Team volunteers, care of chaplaincy resources and responsibility for the handling of donations is integral to the post.
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE REQUIRED
Eligible to be authorised by appropriate faith or belief group to practice as a Healthcare Chaplain.
Educated to Honours degree level.
Previous Chaplaincy Experience.
To be registered or eligible to be registered by the UKBHC, with postgraduate specialist Healthcare Chaplaincy qualification.
Broad knowledge of faith and belief systems to be able to work in a multi-cultural/multi-faith and belief context
Broad knowledge and understanding of workings of the NHS to enable the post holder to work as part of a Chaplaincy Team and play an active part in the life of the Trust in a multi-disciplinary context.
Knowledge and understanding of national policies and procedures relevant to the provision of a Chaplaincy Service / Bereavement Care.
Proven capability of working in demanding and sensitive situations with effective pastoral care skills; able to demonstrate highest standards of care for patients, staff and relatives
Ability to use liturgical skills in a diverse range of contexts and be able to make effective assessment of the appropriate use of prayer, worship and sacramental ministry.
Advanced understanding of the ethical issues relating to health care.
Experience of collaborative team working
PRINCIPAL DUTIES AND AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY
Contribute to the effective working of the Chaplaincy team:
Ensure good communication and collaboration with all members of the Chaplaincy Team
Follow established procedures and policies.
Contribute to the effective operation of an on-call rota
Share in the provision of 24-hour on-call cover making decisions on own initiative about spiritual needs in crisis situations; responding to emergency calls while meeting the required response time
Participate in Chaplaincy role in Major Incident
Contribute to caseload planning within the Chaplaincy team and the allocation of patients to volunteers
Provide supervision to entry-grade chaplains, students on placement and volunteers
Participate in, or take the lead responsibility for specialist projects and implementation of service developments with related policy changes as directed by the Head of Chaplaincy
Prepare and disseminate briefings, reports and liturgical material
Contribute to chaplaincy service development
Deputise for the Head of Chaplaincy or Deputy Head of Chaplaincy when required
Provide pastoral and spiritual care:
Provide and receive highly complex, sensitive or contentious information within the context of pastoral, religious, spiritual care for distressed patients, service users and the bereaved.
Assess spiritual health and wellbeing needs, develop spiritual care plans, keep written and electronic records
Evaluate referrals and determine a timely response
Provide spiritual and pastoral care that is sensitive to multi-cultural and multi-faith/belief realities for the diversity of patients and those significant to them, service users, staff and students
Make reasoned judgements involving complex religious and pastoral situations
Maintain effective and consistent links with designated clinical areas
Work collaboratively alongside other professionals at all grades
Facilitate religious care:
Provide specialist person-centred religious, spiritual and pastoral care and advice for patients, service users and staff
Facilitate services or prayers in line with patient/staff/relative/carer needs
Devise, co-ordinate and lead religious/non-religious (as appropriate) services/ritual to meet particular needs e.g. memorial services for deceased staff.
Facilitate ritual interventions connected with crisis, according to the needs of service users, and consistent with the permissions and practice of the relevant faith community
To facilitate and deliver adult contract funerals and funerals for babies
facilitate necessary rites and sacraments that cannot be undertaken by the post-holder to be administered by a suitable colleague or community faith leader
Make referrals to appropriate faith or belief leaders and community ministers of religion at the patients request and with their consent
Establish effective links with parish priests, ministers of religion, and faith leaders and belief organisations in the community.
Provide support for staff:
Support good working relationships which respect the integrity of others
Schedule time for staff as service users
Assess and respond to spiritual needs of staff (individual/collective)
Be actively aware of issues, changes and conditions which affect staff wellbeing
Collaborate with other relevant departments in promoting staff wellbeing
Providing training and education:
Identify learning needs of self and others
Initiate and plan the delivery of learning opportunities
Mentor and supervise designated entry-grade chaplains
Provide training for staff, students, volunteers and local faith and belief communities, as agreed with the Head of Chaplaincy
Contribute to the professional development of Chaplaincy:
Maintain an understanding of spiritual care theory and practice
Play a full role in the reflective practice processes of the department
Undertake literature searches and critical reviews of research relevant to Chaplaincy
Contribute to audit, service reviews and research projects
Contribute to conferences and publications
Champion the unique dimension that high quality and effective spiritual care brings
Personal and Professional Development:
Develop and maintain up to date knowledge, understanding and skills relevant to the duties of the job e.g. critical care, pastoral practice
Participate in Annual Appraisal and achieve agreed personal and professional development goals
Practice in accordance with the UKBHC skills and competencies framework and professional codes of conduct
Develop as a reflective practitioner and receive regular supervision
Maintain a spiritual discipline and/or nurture personal values
Contribute to the effective working of the Trust:
Follow Trust policies and procedures
Keep up-to-date with mandatory training
Participate in relevant Trust-wide activities
Represent Chaplaincy at relevant functions and events.
Take responsibility for the health and safety of self and others
Take responsibility for regularly handling and processing of financial donations and charitable funds
SPECIFIC TO ROMAN CATHOLIC CHAPLAINS
As well as being responsible and accountable to the Trust, the post holder is ministerially accountable to the Local Ordinary, in this case the Roman Catholic Bishop of Leeds, whilst also liaising with the Bishops Diocesan Healthcare Advisor.
Educated to Honours degree level in theology or equivalent.
Minister sacramentally, pastorally and spiritually to Roman Catholic patients, relatives and staff as appropriate.
Be the first point of contact on Catholic teaching in the Trust
.
Responsible for the co-ordination of the Catholic chaplaincy on-call system and Catholic volunteers.
With patient consent to make appropriate referrals and liaison with local Catholic faith communities
Demonstrate pastoral sensitivity to the needs of other faith and belief communities.
Undertake appropriate Catholic spiritual development and continuous professional development.
Establish effective links with Catholic parishes in the community.
Person SpecificationExperienceEssentialThis 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 SponsorshipApplications 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 detailsEmployer nameLeeds Teaching Hospitals
AddressSt. James's University Hospital
Beckett Street
Leeds
LS9 7TF
https://www.leedsth.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)