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Job summary

Main area
Chaplaincy
Grade
NHS AfC: Band 6
Contract
Bank: Hours will be offered on an ad-hoc basis as and when needs arise
Hours
Flexible working - 0 hours per week (Hours will be offered on an ad-hoc basis as and when needs arise)
Job ref
345-COM7353467
Employer
North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
North Tees Hospital
Town
Stockton-on Tees
Salary
£38,682 - £46,580 pa
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
11/09/2025 23:59
Interview date
18/09/2025

Employer heading

North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust logo

Chaplain (Bank)

NHS AfC: Band 6

At North Tees & Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust, our main priority is, and always will be, providing safe and high quality care to our patients every day; the kind of care we would want for ourselves and our loved ones.

If you share our passion then apply for this opportunity and help us make our patients’ experience the best it can possibly be.

North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust provides hospital-based services to the population of Hartlepool, Stockton on Tees and parts of East Durham and Sedgefield as well as community, therapeutic and screening to a wider population across Durham and Teesside.

Job overview

As a bank Chaplain, you will supplement the chaplaincy team in the provision of the hospital's on-call rota.

As a member of the Chaplaincy Team, you will work under the supervision of the Lead Chaplain and in collaboration with other chaplains. 

You will be responsible, with colleague chaplains, for helping to meet the spiritual and pastoral needs of patients, staff and visitors at the University Hospital of Hartlepool and at the University Hospital of North Tees.

You will have pastoral concern for people of all denominations as well as those of other faiths or none.  In turn, you will have the ability to enable others from any faith and spirituality to address their spiritual, pastoral or religious needs in a manner consistent with their own culture, background, values and beliefs.

Main duties of the job

This role involves responding to out-of-hours referrals and providing spiritual care across the Trust in clinical and non-clinical area to patients, carers, staff.

Out-of-hours referrals are by nature urgent and will require response within an hour.

Out-of-hours referrals are often of an emotional nature where the chaplain will be responding to a death, baby death or end-of-life or a moment of extreme anxiety or distress.

Working for our organisation

South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust now form University Hospitals Tees and as such you may be required to work at any site across both Trusts.

At North Tees & Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust, we want our organisation to be the best place to work with the right staff, in the right roles, at the right time, to ensure we deliver exceptional patient care and experience.

We will support staff through providing an inclusive and supportive workplace with health and well-being initiatives, staff benefits and opportunities for personal and professional development.  

We recruit for values and “Together we are North Tees & Hartlepool”

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

  1. To respond to out-of-hours referrals and providing spiritual care across the Trust in clinical and non-clinical area to patients, carers, staff.
  2. To be prepared to respond appropriately when referred to patients who are approaching the end of their life and to offer pastoral, spiritual and sacramental support to them and their families at this difficult time.
  3.  To respond, when referred, to support families and staff at times of baby loss with the provision of sensitive pastoral care and conducting services of blessing as appropriate.
  4. To share in the spiritual and pastoral care of patients, staff and visitors in the hospitals and departments of the Trust, whether or not they uphold a particular faith tradition or not, by visiting patients and staff in the wards and departments regularly and thereby maintaining high visibility and availability, as directed by the Lead Chaplain.

  5. To meet any particular denominational responsibilities whilst also respecting and honouring the requirements and traditions of those of different denominations or faiths.

  6. To share in the services of public worship in the Chapel/Oasis spiritual centre and in other suitable places and to administer the sacraments as appropriate. This may on occasion include the administration of infant Baptism.
  7.  To work at all times within the standards set by the Chaplaincy Team.
  8. To work cross-site as required.
  9. To ensure appropriate electronic and paper records are maintained about the work of Chaplaincy in accordance with patient confidentiality.
  10. To share in the communication to patients, staff and visitors about the work of Chaplaincy.
  11. Demonstrate commitment to IWI- principles and flexible working patterns, to meet the needs of the service and staff.
  12. Tackle discrimination and harassment, and promote equality and diversity in the workplace.
  13. Reduce sickness absence; work place accidents; and promote zero tolerance on violence against staff.
  14. Take responsibility for personal, education and spiritual development.

 

Control of Infection

Be aware of, and comply with, all Trust infection prevention and control policies, to include hand hygiene, personal hygiene, environmental and food hygiene. To undertake annual training/updates in infection prevention and control.

Safeguarding

Be aware of and comply with all Trust Safeguarding policies and procedures and undertake safeguarding training as required according to your training needs analysis.

The most challenging part of the job

Managing emotional and spiritual intensity.

·        Chaplains are regularly exposed to intense suffering and are required to provide complex and sensitive support in a context of highly charged and sometimes competing emotions.

Ethical Dilemmas.

·        Chaplains are required to hold space for conflicting views in sensitive and emotive topics.

Limited Resources.

·        Seeking to address the ever-growing and complex spiritual and pastoral demands of a busy acute hospital with limited resources.

Challenging Misconceptions: “Chaplains only deal with prayer and death”

·         Yes, chaplains deal with prayer and death, but not exclusively.  Gently educating and reassuring a constantly changing workforce and patient population about the holistic, inclusive, non-judgmental nature of pastoral and spiritual care is a constant challenge.

 

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria
  • Necessary authorization and accreditation by relevant faith group
Desirable criteria
  • Level 6 degree or demonstrative equivalent experience

Experience

Essential criteria
  • Experience of providing structured and sustained pastoral care
  • Experience of working within an NHS chaplaincy team
Desirable criteria
  • Experience of working with Palliative and end-of-life care patients & their families

Skills

Essential criteria
  • Extensive & demonstrable skills in Pastoral care
  • Knowledge of and sensitivity to a range of religions & faiths
  • Awareness of the NHS and current issues
Desirable criteria
  • Teaching & presentation skills
  • Counselling experience

Management

Essential criteria
  • Ability to self motivate and mange caseload

Communication

Essential criteria
  • Good inter-personal, communication skills and self-awareness
  • Ability to communicate clearly and sensitively in highly emotional scenarios

Other

Essential criteria
  • Ability to represent the chaplaincy service competently and professionally within the Trust
  • Committed to the spiritual and pastoral care of the sick, vulnerable and dying
  • Ability to link the Trust and the community
  • Ability to work alone and as a member of an ecumenical team
  • Car Driver

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Veteran AwareApprenticeships logoNo smoking policyPositive about disabled peopleAge positiveDisability confident leaderDefence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) - SilverMindful employer.  Being positive about mental health.Dying to Work CharterStep into healthArmed Forces Covenant

Applicant requirements

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Revd. Jim Wright
Job title
Lead Chaplain
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
07393983368
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