Band 5 – Staff Support Chaplain, Corporate Nursing
The closing date is 23 July 2026.
We are looking for a compassionate and experienced Staff Support Chaplain to join our Spiritual and Pastoral Care team, with a primary focus on supporting the wellbeing of staff across West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.
The Spiritual and Pastoral Care department provides inclusive pastoral, spiritual, ethical and religious support to patients, staff, visitors and placement students.
As the Staff‑Facing Chaplain, you will play a key role in leading and developing the chaplaincy staff support service while working collaboratively with a diverse multi‑faith team, religious visitors, placement students and chaplaincy volunteers. You may also act as faith lead for your community where required, while providing inclusive chaplaincy support to people of all faiths and none.
The postholder will offer confidential, non‑judgemental emotional, spiritual and pastoral support to staff, providing a compassionate listening ear during personal difficulty, workplace stress, ethical challenge and following traumatic or critical incidents.
You will work shifts covering 9:00 am to 5:00 pm Monday to Friday, with weekend and out‑of‑hours on‑call on a rota basis.
Main duties of the job
- Provide confidential pastoral, spiritual and emotional support to individual staff members and teams.
- Respond to critical incidents, traumatic events and other situations affecting staff, providing immediate pastoral support and coordinating follow‑up.
- Develop and deliver initiatives that promote staff wellbeing, resilience and reflective practice, including remembrance events and faith‑based provision where appropriate.
- Plan and lead acts of worship, memorial services and other ceremonies, and provide religious rites and pastoral care in accordance with your faith tradition and the diverse needs of the Trust.
- Support staff experiencing bereavement by providing pastoral care, spiritual support and guidance around remembrance and memorial services.
Job responsibilities
As a Staff‑Facing Chaplain, you will promote the wellbeing of colleagues across the Trust by providing compassionate, inclusive pastoral, spiritual and emotional support.
You will work closely with the Lead Chaplain and the wider multi‑faith chaplaincy team to deliver a high‑quality, accessible service that reflects the diverse communities we serve.
You will collaborate with Wellbeing, Occupational Health, Human Resources and other multidisciplinary teams to promote a culture of compassion, resilience and inclusion.
The successful candidate will be an experienced Healthcare Chaplain with a recognised qualification and a passion for supporting people in a busy healthcare environment.
Person Specification
Education and qualifications
- A degree or recognised theological qualification, pastoral care or related field.
- Ordained or accredited as a leader in a recognised faith community.
- Authorisation/ licence to minister from an accountable agency in the UK for Healthcare Chaplaincy settings.
- Healthcare Chaplaincy Certification or working towards certification.
Knowledge
- Work independently in high‑pressure situations.
- Lead services of worship in differing situations.
- Collaborate comfortably with other disciplines at all levels.
- Work collaboratively across denominational boundaries and have an interest in multi‑faith issues.
- Understand contemporary healthcare philosophy and environment.
- Advise staff, patients and carers on spiritual and multicultural issues.
- Co‑operate with medical, nursing and management staff in meetings and discuss the spiritual care of patients.
- Provide support and supervision to multidisciplinary teams engaged in spiritual needs assessment and referral.
- Participate in Health Care Ethics debate.
Experience
- Interfaith capability: support people of all faiths and none.
- Proven experience in pastoral care, counselling or chaplaincy.
- Pastoral care of bereaved people, including children and terminally ill patients.
- Experience with bereavement through miscarriage, stillbirth and neonatal death.
- Communicate and work with staff, patients and visitors in sensitive, distressing and traumatic situations.
- Ordained with a minimum of three years’ experience of pastoral ministry.
- Experience working in a multidisciplinary environment.
- Administer the Sacraments.
- Discern various stress levels in hospital staff and colleagues.
- Experience of counselling, pastoral and/or bereavement care.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and requires a submission for Disclosure to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
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