Introducing the concept of Spiritual Care in a Healthcare Context

1. Introducing the concept of Spiritual Care in a Healthcare Context Presented by Rev Peter Gomm Children’s Hospital Chaplain And Deputy Chaplaincy Manager

2. Why do we need to know about spiritual care? The Psychiatrist R.D.Laing once wrote ‘Life is a sexually transmitted disease with 100% mortality’ - Integral to health & wellbeing - Central to good medical and nursing care. - An aspect of ‘holistic’ or ‘total person’ care

3. What is Spirituality? • Human desire & quest for meaning • The essence of who I am- my unique identity • Shaped by our experience & context • Patients asking challenging questions • Beyond the physical, mental, emotional yet encompasses all of them • Integral to a Religion or faith structure for many people but not all

4. Context of being ill • When we are healthy we take life’s pursuit for granted • Health problems can threaten our ‘peace’. • It can lead to ‘existential’ questioning • It can arouse strong emotions • It may affect a patient’s self-esteem and confidence

5. Basic Spiritual Care: includes a faith context Patient and family

6. Basic Spiritual Care Things to remember: • A duty to be aware of patient’s religion, spiritual & cultural needs. • Inform patient about the chaplaincy and how to access them • It is about the patient’s spirituality and not our own

7. Basic Spiritual Care • Empathy • Emotional support • Listen to spiritual concerns “As patients may express their needs only once, it is important for those assessing need to be highly attuned to the spiritual dimension of patient care” (NICE, 2004,Supportive & Palliative Care Services for Adults with Cancer, p96, section 7.7).

8. Basic Spiritual Care • Basic Spiritual care is really nothing more and nothing less than good humane care. “we are people first and professionals second…it is the people part of us that is required most in our offering of spiritual care” (Tom Gordon, A Need for living, 2001, page 41).

9. Basic Spiritual Care Some helpful things to remember: • Refer if necessary to a specialist • Look after yourself • Spirituality and religion are not the same

10. Specialist Spiritual Care: Making good use of Chaplains and staff with particular experience and training. The Chaplaincy offers basic spiritual care plus: • Use of reminiscence for spiritual assessment and appropriate support • Helping patients to express themselves • Religious support • On call 24/7 for Christian denominations • Support for other Faith groups • Multi Faith Centre, religious facilities.