Team Chaplain

Team Chaplain (Band 6)

Closing date: 27 July 2026

Are you passionate about supporting people through some of life’s most significant moments? An exciting opportunity has arisen to join the Spiritual Care Team at the Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust as a Team Chaplain.

As part of a well‑established and supportive team, you will work across clinical and non‑clinical areas, responding to referrals, supporting multidisciplinary teams and helping people address their spiritual and religious needs in ways that respect their culture, values and beliefs.

Main duties of the job

• Provide spiritual, pastoral and religious care across the Trust.
• Work collaboratively with multidisciplinary teams.
• Participate in the 7‑day service, including on‑call and weekend working.
• Support volunteers, teaching and reflective practice.
• Promote inclusive care for people of all faiths and none.
• Demonstrate emotional resilience and a commitment to providing inclusive spiritual care.

Person Specification

Qualifications and Training

• Endorsement to practice as a healthcare chaplain by a recognised/established sponsoring faith community or belief group.
• Experience of healthcare chaplaincy.
• Training in health care chaplaincy.
• Evidence of continuing personal and professional development.
• An undergraduate degree (or equivalent experience) with learning in a relevant field such as counselling, pastoral care, psychology, psychotherapy, religious studies or theology.
• Not compulsory to be registered with UKBHC, but the Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care recommends choosing an accredited register.
• Postgraduate qualification (or equivalent experience) with demonstrable outcomes relevant to healthcare chaplaincy.
• Qualification (or working towards) in pastoral supervision, coaching, management or leadership.

Knowledge and experience

• Evidence of reflecting critically on practice and experience of providing pastoral care.
• Ability to discern, assess and provide for the spiritual, emotional and religious needs of patients, relatives and staff regardless of philosophy, belief and value systems.
• Ability to make independent, specialised judgements regarding care.
• Knowledge of the tenets of one’s faith/belief tradition.
• Knowledge of and engagement with faith/belief traditions beyond one’s own.
• Ability to manage time, prioritise workload and maintain continuity of service provision.
• Engagement with safeguarding, information governance, audit, service evaluation or research.
• Knowledge of current research in spirituality and healthcare.
• Experience working in an ecumenical, multi‑faith team that embraces diverse spiritualities.
• Training in research, audit and service evaluation (recommended).

Values

• Respect for others and treat everyone as an individual.
• Genuine kindness and caring.
• Cooperation with colleagues.
• Pro‑activity and responsibility.
• Willingness to learn and openness to change.
• Motivation to make a difference.
• Pride in oneself and one’s role.

Specific Skills

• Work independently while coordinating a team and remaining accountable to the Lead Chaplain.
• Collaborate, contribute to the team and sustain positive working relationships.
• Build and sustain relationships in pastorally complex environments, demonstrating empathy and compassion while taking personal responsibility and initiative.
• Deliver care with kindness, dignity and respect even when own values are challenged.
• Accept and support others across the full Equality, Diversity and Inclusion agenda.
• Create and lead ritual or other spiritual processes sensitive to pastoral context and faith/belief needs.
• Handle highly sensitive confidential or contentious information in a highly emotive or hostile atmosphere.
• Provide spiritual and religious care for the dying, critically ill and newly bereaved, including those experiencing sudden death or pregnancy loss.
• Fluent and effective communication in speech and writing; competence in computer skills (EPR, email, word processing, Trust e‑learning).
• Respond to all referrals to Spiritual Care Services and be willing to offer support during a major incident.
• Practice professionally within recognised boundaries in pastorally diverse settings and commit to the UKBHC Code of Conduct.
• Integrate professional chaplaincy identity with one’s religious/spiritual/pastoral heritage.
• Apply knowledge of ethical issues in health care.
• Use self in chaplaincy practice, demonstrating emotional availability, cultural humility, appropriate self‑disclosure and clear boundaries.
• Cultural competence and religious literacy in diverse traditions.
• Lead reflective practice.
• Serve as an informed theological, philosophical and ethical resource in complex pastoral and clinical situations.

Physical Effort and Emotional Effort

• Walk substantial distances and stand for long periods.
• Maintain personal stability and resilience under sustained stress.
• Recognise and manage personal stress and maintain clear judgments under pressure.
• Practice self‑care to enhance resilience (e.g., meditation, prayer, exercise, journalling, hydration, reflective supervision).

Requirements due to working environment

• Potential exposure to contact with body fluids, medications and x‑rays.
• Attend urgent on‑call referrals within 60 minutes.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and a submission for disclosure to the Disclosure and Barring Service is required to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Salary: £39,959 to £48,117 a year (pro rota)

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