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11 June 2003

Contents Soundings:14

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Gillian Munro has been appointed at Head of Department of Spiritual and Religious Care in
NHS Tayside
 

SACH  Soundings
 No 14: June 2003

Page 3

A Vision for NHS Tayside
 

Like many other areas, Tayside has a varied population and varied needs from a busy city to market towns to rural communities. So what is our vision for Spiritual Care in NHS Tayside?
We are fortunate in having three whole time positions for chaplains at present with a large number of part-time posts in which people are caring for those in the specialist palliative care unit, supporting the acute sector, working in mental health and caring for those in the community hospitals.
However, no matter how valuable the work already being done, there are large areas where spiritual care is not being given or where different resources are required. As care in the community has developed the support given to people in hospital has not always followed them. Excellent work is being done by staff in many day centres but as this has developed, spiritual care has not always been included.
We are concerned for those who are most vulnerable - patients who need someone safe to offload their innermost feelings to. So we wish to provide those they can trust who will listen to them and accept and value them for themselves.
Then there are those family members and friends who care for patients in their homes, their frustrations as they watch, their tiredness as they cope day after day often overlooked. So a companion to listen and simply be there.
Staff members work under a lot of stress, but with encouragement and support may find their work more rewarding and feel valued for themselves.
By establishing a Department of Spiritual Care NHS Tayside has provided the means by which its chaplains may come to work more closely together as a team, a tool by which a review of chaplaincy may take place to provide the best possible support and care with the resources available, a resource to ensure that all people receive the spiritual care they ask for, and additional care time for patients, their families and staff through the new appointment of a Head of Department.
The Scottish Executive is encouraging us to use the gifts of volunteers, people who are willing to give of their time to help others in need. In the review of spiritual care for NHS Tayside we will be considering developing a network of volunteer visitors and befrienders who would go out into wards to be a listening ear to those who are anxious or at the instigation of key workers in the community, be ready to be a companion to those who are lonely.
So our vision for spiritual care in NHS Tayside is to provide Spiritual Care to all people of any faith or none, wherever they may be and whatever role they assume, patient, carer, friend or professional and to do this by being a Resource for professionals, providing Information for patients and carers, Supporting all who need this and, through Education, developing the skills of Spiritual Care Givers in appropriate places at appropriate times.

Gillian Munro
Head of Department of Spiritual Care, NHS Tayside
 

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Within a minute of Fred Coutts sending out an general E-mail message to SACH members asking for material for this edition of SACH Soundings, a reply came from Bangalore! Lorna Murray and her husband Derek are spending a year teaching there. Lorna was previously working in Mental Health Chaplaincy in Edinburgh. She writes:
“Thanks for e-mail about SACH Soundings which we have just received in an internet place a short rickshaw ride away from Baptist Hospital. We begin teaching the diploma in pastoral counselling course at the Theological on Tuesday. Three students are hoping to be pastors and one a counsellor. Please pray for the farmers here because of the serious drought in this state.”
 

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