SACH

Scottish Association of Chaplains in Healthcare

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SACH   Soundings  
 No 29 March 2007

Contents

  Print out SACH Sounding No 29 in PDF Format

Resources for changing times

At the beginning of March the Executive wrote a letter to each member (see Page 3) which I hope will help explain our current thinking about the change in the employment status of increasing numbers of chaplains. It's worth re-iterating that regardless of whether you have been employed by the NHS since your appointment or since January 2007 the infrastructure and support of the Church of Scotland as an employing agency is no longer open to you. The situation for members who are working on a sessional basis is perhaps a little different. Three Health Boards have already transferred all their part time chaplains to NHS employment it is likely that the others will follow suit. The question here is whether it will happen on a Board by Board basis or collectively.

If SACH is to continue to serve its members we must be clear about where we stand in this strange new world. It's quite exciting, maybe even liberating, but it is going to be different. I hope you will take the opportunity to think about these issues as outlined in the letter and let us know what you think. If you would like someone to come to your area and talk this through we'd be happy to oblige.

Those of you who were lucky enough to have attended the conference in Crieff will no doubt be wondering what to do with the lovely piece of blue paper declaring that you have been awarded 10 CPD points. Well, wonder no more. The three professional organisations have, you may remember, been developing a folder in which to record your professional development items. This folder will be with you in the ensuing weeks and I would encourage you to begin to familiarise yourself with it as it will become a trusty friend. In order to prepare for some form of professional registration chaplains need to prove that they are competent and fit to practice and so come into line with all other healthcare professionals.

The other thing that the Executive will be encouraging you to do in the coming months is also part of preparation for registration as a healthcare profession. This is to add your name to a voluntary register of practitioners who wish to endorse the process of registration. I believe that such a register was begun some years ago but it will be hopelessly out of date and we will need to begin afresh. It really isn't an onerous task, simply requiring the provision of some details, but it is necessary to provide proof to regulatory bodies that a significant proportion of practitioners are behind the application.

Having thoroughly enjoyed hearing Noel Brown talk about the origin of the Orere source at Crieff there was some talk about other possible sources of information or material. There is already a sample job description on the website, and perhaps we'll get around to putting up a KSF outline too. I'd like to ask, what sort of things might be helpful, useful or just entertaining? Are there liturgies you have crafted you'd like to share? Training materials you'd like to gift?

With every blessing in your work.

Derek Brown
President of SACH

Derek Brown President of SACH

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Feedback from the SJHC Conference

The international conference to celebrate ten years of the Scottish Journal of Healthcare Chaplaincy entitled, ‘A Decade of Chaplaincy: Change and Challenge' was held in Crieff Hydro Hotel on12 th to 13 th March 2007. The conference was attended by fifty delegates from as far afield as Latvia and Holland.

I thought to give you a flavour of the two days I would quote some of our feedback. Mark Cobb's contribution on ‘Change and Challenge' was described as ‘Excellent, so stimulating. Lots to think about' and Anne Ulanov's paper on pastoral response to global terrorism ‘Exceptional', ‘Fab!' and ‘Stimulating'. Noel Brown gave a synopsis of the papers published in the journal so far – material to give us new editors some thought – and one comment was ‘Very stimulating – made me want to research and write' which is just exactly the sort of inspiration the conference gave many of the participants.

Anne Ulanov

Overall people commented that the conference was ‘thoroughly enjoyable' and ‘The steady pace and excellent input was great' and even ‘Great – do we need to wait ten years for the next one!'. We asked for marks out of ten and the conference averaged 9.6 out of 10 which I think is pretty good and gives no little satisfaction to Tom, Iain and myself.

Finally though, it seems to me that the inspiration engendered by good research being well-presented at an event like this must be harnessed by good planning which then leads to action. Hopefully everyone who attended, and those further afield, will grasp the research nettle and be able to begin to describe our work which, as Noel Brown put it, is so often ‘shooting from the hip' and analyse it for better practice in the future and a stronger profession in the present.

Janet Foggie

Joint Editor SJHC

 


You are worth it

Brown crusted blood stained your face,
Your coat, your skirt, your shoes.
Bright red it oozed through wad of gauze.
Is this the life you choose?

What a sight, your obvious plight
Befuddled in the drink.
Your smell was rank – your face was blank
With eyes that did not blink.

Through blur and haze you knew me,
From times not long gone past
“Come here,” you said, in a voice of pain
And I remembered you at last.

Your father's funeral I had taken.
Your mother knew me well.
I saw your struggle and your tears,
Your life a living hell.

I held your hand and held your trust.
You talked in drunk confusion.
Your bag spilled open, the contents spread
Vodka and tissues in profusion.

The paramedic came and took you away.
A rehab course you had.
“Not the first,” said your mum,
But somehow I was glad.

Weeks later I saw this girl stride out,
Confident, good looking too.
I knew her not as she walked along.
Then, “Is it really you?”

“Yes,” you smiled and we talked a while
You looked so good anew.
My earnest prayers had borne good fruit
I had such hope for you.

If drink again shall win the day
We'll try, try, try again.
We won't give up, you're worth too much
We won't be beaten – Amen.

Ian Knox
Chaplain Blairgowrie Community Hospital

 

 
A letter to SACH Members

February 2007

Dear Colleague,

Following the transfer of full-time hospital chaplains in Scotland to direct NHS employment on 1 st January 2007, the SACH Executive feels it might be helpful to outline some important consequences of this change in employment status and, what action the Executive may need to take in response to these new circumstances.

Prior to the transfer to direct employment, historically, the administration of all healthcare Chaplaincy appointments in Scotland, (except Roman Catholic), had been undertaken by the Church of Scotland. Through its Chaplaincies' Administrator, the interests of all chaplains appointed through the Church of Scotland were negotiated, in consultation with individual Health Trusts and Boards. For matters of life and doctrine, chaplains have always been accountable to their particular denomination or faith community.

On a day-to-day basis, full-time chaplains may notice little change, as they will still be responsible to line managers within the NHS. But, instead of the Bi-Annual Review, they will now be part of the NHS Personal Development Plan. Part-time and Sessional chaplains have been required to submit an annual report of their work, formerly to the Board of National Mission, now the Council of Ministries of the Church of Scotland. As most Part-Time and Sessional chaplains remain under the administration of the Church, these arrangements will continue for the time being.

On 1 st January thirty-three of the thirty-four full-time chaplains employed through the Church of Scotland transferred to direct NHS employment, with the hope that the last individual will transfer, once certain issues have been resolved. The transfer of those part-time and sessional chaplains still under the aegis of the Church, has still to be negotiated with the Scottish Executive Health Department. As a result, the implications of transfer affect directly employed chaplains immediately and, will become applicable to the rest in due course.

One of the first matters to be resolved and, upon which the SACH Executive is actively seeking guidance, is the question of representation on employment matters, a role the Church fulfilled prior to 1 st January. Since the Church no longer has any locus in the employment of directly employed chaplains, The SACH Executive thought it would be prudent to explore alternatives.

While SACH has always been prepared to act on its members' behalf, it has never held an intimate knowledge of employment law. It is our view that, in the interests of all our members, we should look at the question of trades union representation and membership. The emphasis of the modern trades union movement is based

more on partnership with employers in which employees enter into discussions with management over processes of change, acting in a pro-active, rather than a reactive way.

If SACH is to continue to represent the interests of its members in this changing environment, we have to consider what opportunities are open to us. There are, we believe, three options. Accurate information on these requires to be clarified before the SACH Executive can make any recommendation to the membership as a whole.

1. The first option is to retain the status quo and advise members who wish to be represented by a union, to take the personal and independent decision to join one of the healthcare trades unions.

2. The second option is for SACH to make its own approach directly to Amicus to become affiliated in its own right.

3. The third option is to join with our colleagues in the College of Healthcare Chaplains (CHCC) and, in so doing, benefit directly from the College's affiliation to Amicus.

Representatives of the SACH Executive have already held one informal meeting with Michael Fuller, Scottish Regional Officer for Amicus and, plan to hold a subsequent meeting, along with representatives of the College in Scotland to clarify our situation and to look for possible ways forward. In entering into these discussions the SACH Executive is trying to gather as much information as possible, in order that we can recommend a course of action.

The SACH Executive is of one mind regarding the importance of retaining a clear Scottish identity for whatever affiliation might transpire or, ‘new' body might come into existence. This includes the unique status of the SACH Journal. The urgency of seeking to protect members' interests is tempered only by a desire to engage in conversations with members of the College in Scotland, in order to maximise cooperation on matters of mutual concern and benefit.

The SACH Executive intends to keep the membership of the Association fully informed of the progress of these discussions and will make no binding decisions without full consultation.

With best wishes

Derek Brown

On behalf of the SACH Executive

 

 

 

Secular Society?

They (the forces of political correctness) may be trying to quietly secularise British society but in the USA they are having none of it. Americans mostly believe in God, but what sort of God?

  • 47% believe in a critical or authoritarian God who will punish sinners
  • 24% believe in a distant God who set the laws of nature in motion
  • 23% believe in a benevolent God, reluctant to punish
  • 6% - other

Sunday Times
5 November 2006
 

Scratching from the TDO

The "Standards for NHSScotland Chaplaincy Services" document is now published and being distributed. We are very pleased to have done this and so far the reactions have been very favourable. My hope is that they will be a big help in reviewing the chaplaincy service in boards and preparing action plans in order to progress development. If anyone needs extra copies we will try to oblige. Thanks go to the whole team for the work on this project.

Unfortunately due to printing problems the Multi Faith Resource has not yet been distributed but we hope this will be sorted over the next two or three weeks. If you have not filled in your survey I would be most indebted if you could do this. Any return - even to say why it does not seem particularly relevant for you , is much more helpful than a non return.

There are two new projects of importance to chaplains which are just getting underway. A wider group is beginning to look at "Competences" for chaplains and spiritual care providers. Competence frameworks now exist for virtually all health care professions and so this is another piece of work needing to be done. There is already some relevant material out there but we will need to take time to do this properly. There is discussion about "capabilities" as well as or instead of "competences" and we need to decide on what levels there might be and whether spiritual care competency should in some way apply or be possible to apply eventually across all health care professions. Such a framework would be a help in designing future training and education for chaplains as we would be clearer about what chaplains need to know.

The second is about an e portfolio . What is an e portfolio ? - I hear you say. That's what I said anyway. A portfolio is basically a record of work and experience which becomes the basis of a personal development plan for any individual. In it you record what training and events you have been involved in and it is a record of your journey and activity. A hard copy portfolio has been developed through CAAB (Chaplaincy Academic and Accreditation Board) and NHS Education has a project which is looking at how this can be done electronically. I am told that it is or should be quite straightforward, and that those groups who have begun doing it much prefer to have it in an electronic version. A small group representing the chaplaincy associations in Scotland will meet with a couple of others later in May to look further at this project.

If these don't get you excited - I don't know what will!

Actually they need to be done and in their turn they will, I hope, prove useful in the furtherance of spiritual care in health.

Chris Levison

Healthcare Chaplaincy
Training and Development Officer / Spiritual Care Advisor

   
   

The Secretary of SACH is :

Dawn Allan
Chaplain
Marie Curie Hospice, Glasgow
1 Belmont Road
SPRINGBURN
Glasgow
G21 3AY
Telephone: 0141 531 1346
E-mail: secretary@sach.org.uk
   

You can find this (and previous) editions of SACH Soundings in full colour
on the SACH Website:
www.sach.org.uk/news.htm
If you would like to receive
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by E-mail in Acrobat PDF Format,
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Fred.Coutts@sach.org.uk
   

The next edition of SACH Soundings

will be published in June 2007. 
Send news, articles, pictures, stories and ideas by the end of February to:

Rev Fred Coutts
Chaplains’ Office
Aberdeen Royal Infirmary
Foresterhill
Aberdeen
AB25 2ZN

Tel: 01224 553166
 
E-mail: Fred.Coutts@sach.org,uk

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