How CHCC members can defend chaplaincy
services
- Remember that it is the NHS employer's duty to provide a
chaplaincy service, not the individual chaplain to bear an
unreasonable work load.
- Do not offer to go part-time,
- or retire early,
- or be down graded!
- This does no one any good. It demonstrates a willingness
on the part of chaplains to de-value their own practice, and
it makes little or no difference to a trust's budget.
- Build into your team meetings, maybe monthly, a discussion of
evidence of success and effectiveness. Use examples, document
them and then use it. Particularly in relation the "patient
experience".
- Remember, chaplains cost the NHS next to nothing but "punch
above their weight" with regards to enhancing the experience for
patients, families, carers and staff.
- Ensure that the chaplaincy in your trust/board is categorised
as "clinical". This will defend it from cuts to management
(which is where the cuts are supposed to be made).
- If you are in a foundation trust, get patients, chaplaincy
volunteers etc to pester the board. Foundation trusts have a
duty to consult - click
here for more information
-
Get involved in LINKs and encourage patients and chaplaincy
volunteers to do so. Click here for more
information
-
Remember that there is a proper consultation process that NHS
employers should follow. If you are in a trust where they try to
make cuts "by the back door", contact CHCC/Unite immediately.
Model
consultation
-
Local Authority Health Scrutiny Committees. Remember that these
can be useful. Model
document
-
DoH England
guidance of November 2003 gives recommended staff/bed ratios
for chaplains. Until it gets replaced with something else, this
guidance is still extant. Scotland also has guidance and Wales is
about to issue instructions!
-
The document "Religion
and Belief" also demonstrates the position of chaplaincy in the
NHS.
-
Please note that the independent chaplaincy professional
advisers are now not only advising on the recruitment and selection
of chaplains but also on service cuts and reorganisation. If
you or your trust would like independent advice on how to get the
best from a team when faced with cuts, please let me know and I
will refer you to the person who organises the UKBHC professional
advisers.
-
If you are faced with cuts please also let me know because you
might well benefit from the advice of a Unite regional officer who
will have personal knowledge of what is going on in your NHS
Employer and will ensure that a proper consultation process is
followed.
-
Also let me know, because we will consider issuing another
press release, so I would like to keep tabs on the situation.
Regards,
Carol
English
Professional Officer
College of Health Care Chaplains/Unite
