FAQs

Can I get married whilst I am in hospital?

There are very clear rules around who is able to get married in hospital, involving the senior clinician looking after the patient having to sign a written statement declaring that the patient is not expected to recover, cannot be moved from hospital and so on. The Chaplaincy team have all these details and the emergency number for the Superintendent Registrar who would need to oversee any such arrangements. Please contact the Chaplaincy department for advice if you require this service.

Can my baby or child be baptised or blessed?

When a baby or child is seriously ill, going for major surgery or treatment is being withdrawn, you may like to request a baptism. In these circumstances, a referral will be made from staff to the Chaplaincy department. This involves calling the department during office hours. Switchboard needs to be called and the Duty chaplain requested if there is no response from the department or if it is out of office hours. These are called emergency baptisms. Where requests are made for
baptisms for babies born with no health problems, these are normally referred to their own church.

Baptisms cannot be performed for those who have died. The chaplains will offer a naming and blessing service instead. This service is usually used for those who are stillborn or a non-viable foetus.

Can I request a chaplain for someone who is dying or has died?

A request for a chaplain to attend someone who is dying or who has died, is made through the normal referral| procedure. Chaplains will attend the dying and those who have died, providing support and any appropriate religious services/prayers. If a patient has died, with no identifiable relatives/carers then chaplains may be referred to if there is reasonable cause to suggest that this is something the patient would have wanted.

What are Link Chaplains?

Each chaplain has specific responsibility for the spiritual care within each clinical care group. This means that although they will not be the only chaplain visiting that care group, they will be responsible for the main bulk of patient visiting there, as well as co-ordinating other Chaplaincy visits there from colleagues and volunteers. They will also be responsible for staff support and building up relationships with staff in that area as well as being part of multiprofessional groups, where appropriate, and in facilitating staff training around spiritual care.

Who are healthcare chaplains employed by and accountable to?

Healthcare chaplains are employed by the Trust in which they work and are subject to the HR policies of that organisation. In addition, they are also required to have accreditation from the faith group they represent. Their professional body is the College of Healthcare Chaplains, which is affiliated to the union Unite (previously Amicus). Healthcare Chaplains are bound by their profession’s Code of Conduct and Occupational Healthcare Standards.