Trac proudly powers the recruitment for

South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust

About

South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust (SWFT) provides the hospital services to South Warwickshire from four hospitals:

Warwick Hospital
Leamington Spa Hospital
Stratford Hospital
Ellen Badger Hospital

We also deliver out-of-hospital community services to the whole of Warwickshire and beyond serving a population of more than half a million from various clinics. This includes our Community Teams in North Warwickshire.

What is a Foundation Trust?

South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust was formed on 1 March 2010. A foundation trust status gives us greater freedom to manage our own affairs, and makes us more directly accountable to local people through our Members, who are drawn from the local population and staff.

We are managed by a Board of Directors and the Trust is overseen by our Council of Governors. Find out more about our organisational structure and meetings and papers.

We continue to be part of the NHS and treat patients in accordance with core NHS principles – healthcare that is provided according to clinical need, not ability to pay, that it is free at the point of delivery, and that it meets the needs of everyone.

Our Members actively influence the progress of the Trust and help us to be genuinely patient-centred in every aspect. Find out about becoming a Member.

Contact

Address: South Warwickshire Hospital; Lakin Road; Warwick; Warwickshire; CV34 5BW
Contact Number: 01926 495321

Find out more

Jobs Website

Open

Ref: 203-B381 Vacancy ID: 8056773

Bank Team Chaplain

Accepting applications until: 29-Jun-2026 23:59

Vacancy status: Open

Accepting applications until: 29-Jun-2026 23:59

Location

Site: Bank Nursing, Warwick Hospital
Address: Lakin Road
Town: Warwick
Postcode: CV34 5BW
Major / Minor Region: Warwickshire

Contract type & working pattern

Contract: Bank
Hours: Flexible working

Salary

Salary: £39,959 - £48,117 pro rata
Salary period: Yearly
Grade: (Band 6)

Specialty

Main area: Chaplaincy

South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust is one of the top performing organisations within the NHS. Our staff think this is a great place to work and we hope you will agree. We have recently been rated as 'Outstanding' by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) following our most recent inspection.

We provide services across Warwickshire and beyond ranging from Hospitals in Warwick, Stratford-Upon-Avon, Royal Leamington Spa and Shipston-on Stour to Community Services across the whole county. This includes our Community Teams in North Warwickshire.

We are a progressive, expanding organisation with great ambition around improving quality, integrating pathways and delivering high levels of productivity. Over 6000 people work for the Trust and many of them have been here a long time. People find they don’t need to go elsewhere to find a fulfilling career in healthcare.

The first thing you will notice about us is how we take our values seriously. We believe that our values underpin everything we do. If you are interested in a role with us you need to make sure our values match your own.

Our values can be summed up in one sentence. We are ‘Trusted to provide inclusive, safe, effective and compassionate care’. Throughout the recruitment process you will be asked to think about how you demonstrate these values and how they impact on your work. It doesn’t matter what role you do, whether it is patient facing or not, we are all working in the same way with our values at the core.

Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Checks

Many of the roles we advertise have a requirement for a DBS check to be carried out. If you are successful for a role and it requires a DBS check the Trust will carry out the initial check and subscription to the DBS Update Service, however successful candidates will be expected to cover the associated costs . Details of this will be sent to successful candidates in their offer letter.

Probationary Period

All new staff to the Trust will be subject to a standard 6 month probationary period, the details of which will duly follow in your contract of employment.

Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion

South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust is committed to creating and sustaining a positive and inclusive working environment for all our employees. Our aim is to ensure that employees are equally valued and respected and that our organisation is representative of all members of society. We define diversity as valuing everyone as an individual – we value our employees, job applicants, students, patients and visitors as people. This is reflected within our values of being Inclusive, Safe, Effective, Compassionate and Trusted.

As part of our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion we encourage all applicants to complete a short survey. This can be accessed via the link below:

https://forms.office.com/e/ahWY3eAGM2

We appreciate you completing the survey.

Agile and Flexible Working

All our staff will have a work base. However the Trust operates as an Agile Working Team therefore staff may be working from home on a regular basis as required by the service. However, occasionally travel around Warwickshire and into your base will be required so access to your own transport would be helpful.

The Trust also welcome staff to work flexibly and we would welcome the conversation at interview regarding flexible working.

Staff Benefits

The Trust offer a wide range of additional benefits to staff. Anyone who joins us on a substantive basis can assess things such as the Lease Car Scheme, Electronics Scheme, Discounted Leisure and Travel, Cycle to work scheme amongst many others available.

Car Parking

The Trust currently have limited availability of car parking spaces, as such are operating a waiting list for new starters joining the organisation.

To keep up to date on our latest recruitment activity follow us on twitter @swftrecruit or look us up on Facebook (Recruitment - South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust).

Visa Sponsorship

The Trust will only consider sponsoring staff for certain roles, however this will be considered on a case by case basis in line with current legislation. As an employer we are unable to offer sponsorship to all roles in particular we cannot offer sponsorship for roles below Band 5.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Knowledge, Training and Expertise

Assist and advise external partners, e.g. representatives of faith communities, in the pastoral care of their people while in hospital, and to receive information from them, always observing the rules of confidentiality by which every NHS employee is bound

· Contribute to the development of spiritual healthcare in a multi-faith setting, being sensitive to and aware of the varying pastoral, spiritual and religious needs of diverse ethnic groups, and to assist staff on responding to their needs.

Adhere to the Code of Professional Conduct (2024) of the UK Board of Healthcare Chaplains and of the College of HealthCare Chaplains

Communication Skills and Working Relationships

· Be an informed, visible, and active presence in the Trust, visiting wards or departments frequently; ensuring that the pastoral, spiritual and religious needs of patients, staff and relatives are met.

Communicate clearly and empathetically with patients, relatives and staff at all times.

· To use advanced communication skills and inter-personal skills to give and receive complex information often in sensitive or intense situations, e.g. following receipt of bad news or where there may be barriers to understanding or acceptance

Work with the early pregnancy, maternity and neonatal teams to offer support to parents and families experiencing baby loss at any stage of gestation, or the care of extremely ill babies.

Actively offer a ministry of encouragement to staff and offer time and space for supportive listening and counsel when sought

Help patients, relatives and staff articulate their pastoral, spiritual or religious needs and identify resources to address them

· Ensure that the prayer rooms, Chapel and Oasis are properly maintained and accessible to all.

Analytical and Judgement Skills

Contribute to education programs within the Trust to enhance understanding of spiritual, cultural, and religious needs of patients and staff

Provide support to members of multi-disciplinary teams engaged in pastoral and spiritual assessment or referral, to help this become a standard part of patient care

Planning and Organisational Skills

· Plan and organise own workload

Ensure that suitable religious services, rites, and ceremonies are made available to all who require them, without discrimination and in consultation with ward staff and the patient’s religious community as appropriate.

Plan, organise and conduct adult contract funerals, baby funerals (at any stage of gestation) thanksgiving, memorial, and other services as required

Freedom to Act

Initiate and take responsibility for own work pattern within the parameters of national standards and Trust polices

Attend appropriate meetings related to work, both inside and outside the Trust

Be a part of the Chaplaincy response within the Trust’s major incident plans and response.

Management Responsibility

Supervise trainee chaplains and chaplaincy volunteers as required

Responsibility for Patient Care

· Provide specialised advice, and pastoral/spiritual/religious support to patients and their relatives

Make provision for complex spiritual, pastoral or religious needs of patents, relatives and staff, especially those who are unable to engage with their usual place or manner of worship

Help patients, relative or staff articulate their pastoral, spiritual ad religious needs and identify resources to address them

Be readily available and supportive to relatives and patients, particularly those who are bereaved or struggling with diagnosis, and those who are close to the end of life, to ensure that sensitive, efficient, and appropriate pastoral or spiritual care is given at all times.

Respond to the practical and existential needs arising from the impact of illness, death and dying on individuals and families

To facilitate, when requested, visits to patients by their own faith leader

Responsibility for Policy/Service Development

Assist in providing a comprehensive spiritual, pastoral and religious care service to the Trust, including provision of spiritual healthcare information

Share responsibility for the implementation of policy and service development within Trust parameters

Share in the implementation of pastoral, spiritual and religious healthcare polices

Contribute to the professional development of the chaplaincy team

Develop interests in specific areas of healthcare

Review own working practice in conjunction with line manager, and propose changes as appropriate

Contribute to making the hospital a place of equality for people of all faiths, beliefs, spiritualities and none.

Responsibility for Financial and Physical Resource

d Handle donations to chaplaincy from members of the public as needed, ensuring all correct procedures are followed

Responsibility for Information Resources

· Maintain adequate notes of referrals and work done, on chaplaincy work record and, where appropriate, in patient medical notes

· Access Lorenzo, Badgernet, Digit and EPR for patient information

Responsibility for Research and Development

Undertake surveys and audits necessary for own work and for research and development purposes

Physical Skills/Physical Effort

· The post holder needs to be able to access wards and departments and be at ease by a patient’s bedside. There is also a degree of computer and desk work

· Accompany relatives in viewing of deceased patients in the mortuary

Mental Effort

· The work pattern is unpredictable and there are frequent interruptions. The post holder needs to be able to prioritise, and re-prioritise at speed

Emotional Effort

· The post holder needs to be able to handle highly distressing or emotional circumstances, eg in supporting patients, relatives or staff following terminal illness, bereavement, or sudden death of infants or children.

The post holder needs to have a developed self awareness and commitment to seeking help when needed

The post holder needs to be able to respond and minister with integrity to people who hold a philosophy, belief or faith system different to their own

Engage in regular reflective practice

Maintain a strong patient focus throughout the course of the patient’s care in hospital

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Sometimes we get a lot of applications for our roles. On those occasions we might close the job early. If you don’t want to miss out we recommend submitting your application as early as possible.

The Trust use an Applicant Management System called TRAC which helps us manage the recruitment process. All communications regarding your application will come via TRAC (even if you applied via NHS Jobs).

Please check your TRAC account regularly and ensure your email is set up to accept messages so they don't go into your junk/spam folder.

We aim to shortlist all vacancies within 2 days of the vacancy closing, we will get back to all candidates ASAP.

Please ensure all sections of the application form are completed fully. Please particularly ensure that you provide full details of all referees including business email address, telephone contact details and postal address.

South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust is an equal opportunities employer who is committed to Equality and Diversity and does not tolerate discrimination or harassment on the grounds of any protected characteristic as defined by the Equality Act 2010.

All South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust sites are smoke free. We feel it’s a great way to help our patients, visitors and staff stay healthy.

The Trust is part of a ‘Foundation Group’ through a strategic alliance with Wye Valley NHS Trust, George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust and Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust. This partnership is great for the sustainability of all four organisations and allows us to share learning and maximise opportunities to ensure the delivery of high quality health and care services for our local populations.

Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria

Bachelor’s Degree (or equivalent work or life experience) with demonstrable learning in a relevant field such as counselling, pastoral care, psychology, psychotherapy, religious studies or theology.
Endorsement to practice as a healthcare chaplain by a recognized/established sponsoring faith community or belief group.
Evidence of annual continued professional development relevant to healthcare chaplaincy to UKBHC standards
Post-graduate qualification (or equivalent life or work experience or working towards) with demonstrable outcomes of learning relevant to healthcare chaplaincy
Registration, or ability to be registered with the UKBHC
Qualification (or working towards) in pastoral supervision (such as those recommended by APSE), coaching, management or leadership

Experience

Essential criteria

At least 2 years full time experience, or equivalent, of working as a designated healthcare chaplain

Desirable criteria

Experience of supervising volunteers

Skills

Essential criteria

Demonstrable knowledge of tenets of own faith/belief tradition
Knowledge of and engagement with faith/belief traditions beyond own
Evidence of proactive practice of CPD
Knowledge of current research in healthcare chaplaincy
Evidence of offering spiritual care beyond own faith/belief boundaries with evidence of commitment to an inclusive approach to chaplaincy
Evidence of reflecting critically on the practice and experience of providing pastoral care, and on finding/searching for meaning through exploration of spiritual issues encountered in sickness, mental health, dying, death and bereavement
Evidence of the ability to manage time prioritizing workload including a commitment to continuity of service provision

Desirable criteria

Engagement with safeguarding, information governance, audit, service evaluation or research
Training in research, audit and service evaluation
Ability to deliver training at a variety of levels
Ability to adapt ritual (which can come from a variety of sources) in an appropriate style to context in clinical environments
Cultural competence and religious literacy in diverse religious, spiritual and pastoral traditions
Ability to lead reflective practice
Act as an informed theological/philosophical and ethical resource in complex pastoral and clinical situations
Evidence of self-care to enhance resilience or manage stress – e.g. meditation, prayer, exercise, journalling, reflective supervision