Spiritual Wellbeing Practitioner

Spiritual Wellbeing Practitioner The closing date is 19 December 2025 At NHFT we hold the view that spiritual care begins with encouraging human contact in compassionate relationships. This entails creating safe and secure spaces for people to talk about the things that matter most to them, to explore what give their lives meaning and purpose in life. The service is highly regarded and its development with diverse and culturally aware practitioners continues to be a priority for the organisation. Our Spiritual Wellbeing Practitioners/Chaplains work in partnership with multidisciplinary healthcare colleagues to care for the spiritual and religious needs of patients, carers and staff across the Trust. The role is to cover two hospices in the county (Cynthia Spencer Hospice and Cransley Hospice) and requires being a visible and supportive presence, working proactively to provide a listening ear for patients, carers, and staff. At NHFT, we operate a model of chaplaincy where our Spiritual Wellbeing practitioners work inclusively to journey alongside people of all faith communities, belief systems and none. Sensitivity to a range of presenting needs and being person‑centred is key. This role therefore requires passion and enthusiasm for working in this way. Main duties of the job Continually update knowledge of culture, diversity, spiritual and religious care, current policy, and research evidence relevant to spiritual care services. Use this to promote and develop safe, effective, and inclusive practice with multidisciplinary colleagues to support people of all backgrounds. Provide spiritual wellbeing training and education to staff. Actively participate in Trust level groups, meetings and forums, as well as wider spiritual wellbeing activities. Hold and lead communal spaces with appropriate role authority in the context of issues and events that require bringing people together for connection, recognition and action (e.g. memorial services and incident planning for unexpected events). Work alongside the Service Manager and Volunteer Manager to select, train and supervise Spiritual Wellbeing volunteers and Honorary Chaplains. Maintain and develop external connections with a range of faith leaders and community support groups to better support the needs of our culturally diverse patients, service users, carers and staff. Given the frequent exposure to distressing or emotional situations, engagement in regular reflective practice and supervision is an essential aspect of the role to support personal wellbeing as well as for informing professional practice. The post involves occasional outdoor work. About us NHFT is an integrated primary care and mental health Trust, providing physical, mental health and specialty services in both hospital settings and out in the community. Because we put the person at the centre of all we do, we focus on delivering care that is as easy to access as possible. This means many of our services can be provided at home, work or in schools. We also provide health services to various prisons and detention centres in Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire. NHFT promotes a culture of learning to improve the care and safety of our patients and staff, which focuses on people who enable our Trust to be 'outstanding' by supporting opportunity, innovation, development and growth. Behaviours and Values Be of a calm, caring and compassionate disposition. Commitment to compassionate, non‑judgmental and non‑discriminatory practice that is inclusive and accessible to all. Values collaborative working with peers and colleagues across the organisation. Ability to work in a flexible way and respond to change. Knowledge and Experience Educated to degree level, or equivalent learning experience, in an area relevant to pastoral, spiritual and religious care and healthcare chaplaincy. Recognised or accredited, and in current good standing with faith or belief community. Significant knowledge and experience of providing pastoral and spiritual care in a healthcare setting. Experience of end‑of‑life palliative spiritual care provision. In depth knowledge of own faith or belief group teaching, tradition and practices, alongside a working knowledge of other faith and belief systems, with an ability to apply this as requested in a secular multi‑cultural, multi‑faith and belief context as requested. Registered as a Chaplain with UKBHC or the Network for Pastoral, Spiritual and Religious Care in Health. Further studies relating to chaplaincy i.e. PG Cert in healthcare chaplaincy/ pastoral, spiritual or religious care, clinical supervision, mentoring, or spiritual direction. Experience in creating and delivering teaching and training programs. Experience of managing volunteers. Experience of delivering digital chaplaincy services (e.g. video appointments). Skills and Abilities Excellent communication skills, with the ability to connect with individuals in a variety of complex spiritual care encounters, including empathetic conversations during traumatic events and handling difficult questions and strong emotions without collusion. Excellent reflective practice skills. Ability to reflect theologically and or existentially. Active listening skills and an ability to respond to others' spiritual needs without proselytising personal faith or belief. Keyboard skills and computer literate e.g. ability to work with Microsoft Office (i.e. Excel, Word and Outlook). Excellent interpersonal skills to build relationships with local faith communities and other external organisations. Excellent organisational skills to prioritise and manage own workload. Disclosure and Barring Service Check This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions. Northamptonshire Healthcare Foundation Trust #J-18808-Ljbffr