Chaplaincy and Spiritual Care Manager in Oldham

Main area Chaplaincy Grade Band 7 Contract Permanent Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week (weekend working / on-call / out of hours) Job ref 236-MED-P193-26-B

Site Royal Oldham Hospital Town Oldham Salary £49,387 - £56,515 Per Annum Salary period Yearly Closing 11/10/2026 23:59

Job overview

Lead Chaplain – Multi-Faith Chaplaincy & Spiritual Care

Leads the strategic and daily operations of the Chaplaincy and Spiritual Care Team across the Northern Care Alliance, ensuring inclusive, compassionate support , and highly-quality spiritual and religious care for patients, families, and staff.

The Lead Chaplain will:

• Provide expert guidance on spiritual and religious matters.
• Lead a diverse team of Chaplains across faiths and beliefs systems represented in the in-patient population for the Northern Care Alliance Trust.
• M anage staff and oversee daily service operations .
• Offer direct support in complex emotional and spiritual situations.
• Participate in on-call and holiday cover, with emphasis on Christian (C hurch of E ngland /Free Church) needs.
• Champion equality, equity, and inclusion
• Ensure adherence with national standards, NHS guidelines , Trust policies and UKBHC code of conduct.

Occupational requirement:

Due to identified service needs, the post holder must be of Christian faith (Church of England or Free Church), as permitted under Schedule 9, Part 1 of the Equality Act 2010.

Main duties of the job

Please see full job description for more detail:

Professional Duties

• Deliver spiritual, pastoral, and religious care—including rites to patients, families, staff, and students.
• Serve as lead contact for spiritual, ethical, and interfaith matters across the Northern Care Alliance .
• Manage a personal caseload with diverse and complex care needs .
• Participate actively in care delivery, including on-call cover.
• Manage referrals across disciplines, offering expert support in sensitive situations.
• Uphold UKBHC professional standards and regist ration requirements .

Responsibilities for Patient Care

• Respond to referrals with empathetic spiritual assessments and support.
• Provide tailored care for Anglican and Free Church patients.
• Collaborate with clinical teams to deliver integrated spiritual care.
• Ensure regular ward visits and consistent pastoral presence.
• Lead care in complex settings ( e.g. ICU, trauma, palliative care).
• Continuously evaluate and adapt to spiritual needs of patients, families, and staff.
• Lead Christian services and inclusive gatherings ( e.g. memorials).
• Conduct Trust funerals and remembrance events across age groups.
• Advocate for patients, relatives, and staff in spiritual matters.
• Coordinate Chaplaincy response during Major Incidents per Trust proto

Working for our organisation

The Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust (NCA) provides hospital and integrated health and social care services to over one million people living across Greater Manchester. Our 20,000 colleagues care for people in hospital and in the community, working across Bury, Rochdale, Oldham and Salford, to save and improve lives.

As a large NHS trust we are committed to enhancing the health of our local population by delivering consistently high standards of care and working closely with local authorities and key partners. We believe in our power and potential to make a difference and we’re always looking for people who demonstrate our three core values - care, appreciate and inspire – to join our team.

In return, we can offer you a job role with purpose and flexibility. The size and scale of the NCA means we can provide more challenge and opportunities so your career can always be moving in the right direction. By joining us you can also access a competitive benefits package, including, a fantastic annual leave allowance, flexible working opportunities and protected hours for health and wellbeing activities, helping you to achieve more personal downtime and a better work-life balance.

Learn more about us in our Candidate Information Pack.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

To read more information about the advertised role, and the main job duties/responsibilities please open the Job Description and Person Specification located under the supporting documents heading. You can also read more information about working at the Northern Care Alliance within the attached Candidate Information Pack or by visiting our careers website: www.careers.northerncarealliance.nhs.uk

Person specification

Qualifications

• A degree or equivalent in in subject relevant to chaplaincy
• Postgraduate qualification or equivalent experience in a chaplaincy-related discipline
• Evidence of counselling skills.
• Evidence of ongoing professional development
• Eligible for registration with UK BHC

Professional Registration

• Ordained or accredited person and in good standing the Anglican Church or a part of the Free Churches Group of Churches Together in England.
• To be registered, or to be able to register as a chaplain with UKBHC

Knowledge

• Working knowledge of major faith communities and belief groups in relation to the acute hospital context
• Specialist knowledge of a range of faith/ belief traditions beyond candidate’s own, with particular reference to practices around birth, sickness, death and bereavement.
• Understanding of the structures and working practices of the NHS and how to work within them.
• Understanding of acute healthcare chaplaincy and the ability to articulate service needs and advocate the spiritual needs of service users as required.
• Knowledge of national policy and guidance relating to the managing of an effective chaplaincy service
• Knowledge and experience of the implementation of service evaluation in relation to national and local guidance

Experience

• Demonstrable experience of working as a healthcare Chaplain (minimum 5 years) with additional experience of providing formal pastoral care in a recognised, professional capacity.
• Experience of caring for the sick and or bereaved patients and their loved ones.
• Experience of the multi-cultural, religious and spiritual dimensions of health care.
• Experience of complex ethical, theological and pastoral issues that may arise in a healthcare setting.
• Experience of leading and managing teams
• Experience of working with excluded and marginalised groups and individuals discriminated against due to mental health issues, race or culture, faith, disability, gender or sexual orientation.

The NCA is proud to serve a diverse population and is committed to delivering inclusive, accessible care. We value individuality and aim to build a workforce that reflects the communities we serve. Applications are welcomed from individuals of all backgrounds, identities, and beliefs.

We also warmly welcome applications from serving and former members of the Armed Forces community and their families. Please indicate on your application form if you are a member of the Armed Forces community to be considered under our guaranteed interview scheme, subject to meeting the essential criteria for the role.

As a Disability Confident Employer, we are committed to offering a guaranteed interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the post.

If you require any reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, please contact the Recruitment Team at resourcingnca@nca.nhs.uk

Vacancies may close before the advertised closing date if a high volume of applications are received or where an internal redeployee has been identified.

For fixed-term roles, current NHS staff will be considered for secondments, while fixed-term contracts will be offered to external (non-NHS) applicants.

If you are applying for an internal secondment opportunity, we strongly encourage you to discuss this with your line manager before submitting your application. Any secondment offer will be subject to management agreement and the needs of your substantive service. Where release cannot be supported, the secondment may unfortunately be unable to proceed.

Recruitment Agencies

The NCA does not accept unsolicited CVs from agencies. Read more about this here .

Employer certification / accreditation badges

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.

Name Claire Rathmill Job title ADNS for Palliative Care, Bereavement & Chaplaincy Email address claire.rathmill@nca.nhs.uk Telephone number 01612065167

Additional information

Ian Inglis - Chaplaincy & Spiritual Care Manager

ian.inglis@nca.nhs.uk

Natalie Hackett

Natalie.Hackett@nca.nhs.uk

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