Team Chaplain in Warwick

Main area Chaplaincy Grade Band 6 Contract Permanent Hours

• Part time
• Flexible working

18.75 hours per week (This job is unpredictable and there will sometimes be a need to work at unsocial hours. The post holder may also be required to participate in the out of hours emergency on call provision for SWFT) Job ref 203-C583

Employer South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust Employer type NHS Site Warwick Hospital Town Warwick Salary £39,959 - £48,117 pro rata Salary period Yearly Closing 12/10/2026 23:59 Interview date 23/10/2026

Team Chaplain

Band 6

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 3 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:

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.

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).

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.

Job overview

We are looking for an experienced chaplain of any faith tradition to join our team and to work with us in providing spiritual, pastoral and religious care to patients, relatives and staff. This post will be based in our acute team and will work across our three hospitals (Warwick, Stratford and Leamington Rehabilitation Hospital).

You will join a well-established, creative and committed team in a Trust which is very supportive of the chaplaincy service. The wider team includes over 40 very well trained, active chaplaincy volunteers and part of the role will be to provide training and supervision for them. There is some change ahead, with a new Lead Chaplain to be appointed within the next six months.

You will be expected to participate in our emergency out of hours on call provision, which also includes call-outs to the Myton Hospices at Coventry and Warwick. We anticipate this to require being on call one night a week and one weekend a month.

The Team Chaplain is to work with the whole Chaplaincy team in the delivery of holistic, pastoral, spiritual and religious care to all patients, their relatives and staff.

Working for our organisation

Come and join a Trust rated Outstanding by the CQC.

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.

Our values can be summed up in one sentence. We are ‘Trusted to provide safe, inclusive, 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.

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:

We appreciate you completing the survey.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Knowledge, Training and Expertise

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.

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

Adhere to the Code of Professional Conduct (2024) of the Council for Professional Chaplains and Pastoral Carers (formerly UKBHC

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.

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

Person specification

Qualifications

• 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

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

Skills

• 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
• 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

Personal Qualities

• Evidence of working collaboratively, contributing to team and sustaining positive working relationships with colleagues
• Evidence of establishing and sustaining relationships in pastorally complex and challenging environments, demonstrating empathy and compassion while taking personal responsibility and initiative
• Evidence of fluent and effective communication in