{"title":"Report for the Association of Chaplaincy in General Practice on Spiritual Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic","authors":"Sarah E. Giffen, G. Macdonald","doi":"10.1558/hscc.41767","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1558/hscc.41767","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":37483,"journal":{"name":"Health and Social Care Chaplaincy","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-07-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1558/hscc.41767","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48034532","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The response to COVID-19 in the United Kingdom led to dramatic changes in the nature and practice of healthcare chaplaincy; arguably the greatest changes have been in the area of mental health chaplaincy. This article provides a personal reflection by a mental health chaplain describing the effects on them, their practice, and their NHS Trust. It shows that chaplains are adapting to these changes. A conclusion outlines possible future responses, since the changing healthcare landscape will continue to be affected by this pandemic for some time to come.
{"title":"Mental Health Chaplaincy in the UK During COVID-19 : A Personal Reflection","authors":"G. Peacock","doi":"10.1558/hscc.41803","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1558/hscc.41803","url":null,"abstract":"The response to COVID-19 in the United Kingdom led to dramatic changes in the nature and practice of healthcare chaplaincy; arguably the greatest changes have been in the area of mental health chaplaincy. This article provides a personal reflection by a mental health chaplain describing the effects on them, their practice, and their NHS Trust. It shows that chaplains are adapting to these changes. A conclusion outlines possible future responses, since the changing healthcare landscape will continue to be affected by this pandemic for some time to come.","PeriodicalId":37483,"journal":{"name":"Health and Social Care Chaplaincy","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-07-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42495638","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Heart failure is a complex, progressive disease with an uncertain trajectory. Those with advanced heart failure (AHF) experience substantial spiritual needs. Spiritual interventions may enhance quality of life and reduce anxiety and depression, but studies are limited and none have focused exclusively on the AHF patient population. This is the first feasibility randomized controlled trial (RCT) to ascertain the clinical and cost effectiveness of a spiritual intervention (spiritual support) in AHF patients. A total of 47 AHF patients were randomized to control (standard care, n = 25) or intervention (standard care plus spiritual support, n = 22) groups. Spiritual support consisted of a one-hour discussion facilitated by trained volunteers using a “Spiritual Enquiry Tool” at two-monthly intervals over six months. Participants completed validated measures of spiritual well-being, depression/anxiety, and health-related quality of life (QoL). Purpose-designed questionnaires gathered information on demographics, NHS resource use, confounding factors, and satisfaction with spiritual support. The new information was to help researchers design an RCT to determine the clinical and cost effectiveness of spiritual support within a holistic model of care for AHF patients. Future trends worthy of further investigation include (i) the possible positive effect of spiritual support on QoL and anxiety, and (ii) possible lower NHS resource use and cost savings in patients receiving spiritual support. Overall, the key message of this study is that researchers must evaluate whether the cost of running a well-designed trial of this nature is justified in the current economic climate, where funding bodies are looking for value for money.
{"title":"Spiritual Support in Advanced Heart Failure: A Randomized Controlled Feasibility Study","authors":"J. Miles, L. Ross, Paul Jarvis, S. Pickett","doi":"10.1558/hscc.41171","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1558/hscc.41171","url":null,"abstract":"Heart failure is a complex, progressive disease with an uncertain trajectory. Those with advanced heart failure (AHF) experience substantial spiritual needs. Spiritual interventions may enhance quality of life and reduce anxiety and depression, but studies are limited and none have focused exclusively on the AHF patient population. This is the first feasibility randomized controlled trial (RCT) to ascertain the clinical and cost effectiveness of a spiritual intervention (spiritual support) in AHF patients. A total of 47 AHF patients were randomized to control (standard care, n = 25) or intervention (standard care plus spiritual support, n = 22) groups. Spiritual support consisted of a one-hour discussion facilitated by trained volunteers using a “Spiritual Enquiry Tool” at two-monthly intervals over six months. Participants completed validated measures of spiritual well-being, depression/anxiety, and health-related quality of life (QoL). Purpose-designed questionnaires gathered information on demographics, NHS resource use, confounding factors, and satisfaction with spiritual support. The new information was to help researchers design an RCT to determine the clinical and cost effectiveness of spiritual support within a holistic model of care for AHF patients. Future trends worthy of further investigation include (i) the possible positive effect of spiritual support on QoL and anxiety, and (ii) possible lower NHS resource use and cost savings in patients receiving spiritual support. Overall, the key message of this study is that researchers must evaluate whether the cost of running a well-designed trial of this nature is justified in the current economic climate, where funding bodies are looking for value for money.","PeriodicalId":37483,"journal":{"name":"Health and Social Care Chaplaincy","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-07-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1558/hscc.41171","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44245695","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This article is the second in a two-part series describing the evidence base for Values Based Reflective Practice (VBRP®), as it is used within the National Health Service (NHS) in Scotland (Bunniss, 2020). Here, the author discusses the conceptual underpinnings of VBRP®, considering the literature concerned with “soul and role” in professional education, and asks whether health and social care professionals seeking to rediscover the vocational hopefulness behind their working day might find some encouragement through this new reflective practice model. Qualitative evidence is presented from ten semi-structured interviews with a range of healthcare professionals who are using VBRP® in practice.
{"title":"Making Courageous Conversation in Healthcare (Part II): Exploring the Impact of Values Based Reflective Practice® on Professional Practice","authors":"Suzanne Bunniss","doi":"10.1558/hscc.40702","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1558/hscc.40702","url":null,"abstract":"This article is the second in a two-part series describing the evidence base for Values Based Reflective Practice (VBRP®), as it is used within the National Health Service (NHS) in Scotland (Bunniss, 2020). Here, the author discusses the conceptual underpinnings of VBRP®, considering the literature concerned with “soul and role” in professional education, and asks whether health and social care professionals seeking to rediscover the vocational hopefulness behind their working day might find some encouragement through this new reflective practice model. Qualitative evidence is presented from ten semi-structured interviews with a range of healthcare professionals who are using VBRP® in practice.","PeriodicalId":37483,"journal":{"name":"Health and Social Care Chaplaincy","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-07-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43566201","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Listening on the Outside – Screaming on the Inside: Reflections from an Acute Hospital Chaplain during the First Weeks of COVID-19","authors":"Lynn Busfield","doi":"10.1558/hscc.41807","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1558/hscc.41807","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":37483,"journal":{"name":"Health and Social Care Chaplaincy","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-07-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47232632","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Values Based Reflective Practice (VBRP®) was first developed by National Health Service (NHS) Education for Scotland in 2011 to help health and social care staff have courageous conversations about the relationship between who they are and what they do at work. The stated hope of VBRP® is to help staff reclaim a sense of meaning and purpose in their professional lives, and reawaken the memory of why they chose to work in a caring vocation. This article describes the history and development of VBRP®, the elements of this reflective practice model, and presents the first quantitative evaluation of VBRP® training with evidence gathered from 138 healthcare, social care, and third sector workers. This study is the first of a two-part series; the second article (Part II) locates VBRP® within healthcare literature concerned with “soul and role,” and it presents further qualitative evidence for and wider discussion of the model.
{"title":"Making Courageous Conversation in Healthcare (Part I): Designing and Evaluating Values Based Reflective Practice® Training for Healthcare Professionals in Scotland","authors":"Suzanne Bunniss","doi":"10.1558/hscc.40701","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1558/hscc.40701","url":null,"abstract":"Values Based Reflective Practice (VBRP®) was first developed by National Health Service (NHS) Education for Scotland in 2011 to help health and social care staff have courageous conversations about the relationship between who they are and what they do at work. The stated hope of VBRP® is to help staff reclaim a sense of meaning and purpose in their professional lives, and reawaken the memory of why they chose to work in a caring vocation. This article describes the history and development of VBRP®, the elements of this reflective practice model, and presents the first quantitative evaluation of VBRP® training with evidence gathered from 138 healthcare, social care, and third sector workers. This study is the first of a two-part series; the second article (Part II) locates VBRP® within healthcare literature concerned with “soul and role,” and it presents further qualitative evidence for and wider discussion of the model.","PeriodicalId":37483,"journal":{"name":"Health and Social Care Chaplaincy","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-07-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48908830","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The term “being” has featured frequently in publications about the role of chaplains in health and social care. Generally, this has described the physical presence of chaplains among people either during routine pastoral encounters or at critical moments in their lives. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to differentiated practices for chaplains in the UK’s largest charitable care provider for older people. Some chaplains continued to be present in residential care facilities; some provided at-distance support; and some were absent, both physically and virtually. This article begins by discussing the significance of “being” in the context of chaplaincy. It goes on to offer examples of analysis, drawing on chaplaincy experience during the pandemic based on six interviews conducted in the final week of May 2020. From these interviews, an evaluation is made of chaplaincy during the crisis as: being present; virtually being present; and being absent. It is noted that questions about the chaplain’s location in a crisis are not unprecedented. A discussion of pastoral care during the pandemic suggests that presence and in-person encounter remain key aspects of being, and that recent experience has clarified the importance of embodied support for those who are suffering. However, it is also noted that under certain conditions a virtual pastoral encounter has value, can convey impact, and is of consequence.
{"title":"Being There, Virtually Being There, Being Absent : Chaplaincy in Social Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic","authors":"Chris Swift","doi":"10.1558/hscc.41870","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1558/hscc.41870","url":null,"abstract":"The term “being” has featured frequently in publications about the role of chaplains in health and social care. Generally, this has described the physical presence of chaplains among people either during routine pastoral encounters or at critical moments in their lives. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to differentiated practices for chaplains in the UK’s largest charitable care provider for older people. Some chaplains continued to be present in residential care facilities; some provided at-distance support; and some were absent, both physically and virtually. This article begins by discussing the significance of “being” in the context of chaplaincy. It goes on to offer examples of analysis, drawing on chaplaincy experience during the pandemic based on six interviews conducted in the final week of May 2020. From these interviews, an evaluation is made of chaplaincy during the crisis as: being present; virtually being present; and being absent. It is noted that questions about the chaplain’s location in a crisis are not unprecedented. A discussion of pastoral care during the pandemic suggests that presence and in-person encounter remain key aspects of being, and that recent experience has clarified the importance of embodied support for those who are suffering. However, it is also noted that under certain conditions a virtual pastoral encounter has value, can convey impact, and is of consequence.","PeriodicalId":37483,"journal":{"name":"Health and Social Care Chaplaincy","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-07-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1558/hscc.41870","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41408443","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This article is a reflection of a palliative care chaplain’s experiences of supporting people through grief and loss during the COVID-19 pandemic. People have died without the support of loved ones present; funerals have been conducted in a very different manner to the usual practice; and many people’s experience of grief and bereavement has been challenging. The role of the chaplain is explored and discussed in relation to spiritual care provision. The author also acknowledges that the repercussions from COVID-19 have presented a challenge for many people who are grieving and experiencing bereavement.
{"title":"Death and Grieving in a Changing Landscape : Facing the Death of a Loved One and Experiencing Grief during COVID-19","authors":"K. Murphy","doi":"10.1558/hscc.41578","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1558/hscc.41578","url":null,"abstract":"This article is a reflection of a palliative care chaplain’s experiences of supporting people through grief and loss during the COVID-19 pandemic. People have died without the support of loved ones present; funerals have been conducted in a very different manner to the usual practice; and many people’s experience of grief and bereavement has been challenging. The role of the chaplain is explored and discussed in relation to spiritual care provision. The author also acknowledges that the repercussions from COVID-19 have presented a challenge for many people who are grieving and experiencing bereavement.","PeriodicalId":37483,"journal":{"name":"Health and Social Care Chaplaincy","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-07-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1558/hscc.41578","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45800277","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
COVID-19 has impacted on the experience of those who are grieving and on the work of those who support them. As a newly appointed bereavement chaplain for a community children’s team, I have reflected on the experiences of those I am working with, and on how my role has been impacted by COVID-19. This article looks at several areas where COVID-19 has affected grieving people, both parents and others. I also reflect on my own experience of working with them at this time, the distress this has caused me, and the values and creativity that are leading me forward.
{"title":"COVID-19 and Grief : A Chaplain’s Reflection on the Experience of Supporting Bereaved Parents and Widows in Lockdown","authors":"Nell Cockell","doi":"10.1558/hscc.41757","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1558/hscc.41757","url":null,"abstract":"COVID-19 has impacted on the experience of those who are grieving and on the work of those who support them. As a newly appointed bereavement chaplain for a community children’s team, I have reflected on the experiences of those I am working with, and on how my role has been impacted by COVID-19. This article looks at several areas where COVID-19 has affected grieving people, both parents and others. I also reflect on my own experience of working with them at this time, the distress this has caused me, and the values and creativity that are leading me forward.","PeriodicalId":37483,"journal":{"name":"Health and Social Care Chaplaincy","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-07-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1558/hscc.41757","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47880829","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}