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They are a friendly face in what, for some, can be a frightening and stressful place and the team are specialists in all aspects of spiritual, religious and pastoral care of the whole hospital. And that is no matter what a person’s religion or background, in fact you don’t even have to be religious to speak to a Chaplain or one of their team.

What follows is a typical day of just some of the ways they help people across the hospital sites in Southend, Basildon and Broomfield.

The team of Chaplains start the day by catching up with any admin and check any requests that have come in from the wards. A request for one of the chaplaincy team to visit, support and spend time with a patient can be made from staff on the ward or families or friends of patients/loved ones.

So, if your loved one could benefit from some company please get in touch. These visits can be tailored to a specific religion or be completely non-religious, with a chat about their favourite TV show, football or whatever their interests may be.

Dani, Lead Trust Chaplain, and the team set up the Prayer room. A book of condolences is always left out for staff, patients and visitors to write in their respects.

Nick, one of the Trust Chaplains, spends an hour with patient Doug talking to and supporting him. Conversations with chaplains are completely confidential unless what is said is a threat to someone’s wellbeing.

Not all the Chaplain team wear religious clothing, so they can be as inclusive as possible.

Caroline, Trust Chaplain, receives a call from one of the wards who need a Chaplain to come and comfort the family of a patient who is now receiving end of life care. Caroline brings along some wooden hearts and offers them to the family and patient as a keepsake. The Chaplains also keep wooden Crosses, Rosary beads, Muslim prayer beads, Holy books and other items for those of faith.

Something the chaplaincy team are regularly called upon to help with is garden openings and the blessing of memorial benches. Here, Lead Chaplain Sue (above) is pictured with Senior Sister Emma Exton at the blessing of a memorial bench for staff members who died during COVID-19. And Revd David, Hospital Chaplain (below) blesses a garden at Southend Hospital.

Jackie (left) is one of our volunteer chaplains. She spends most of her time with families and our staff in our maternity departments.

Ward clerk Jackie said: “Knowing someone is always around who we can call to support the team and families is really important. The Chaplains have such warm hearts and are always approachable.”

Nick is back from visiting Doug and helps Dani who is preparing for an emergency wedding requested by a ward. Dani ensures everything is ready for the wedding to take place. Chaplains across the Trust have an emergency wedding grab box which has everything they need.

Caroline visits the wellbeing hub on her way back to the Chaplaincy office. She catches up with Jo, one of the wellbeing champions. Staff, patients and visitors can all talk to and seek support from the Chaplaincy team.

Trust wellbeing hubs are a safe space for staff who may need support, signposting to additional services or just somewhere to have a moment of quiet.

Caroline spends some time with a member of staff who has come into chat.

Felix and colleague Meymans prepare for a quick service that is open to all staff and patients to attend, regardless of their religious beliefs.

Once Caroline returns to the office, she starts contacting those Jo has referred to the Chaplaincy team for support. She also speaks to the family of the patient receiving end of life care and checks if they need further support.

As Jackie is doing her rounds in maternity, she catches up with new mum Victoria, from Shoebury, who is in for a post-natal check-up after the birth of her daughter.

Jackie has been there to support Victoria throughout her whole pregnancy. Victoria said: “Jackie and the Chaplaincy team have been a part my journey and the support they have given me has been so appreciated.”

Jackie does a little blessing for Victoria and her family before she leaves.

After stopping by to offer support to all the families on the unit, Jackie checks in and offers support to the maternity team. Joanne, one of our midwives, said “Having someone to talk to from the Chaplaincy team is so very comforting for our women, our families and our team.”

Late afternoon and chaplains Nick and Tim officiate a ceremony of a newly installed memorial tree, such trees are at each of the Trust sites and they are somewhere staff, patients and relatives leave messages in memory of loved ones.

At the end of the day the Chaplains all return to the office and debrief. They will hand over any outstanding cases to the on-call Chaplains, who will be available throughout the night.

Sarah Haines, Head of patient experience and lead of the chaplaincy departments said:

“The Chaplaincy team embody the Trust values in their day-to-day role, particularly in times of need, for both staff and patients. All sites have quiet spaces in our Faith rooms for all, regardless of your beliefs. Please drop by and the visit the team to find out the support they can offer.”

The Chaplaincy team are made up of staff members as well as volunteers, providing spiritual, religious and pastoral care to patients, families and staff of all faith backgrounds and none.

If you would like more information, or would like to contact a member, you can find more details here: https://www.mse.nhs.uk/chaplaincy