Principle 5
The Needs of Staff Members

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Private Conversations

Chaplaincy and Pastoral Care Services allow staff members an avenue to discuss issues in private that can assist in limiting the negative effect that a hospital environment can have on them.

Although an Employee Assistance Programs is available for staff, the Chaplain or Pastoral Care Worker is also available to staff of hospitals and institutions. Chaplains and Pastoral Care Workers offer staff a sense of religious or spiritual depth which grounds their patient contact in the intangibles of life.

Confidentiality

The confidential nature of Chaplaincy and Pastoral Care means that staff members are free to speak with the Chaplain or

Pastoral Care Worker, knowing that their times of personal struggle or their personal concerns around hospital protocols never enter the wider world of the hospital or the Department of Health.

Diffuse Stress

The Chaplain or Pastoral Care Worker is a resource for staff to defuse stress of many kinds, and to seek professional advice in areas that concern them.

Link to Local organisations

Chaplaincy and Pastoral Care also provides a link to local religious organisations for staff in times of crisis, such as a family death, and may provide an opportunity to minister to staff in place of a local religious organisation by providing appropriate religious services as needed.