Referral routes
Referral to the Spiritual Care team can be made through any healthcare professional. An urgent out-of-hours service is available 24/7 and a Chaplain can be contacted for advice or support at any time through the NHS Fife switchboard by a healthcare professional.
Referrals on behalf of someone else should always be made with their consent.
Healthcare professionals making a referral should have made an initial assessment of spiritual needs to aid resource allocation. All referrals should include the person’s name, preferred means of contact, and a summary of what they’re struggling with at this time.
Referrals for specialist advice and support for healthcare colleagues looking after a patient or their family are also welcome.
Location
A response will be made within one working day, between 9-5, Monday-Friday. Urgent referrals out-of-hours can be made via NHS Fife switchboard by a healthcare professional.
Spiritual Care Team
We are a small team of Healthcare Chaplains available across Fife, and are based primarily at Stratheden, Victoria and Queen Margaret Hospitals. We are supported by trained Community Listening Service volunteers who provide a service in many GP surgeries and through the Improving Cancer Journey service.
What we do
Spiritual Care can empower and benefit both carer and cared for; nurturing the individual to celebrate and flourish during times of joy and growth, supporting people to find strength and comfort during times of transition, uncertainty and illness. Healthcare Chaplains are available to help anyone explore these issues for themselves, seeking to create a safe space for people to talk and share.
How spiritual care can help
It is not only chaplains that provide spiritual care. All healthcare professionals provide spiritual care as part of the whole-person care they give. Chaplains can be a resource to help fellow healthcare professionals provide that care for others, or are available as a specialist to support someone directly. Spiritual Care is for everyone, not just religious people. Faith and belief are just one of many different ways that people make sense of the world. Chaplains can help facilitate religious care if that is helpful, but are available to everyone.
Spiritual distress is when our needs are not being met. Questions like ‘Why me?’, ‘What did I do to deserve this?’, ‘How will I cope?’, ‘How will they cope without me?’, and ‘Will they remember me?’ can come to the fore. People can become more withdrawn, isolated and fearful, and sometimes refuse care. All of this can come about because of a loss of control or purpose, fears for the future, and relationship stresses, both present and past. It’s at times like this that good spiritual care can help someone explore their feelings and work through them.
When our spiritual needs are met, it’s often described as being at peace. At peace about how things are doesn’t mean we necessarily like what’s happening or wouldn’t want things to be different. Rather, that we’ve come to terms with things and are living well in the moment.
FAQs (Frequently asked questions)
Click on blue question for answer
Is spiritual care just for religious people?
Spiritual Care is for everyone. Faith and belief are just one of many different ways that people make sense of the world. Chaplains can help facilitate religious care if that is helpful, but are available to everyone.
Is a Chaplain for me? I’m not very ‘spiritual
Yes. The word ‘spiritual’ comes from the Latin spiritus; that which gives you life and breath. Chaplains are there to help anyone explore what life looks like, and what it could look like.
Is it just Chaplains who provide spiritual care?
No. All healthcare professionals provide spiritual care as part of the whole-person care they give. Chaplains can be a resource to help fellow healthcare professionals provide that care for others, or are available as a specialist to support someone directly.
Why would I ask for Spiritual Care?
Spiritual Care makes no assumptions regarding someone’s faith or beliefs but, rather, listens and explores as the person tells their story, describes their feelings, concerns and hopes in the context of the illness, and then responds in an appropriate way which helps the person find personal meaning and resilience
How do I know if I’m speaking to someone who is spiritually distressed?
When our spiritual needs are met, it’s often described as being at peace. At peace about how things are doesn’t mean we necessarily like what’s happening or wouldn’t want things to be different. Rather, that we’ve come to terms with things and are living well in the moment.
Spiritual distress is when our needs are not being met. Questions like ‘Why me?’, ‘What did I do to deserve this?’, ‘How will I cope?’, ‘How will they cope without me?’, and ‘Will they remember me?’ can come to the fore. People can become more withdrawn, isolated and fearful, and sometimes refuse care. All of this can come about because of a loss of control or purpose, fears for the future, and relationship stresses, both present and past. It’s at times like this that good spiritual care can help someone explore their feelings and work through them.
Does the Spiritual Care department work with other healthcare professionals?
Chaplains, and other members of the team, work closely with other healthcare professionals contributing to the multi-disciplinary process and are often a central element of multidisciplinary team meetings (MDT). This is to ensure that any approaches to providing person-centred care are discussed, keeping the needs and wishes of the patient and their family at the centre.
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