About the Book
Hospice chaplains have traditionally played a unique part in palliative care, providing human compassion and support to help ease life's final chapter. This book thoughtfully tackles the question at the heart of modern hospice chaplaincy: do chaplains have a distinctive role in an increasingly secular society?
A comprehensive look at why and how this work needs to be done, each chapter will be a rich resource for hospice chaplains and anyone working within a hospice multi-disciplinary team. Taking the form of reflections by chaplains and other professionals, they examine the tension between sacred and secular space, explore how spiritual care works in a changing society, and look at what voice a chaplain has within the hospice team.
Essential reading for chaplains, this insightful book reflects on the important work undertaken by hospice chaplaincies and explains why they continue to be a vital resource for end-of-life care.
Table of Contents:
Foreword by Baroness Finlay of Llandaff. Introduction. Part One: Locating the Work of Palliative Care Chaplaincy. 1. Then and Now. The Most Reverend Dr Richard Clarke, The Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland and Judy Davies, Methodist Minister and Chaplain at Sue Ryder - Duchess of Kent Hospice, Reading, UK. 2. What Kind of Place is a Hospice? Karen Murphy, President of the Association of Hospice and Palliative Care Chaplains (AHPCC), UK and Julian Abel, Weston Area Health Trust and Vice President of Public Health Palliative Care International, and Chair of the UK Branch. 3. Many Faiths, No Faith. Abbas Khalifa, Imam, Healthcare Chaplain, UK, The Revd Stig Graham, Hospice and Palliative Care Chaplain, UK, Kathryn Morrison, Bank Chaplain, LOROS Hospice, Leicester, UK, Martin T. Hill, St. Giles Hospice, Lichfield, UK and Simon O' Donoghue, The Non-Religious Pastoral Support Network, UK. 4. The Contribution of Volunteers. Karen Murphy. Part Two: Reflecting Theologically. 5. A Good Death? Revd Canon Dr Margaret Whipp, Oxford University Hospital, UK and Jonathan Wittenberg, Rabbi, New North London Synagogue, UK. 6. Towards a Theology of Palliative Care Chaplaincy. Revd Canon Helen Newman, Spiritual Care Lead Chaplain, LOROS Hospice, Leicester, UK and Revd Dr Jonathan H. Pye, Chair of the Bristol District of the Methodist Church, Hon. Research Fellow, Centre for Ethics in Medicine, Research Associate, School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol. Part Three: Who Are We? 7. Our Unique Role. Margery Collin, Chaplain, Strathcarron Hospice, Stirlingshire, UK and Jacki Thomas, PhD, Retired Hospice Chaplain. 8. Do We Have a Voice? Revd Caroline McAfee, Chaplaincy and Spiritual Care Lead, Northern Ireland Hospice, Belfast, UK, David Buck, Spiritual Care Co-Ordinator, Sue Ryder - Wheatfields Hospice, Leeds, UK and Ruth White, CEO, Rowans Hospice, UK. 9. Mirror, Mirror. Jessica Rose, Senior Accredited Member, Association of Pastoral Supervisors and Educators, Member of the Institute of Pastoral Supervision and Reflective Practice and Andy Edmeads, Anglican Priest and Chaplain to Children And Young Adults Hospice, UK. 10. Holding the Tension. Lousie Adey Huish, Chaplain, Myton Hospice, Warwick, UK and Gary Windon, Chaplain, Nightingale House Hospice, Wrexham, UK. 11. Our Place in the Shadows. Margaret Jill Brown, Psychoanalytic Psychotherapist, Member of Severnside Institute for Psychotherapy, Founding Patron of The Harbour, UK and Bob Whorton, Chaplain, Sit Michael Sobell House, UK. 12. Our Own Nourishment. The Revd Matthew Hagan, M.Phil, Southern Area Hospice, Newry, County Down, Northern Ireland, President, Northern Ireland Healthcare Chaplains Association, UK and Dawn M. Allan, Spiritual Care Lead Chaplain, NHS Orkney and NHS Shetland, UK. 13. A Creative Resource. The Revd Sally Bedborough, Chaplain, Weldmar Hospicecare, Dorset, UK, Liza Waller, Chaplain, Hospice in the Weald, Kent, UK and Nell Mellerick, Creative Artist and Hospice Day Service Manager, UK. 14. Looking to the Future. Ewan Kelly, Visiting Professor, Research Co-Ordinator, European Research Institute for Chaplains, Academic Centre for Practical Theology, University of Leuven, Belgium. Appendices.
About the Author :
Karen Murphy has worked in hospice chaplaincy for twenty years and has represented chaplaincy at national and international level. She is President of the Association of Hospice and Palliative Care Chaplains (AHPCC).
Bob Whorton is Chaplain at Sir Michael Sobell House and the author of Reflective Caring (SPCK, 2011) and Voices from the Hospice (SCM, 2015).
Review :
Anyone who is involved in hospice work, or anyone working with people who are ill and lost, will find much in this book which is of value.
Challenged by the exigencies of health economies and the demands of secularists, chaplaincy is in transition. The diverse voices brought together by Murphy and Whorton speak to that transition with harmony and clarity about the 'traditional' values that shape chaplaincy identity and care, and that determine the distinctive contribution chaplains make to multi-professional team working.
Fifty years after Dame Cicely Saunders founded the first modern hospice in 1967, this book is a timely and fitting tribute to her legacy. It consists of a series of reflections by chaplains and allied professionals, and is packed with inspiration, experience, and good practice.
This book explores the chaplain's unique role and the privilege of being involved in the lives of those who approach death. Varied contributors helpfully probe the inner life of the chaplain and her relationships with staff and volunteers. It explores the changing role of the hospice chaplain, but has great relevance for all involved in End of Life care. I wholeheartedly commend it to all who have an interest in healthcare chaplaincy.
