Do the Chaplains have responsibilities outside of religious duties?

Chaplains are often involved in the initial response to crisis situations and major incidents because of their pastoral skills. They provide support for people in distressing or traumatic situations when they are often at their most vulnerable such as pregnancy loss, sudden infant death, psychosis, self-harm, diagnosis of life-threatening conditions, and end of life care. Chaplains also provide support to NHS staff, students and volunteers involved in these situations and contribute to staff wellbeing and resilience initiatives.
 

Chaplains in the NHS often also contribute to the wider organisation and health and care system. They sit on multidisciplinary care teams, management and leadership groups, ethics committees and EDI groups. Chaplains contribute to and lead training on pastoral, spiritual and religious care; they provide clinical supervision; contribute to safeguarding and the welfare of children and young people; conduct audits, service evaluations and research; and help plan for and provide support in emergencies or major health incidents. They also sit on bodies such as Health and Wellbeing Boards; they may be members of charitable bodies and collaborate with other professionals in community settings and with chaplaincies in other sectors.  Chaplains also connect with faith groups and belief communities which can help the organisation understand local needs and create opportunities to improve services and address health inequalities.