Chaplaincy Service

A stay in hospital is often a significant event in the life of an individual. Some of our visits are times of celebration as is the case with the birth of a child, but on a majority of occasions a stay in hospital can be a rather unwelcome event in our lives.

While the focus is on dealing with the immediate cause of our ill health we find we are often confronted with questions of meaning… of finding purpose in the adverse circumstances that brought us to hospital. These questions are matters of the spirit.

Resolving these questions of meaning greatly aids the healing process whereas unresolved questions can have a negative effective on our state of wellbeing, in some cases prolonging our illness.

Here at Greenslopes Private Hospital we recognise the impact of the spirit in the healing process and offer a holistic approach to health care.

So apart from the best standard of; medical, nursing, and allied health care, we also provide an excellent Chaplaincy service to care for the matters of the spirit.

The Chaplaincy service offers a range of options that are designed to be appropriate to the needs of the individual. This is important to us as it is the expressed needs of the patient that shape the level of care we provide.

For some it may come in the form of:

• Of the religious rituals and sacraments of their faith group,
• The provision of pastoral care in the form of spiritual encouragement and guidance,
• The presence of a caring individual who is available to be attentive and listen to their story, and.
• Being given the space to work the issues through themselves.

Chaplaincy support to a patient over the period of their hospitalisation may take the form of any combination of these chaplaincy activities. What is important to us is that you find the level of spiritual care that is appropriate for you in your unique circumstances.

Our Chaplaincy Team consists of:

• An ecumenical Team Leader who coordinates the chaplaincy program.
• A team of denominational visiting chaplains who regularly visit members of their denomination throughout the week.
• A team of pastoral care volunteers who visit on an ecumenical basis those who indicate they would like to receive pastoral care during their stay, and
• On call chaplains available for after-hours emergency.

It is important that you also notify the leadership of your local faith community, if you belong to one, of your admission so that we can work in partnership with them to provide the best chaplaincy support for you.

Upon admission you will be asked your preferred religion and or denomination and whether you would like a visit from a member chaplaincy team. A chaplaincy team member will plan to visit you, however if you desire to see a chaplaincy team member more urgently ask the nursing staff to contact the Chaplaincy Department through the hospital switchboard operators with your name and location.