Chaplain Full Time

Job content

Job Overview

University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust is delighted to offer a fantastic opportunity to work with us.

Please see below for detailed job description of the role.

Main duties of the job

We are seeking a compassionate Band 5 Chaplain to provide spiritual, pastoral, and emotional support to patients, families, and staff across our organisation.

Working under the guidance of the Spiritual Care Manager or designated deputy, you will contribute to the delivery of holistic, person‑centred care, offering inclusive spiritual support to people of all faiths, beliefs, and none, in line with NHS values.

You will work alongside clinical teams and chaplaincy colleagues to respond to pastoral needs across the organisation, supporting dignity, compassion, and wellbeing.

This role is suitable for a chaplain who is developing their professional practice and is committed to reflective learning and supervision.

Working for our organisation

University Hospital Southampton is one of England’s largest acute teaching Trusts, offering a wide range of learning and development opportunities to support your career aspirations.

Located on the south coast with an international airport and direct rail links to London, Southampton offers an ideal setting to live and work, with the New Forest, South Downs and Jurassic Coast.

We believe that using technology wisely shows strong time management and commitment to innovation. However, personalizing your recruitment application to highlight your unique skills and experiences is crucial. Relying too heavily on generic, AI-generated content instead of drawing from your own strengths and accomplishments may lead to your application being rejected if multiple candidates present identical or similar information.

At UHS we’re committed to providing a flexible working environment where possible. Whether you are balancing family, study, or your wellbeing with your career, we want to support you so you can help our patients.

At UHS, we proudly champion individuality, recognizing that outstanding care is only possible with a diverse, inclusive team. We’re committed to creating an anti-racist, anti-discriminatory environment where everyone feels valued, safe, and empowered to make a meaningful impact in our communities. We welcome applicants of all backgrounds, identities, and experiences to join us in building a healthcare community where everyone can belong, thrive, and contribute.

Detailed Job Description And Main Responsibilities

Please refer to the JDPS for full details.

The Key Responsibilities Of The Role Include The Following

• Deliver inclusive, multi‑faith chaplaincy support that respects diversity, cultural backgrounds, and individual choice.
• Work collaboratively with clinical teams, chaplaincy colleagues, and faith representatives to contribute to holistic, person‑centred care.
• Maintain appropriate documentation and engage in supervision, reflective practice, and ongoing professional development.

Experience/skills

• Ordained and Licensed/ Authorised by appropriate faith group to practice as a Healthcare Chaplain
• Excellent listening, communication, and relationship‑building skills, with the ability to support people in sensitive and complex situations.
• Demonstrates strong commitment to equality, diversity, inclusion, and respectful multi‑faith practice.
• Ability to work effectively as part of a multidisciplinary team while managing own workload with supervision.
• The post includes occasional weekend working and evening shifts, with hours worked up to 6pm as part of a rota.

Person specification

Qualifications, Knowledge And Experience

Essential criteria

• Ordained and Licensed/ Authorised by appropriate faith group to practice as a Healthcare Chaplain
• Degree in Theology or equivalent training/qualification
• Knowledge of a range of religions
• Experience of leading groups, leading worship and preaching.
• Offer spiritual care beyond own faith/ belief boundaries with evidence of commitment to an inclusive approach to chaplaincy
• Experience in bereavement support skills and pastoral care
• Competent in ministry/leading worship and able to work confidently in a multi-denominational and multi-faith setting

Desirable criteria

• Counselling qualification/training (or working towards).
• Postgraduate qualification (or equivalent life or work experience or working towards) with demonstrable outcomes of learning relevant to healthcare chaplaincy
• Knowledge of ethical issues
• Experience in Chaplaincy

Skills and competencies

Essential criteria

• Collaborative approach
• Communication
• Emotional intelligence
• General IT skills
• Incident resolution
• Influencing
• Interpersonal skills
• Keyboard skills
• Multitasking
• Networking skills
• Teamwork
• Time management
• Working autonomously

trust values

Essential criteria

• Patients First
• Always Improving
• Working Together