Hospital Chaplaincy
- The chaplaincy team for the Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust.
(l to r) The Revd Carolyn Headley, The Revd Corinne Smith, The Revd Anne Lindsay, The Revd Canon Nick Fennemore,
Mrs Su Bishop (Administrator), Father Andrew Chandler, and The Revd Jeanette Power.
The chaplaincy team for the Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust, serve Queen Alexandra Hospital, St Mary’s Hospital and The Royal Hospital Haslar.
It can be an unsettling experience when patients are admitted to hospital. Deprived of mobility and independence, with family and friends perhaps unable to visit regularly, and with time to think about their own physical fragility, they may need someone to talk to. That’s where the hospital chaplains can help. They are there for people of all faiths and none. They work with a team of about thirty chaplain’s assistants to minister to patients, relatives and staff, at QA, St Mary’s and Haslar.
They listen, offer sacramental ministry, pray or read a Bible passage by the bedside. They lead Christian worship in the hospital chapels. They also find themselves increasingly in teaching and support roles with staff and as members of multi-disciplinary teams. The volunteer team of chaplain’s assistants focuses on ward visiting and have regular training days.
In addition there are over sixty chapel assistants on a monthly rota for bringing patients to both chapel services on Sundays. There will be a new chapel at Queen Alexandra Hospital and multi-faith prayer facilities, as part of the new building project. This is due to open in June 2009. When the patients from St Mary’s are transferred to the QA site the St Mary’s Chapel will close
Contact the Portsmouth hospital chaplaincy team on 023-9228 6408.
