Spiritual Care & Chaplaincy Services

It is important that the care and support that we provide meets the need of the whole person – their physical, emotional and spiritual needs.

Spirituality can mean different things to different people. Religion and faith needs may be part of our spiritual needs but spirituality isn’t always about faith and religion. Everyone has spiritual needs throughout their lives whether they follow a particular faith/ religion or not. These needs can include:

• The need for meaning and purpose
• The need to love and be loved
• The need to feel a sense of belonging
• The need to feel hope, peace and thanks.

We may do different things to meet these needs such as prayer, attending religious meetings, spending time in nature, listening to music, being with family and friends. Talking about how we are feeling and what is important to us can help to ensure our needs are met. The Spiritual Care Team will help people to identify the things that are important to them as an individual and seek to support them.

The Sanctuaries at Whiston and St Helens hospitals are set aside for people to find a quiet place of reflection or for prayer. The Whiston Sanctuary has a number of dedicated spaces: a Hindu prayer space, a Christian space and a Multi-faith Prayer Room.  The Sanctuary is open at all times and is available to patients, visitors and staff to access.

Muslim Friday Prayers are held in the Sanctuary at Whiston Hospital between 13:00 to 14:00 and is open to patients, visitors, staff and the local Muslim Community.

A Catholic Mass is held each Sunday at 11:00 and a weekly Exposition from 12:30 to 13:00. Bedside Communion is available on request.

The Spiritual Care Team is available for the whole hospital community – this includes all of our patients, their relatives/friends, our staff and volunteers. If you would like to speak to a member of the Spiritual Care Team please ask a member of staff.

Additional Information

• About the Team

  Chaplains

      Jamie Hartwell, Head of Department

      Chris Girvan, Deputy Head of Department

      Carol Walsh

      Christine Jones

      Stephen Bridge

      Mel Finney

      Sean O'Donovan

      Natasha Pritchard

  The Spiritual Care team are also supported by a number of bank chaplains.

• Location

  The Spiritual Care Team are located on level one at Whiston hospital, next to the Sanctuary, opposite Ward 1E in the Yellow Zone.

• Contact Details

  For general enquiries we can be contacted on 0151 430 1657. In case of emergencies we can be contacted via the switchboard or RC bleep 7272 or for non RC bleep 7099.

  Please contact Spiritual Care Team on 0151 430 1657 or spiritualcare@sthk.nhs.uk