INTEGRATING SPIRITUAL CARE AND CHAPLAINCY WITHIN PALLIATIVE CARE

Abstract

Within the field of palliative care recent years have seen a marked increase in chaplaincy provision, and a widening debate on how all healthcare professionals have the potential to provide spiritual care. This article gives a summary of a study day that brought together a wide range of healthcare professionals from hospices and hospitals in Scotland to discuss ways to integrate spiritual care and chaplaincy into the current settings and practice of palliative care. It draws conclusions and offers local and national agendas to take initiatives forward and sets challenges for the host organisation The Association of Hospice Chaplains in Scotland