Hospital chaplaincy and spiritual care: who can ask for it, what chaplains do and how they are registered

The Council for Professional Chaplains and Pastoral Carers describes healthcare chaplains as providing pastoral, spiritual and religious care in health and social care settings. Spiritual care in this sense is wider than religion. It covers questions of meaning, hope, identity, relationships and what matters most, which often rise to the surface during serious illness, injury, bereavement or a long hospital stay.

The service may or may not have a religious dimension. Chaplains support people of many religions as well as humanists, atheists and agnostics, and the council stresses that they support someone even where there is no formal religious affiliation.

Chaplains are described as skilled at addressing a wide range of pastoral issues and concerns, using their spiritual expertise to help with existential questions about meaning. In practice that can mean listening to fears about illness or death, supporting family members, or helping someone who feels they have lost their sense of purpose, and where you ask for it, supporting a ritual of your own tradition.

They support staff as well as patients and families. If you want a particular faith tradition, say so, and ask whether a chaplain from that tradition can attend or can arrange a visit from a local faith leader.

• A conversation with no religious content, if that is what you prefer.

• A prayer, blessing or ritual of your own tradition, if you wish.

• Support for relatives during a difficult admission or bereavement.

The council advises asking a doctor or nurse for a referral to a chaplain. In acute hospitals, chaplains typically respond to urgent calls 24 hours a day. The council also notes that chaplains are employed by the NHS and other healthcare organisations throughout the UK, typically in small numbers relative to the number of patients, so a visit may need to be arranged rather than being immediate unless the situation is urgent.

The sources describe chaplaincy as a service people request, so it is reasonable to decline a visit or ask for something different. Tell the ward team if you have preferences about faith, gender of the visitor, language or privacy.

The council maintains a register of practitioners accredited by the Professional Standards Authority, whose Accredited Registers cover occupations that are not regulated by law, including healthcare chaplains. To be registered, practitioners must demonstrate that they meet standards, follow a code of conduct and keep up continuing professional development.

The register pages explain that full registration indicates a chaplain meets professional standards and is fit to practise, and that registrants must keep current personal records and document ongoing development. Patients and carers can search the register to verify someone's status and any disciplinary actions, which provides a transparent way to check credentials.

If you believe a registered chaplain has not met professional standards, the register provides a process for raising a concern through its professional conduct route. The council says complaints are acknowledged within five working days and investigated thoroughly with confidentiality protections.

For concerns about the hospital service in general, use the hospital's own feedback and complaints routes. Where distress is severe, tell a nurse or doctor, because a chaplain complements and does not replace clinical or mental health support.