We provide a Trust-wide chaplaincy service and can be contacted on the following telephone numbers where you can leave a non-urgent message:
West Park Hospital Darlington: 01325 552045
Lanchester Road Hospital, Durham: 0191 4415805
Roseberry Park Hospital, Middlesbrough: 01642 837396
North Yorkshire: 07768 506512
York and Selby: 07768 506512
You can also send an email to the chaplains at [email protected].
What is a chaplain?
Chaplains are employed by the trust to give spiritual and religious care and can be Christian, Muslim, Hindu or from any faith.
Chaplains are recognised and authorised by their faith community as having the knowledge and experience to give this kind of care.
They are there for people of all faiths and none.
Who can see a chaplain?
Anybody can see a chaplain.
Chaplains are available to talk to anybody about anything. They offer support to service users, carers and staff and are available to people in hospital and to those receiving services in the community. They are certainly not just there for religious people and they will never try to impose their beliefs or their morality on you.
You can trust a chaplain to listen to you and not judge you.
Why would I want to see a chaplain?
We are all seeking to make sense of our everyday lives and to find meaning and purpose within them. Almost everybody has deep questions about why we are here, what happens after death, whether or not there is a God. There may be smaller everyday concerns and questions to explore.
If you talk to a chaplain about these things, they will not impose their own beliefs on you, but help you to think about the questions for yourself.
Even if you are not religious, there might be a time when you would like somebody to pray with or for you, to bring you Communion, to give you a prayer mat and point you in the direction of Makkah, or make contact with a leader from your own faith.
Maybe you don’t really know why you want to speak to a chaplain, but think it might help. Whatever your reason, please do not hesitate to contact us.
How can I practice my faith when I am in hospital?
If you are a follower of any faith, then it is important that you are able to practice it while you are in hospital. Chaplains hold services in the prayer rooms of our bigger hospitals and on the wards if requested to do so. We can provide holy books, such as the Bible, the Qu’ran or the Vedas. We have prayer mats and compasses. We can put you in contact with faith leaders and talk to other members of staff about your needs.
However, we can only help you if we know what your needs are. Even if you do not follow the same faith as a chaplain, please contact us to let us know what you need and we will endeavour to help you practice your faith.
Is anything I say to a chaplain confidential?
Chaplains will always treat what you say to them with utmost respect and care.
They will not normally record or discuss any of the content of your conversation, unless they believe that there is a risk to yourself or someone else. If, however, you wish them to record any part of your conversation they are happy to do that.
How can I contact a chaplain?
Contact information can be found at the start of this document
Members of staff can contact a chaplain for you and if you need to talk to somebody urgently, there is a chaplain on call from 8am to 8pm every day of the year. Members of staff can find the list of on call chaplains via the chaplaincy pages of the trust intranet.
However you understand the word of God, here is a prayer you might like to use:
God bring me light in the darkness,
refuge and strength in time of fear.
Give special skills and loving hearts to
those who support and work with me.
Show them how best to assist your
work of healing.
Surround me with your peace.
L415, V7, 28/05/2019 (Archive: 18/05/2022)
