Chaplaincy

Contact details

Telephone: 01268 524900, use extension 3503 (24 hour answerphone)

Email: mse.basildonchaplains@nhs.net

Spiritual Care & Chaplaincy

Level C, Basildon Hospital, Nethermayne, Basildon, Essex, SS16 5NL

Chaplains are available 24 hours a day

Supporting you

Coming into hospital can be an anxious time for all of us; placing us in an unfamiliar setting away from all we know.  Having someone to talk to about our concerns can be helpful. The chaplains are here to offer emotional support to patients, relatives and staff.

The chaplaincy team

The chaplaincy team is employed by the hospital to provide confidential, pastoral and spiritual support for everyone, regardless of faith or background.

Chaplains work alongside other hospital staff to provide:

• care and support to anyone of any faith or none
• a ‘listening ear’ in times of sorrow or joy
• pastoral support when facing distressing news
• bereavement support
• trauma support
• blessings - non-religious or religious.

Office hours are Monday to Friday 8am to 4pm.  Ask a staff member to contact us on your behalf, or call in person to our office at the back of the Sanctuary (Level C, by the restaurant).  Outside of these times a staff member can contact the on-call chaplain.  You do not need to be religious to use this service.

The Sanctuary

The Sanctuary is located on Level C by the restaurant and is a quiet space for all to use for reflection, prayer or just for a few moments of peace. The Sanctuary is also a venue for religious prayers and services throughout the year.

The chaplaincy office is at the back of the Sanctuary, please knock to ask for any resources you may need.

Volunteering

There are some great opportunities available across the hospital, and chaplaincy offers some very special ways for you to volunteer – if you would like to find out more, email us.

Supporting Staff

The spiritual care of patients and their families is a Trust responsibility and all staff are encouraged to call on the support of the chaplaincy team when the need arises. This might include:

• support when receiving bad news
• blessing a baby
• religious or non-religious support at the end of life
• an emergency marriage service at the end of life

Personal staff support

There can be times when our personal circumstances or challenges with our work mean that we can become anxious – the team can be a confidential listening ear that is outside the situation.

The chaplaincy team also provides support for bereavement, whether the loss is a personal one or a colleague. We have experience of arranging both religious and non-religious memorial services.

Help for staff might also be sought from occupational health, the wellbeing team or psychotherapy counsellors.

Supporting all faiths and beliefs

The chaplaincy team do all they can to make sure all religious needs are met whilst staying in our hospitals. The team offer the following:

• Christian resources – prayer and worship resources are available from the Sanctuary upon request.
• Communion - spiritual or Holy Communion is available upon request. Please ring 01268 524900, using extension 3503 to talk with a chaplain regarding this.
• Islamic resources - copies of the Qur’an, along with prayer rolls and ablutions facilities are available in the Sanctuary.
• Other resources - prayer books and scriptures from other faiths are available on request from the chaplaincy team.
• Faith leader visits – facilitated visits from local faith group leaders in urgent cases.  Please do get in touch if this is needed.
• Prayers and Services
• Christian prayer and worship - Monday to Friday, 8am to 8.30am in the Sanctuary. No Sunday services.
• Islamic prayer – Friday, 1pm to 2pm. Jumm’ah Prayer in Costa Coffee, Education Centre

Contacting Chaplaincy

Telephone: 01245 515244 (24hr answerphone)

Email: mse.broomfieldchaplains@nhs.net

Spiritual Care & Chaplaincy
Mid Essex Hospital Services NHS Trust Broomfield Hospital
Court Road
Chelmsford 
Essex CM1 7ET

Chaplains are available 24/7

Chaplaincy - supporting you

Coming into hospital can be an anxious time for all of us; placing us in an unfamiliar setting away from all we know and are familiar with.  Having someone to talk to about our concerns can be helpful.

The chaplaincy team

The chaplains at Mid Essex Hospital Services NHS Trust are here to provide spiritual and religious care to patients, their relatives and the staff; and are also available out of hours 24 hours a day Seven Days a week.

The Faith Centre (A209) 

The Faith Centre is a quiet space for all to use for reflection, prayer, to come for help & support, or just for a few moments peace.  The Faith Centre is also a venue for religious prayers and services throughout the year.

Supporting all faiths and beliefs 

We recognise that patients, their families and our staff come from rich and diverse backgrounds and we seek to support the needs of all with bedside prayer or other ritual support and/or resources.

Remembering those we love

There are a variety of ways in which we can support you in remembering loved ones who have died in hospital including the parents of babies or children who have died.

If you have just suffered a Bereavement 
you will find the following practical support helpful.

Supporting staff

The Chaplains are here to support the whole hospital community; including its staff and volunteers.  This support can be to help in spiritual care for patients or might be for your own needs.  

Volunteering 

There are some great opportunities available across the hospital and chaplaincy offers some very special ways for you to volunteer.

Supporting All Faiths and Beliefs

The chaplaincy team will do all they can to ensure your religious needs are met whilst in hospital.

Christian resources

Gideon new testaments are available on all inpatient wards and other prayer and worship resources can also be loaned.

Communion

This is available on Sundays at the bedside on request; both for Roman Catholic patients and for other denominations. 

Communion can also be made available during the week. 

Islamic Resources

Copies of the Quran, along with prayer mats and shawls can be made available for the wards on request.

Jewish Resources 

Supplies to support patients or relatives celebrating a Shabbat meal on Friday evenings are available on request from the Faith Centre.

Other Resources

The chaplaincy team also keeps a stock of prayer books and scriptures from other faiths which can be provided on request.

Faith leader visits

The chaplaincy team is happy to facilitate visits from local faith group leaders.  Please do get in touch if this is required.

Prayers and Services in the Faith Centre

Christian Prayer & Worship

Monday to Friday
9.15am - Prayer
12pm - Prayer  

Tuesday and Wednesday
12pm - Communion

Friday (once per month) RC Mass - 12.15pm

When appropriate, transport can be made available to assist patients to attend the midday services.

Islamic Prayer

Friday
1.15pm - Jumm’ah Prayer
(separate facilities are provided for women’s prayer at this time).

The Faith Centre (A209)

Finding the Faith Centre

The Faith Centre is found by proceeding from the Main Reception to the end of the ‘Atrium’ where lifts or stairs can be taken to the second floor. The Faith Centre is then on the right as you leave the lift or stairs. 

Built in 2010, the Faith Centre is both a spiritual space and administrative centre for chaplaincy at Mid Essex. 

The stained glass windows were designed by Sasha Ward to echo the architecture of the new building and along with the remaining space provide a restful and quiet setting for all to come aside and use 24 hours a day all year round. 

There is a separate quiet space just outside the Faith Room as well as offices for the chaplaincy team.

Islamic Prayer 

Other resources in the Faith Centre

Remembrance books and a prayer tree can be found just outside the Faith Room along with small candles that can be lit to remember those we love.

There is an ablutions room to prepare for Islamic or other prayer; along with prayer mats and other resources.  The Qu’bla direction is indicated in the ceiling of the Faith Room.

We also keep a variety of prayer books and other texts for use by those in the Faith Centre.

Support for all faiths and beliefs

Details of prayer and other services held in the Faith Centre can be found here.

Remembering Those We Love

Remembrance books

We keep remembrance books both for adults and for those who’s babies have died.

Baby memorial service

A Service of Love to remember babies and children who have died is held twice a year in April and October. You may also wish to contact the bereavement midwife for further support.

Prayer requests

Requests for prayer for those in hospital can be given to the chaplains or written in our prayer book in the Faith Centre (A209). These prayers are brought at midday every weekday. 

Prayer tree

There is a prayer tree in the Faith Centre and leaves are provided for you to record your message of love and remembrance.

Remembrance service

Each year on the Friday nearest Remembrance Sunday, a service is held at 10.55am in the atrium to remember those who have died in conflict.

Supporting Staff

The spiritual care of patients and their families is a whole staff team responsibility and all staff are encouraged to call on the support of the chaplaincy team when need arises. This might include:

A patient or their family has received bad news

A family wishes to bless their new baby

A patient requests religious support at the end of life

A patient may wish to request an emergency marriage service at the end of life.

And many more examples

Personal staff support

There can be times when our personal circumstances, or challenges with our work, mean that we can become anxious.

A confidential listening ear that is outside the situation can often be helpful.

The chaplaincy team can also provide support for bereavement both when this is a family member or colleague and we have experience of arranging both religious and non-religious memorial services.

Don’t forget that help for staff might also be sought from the 
Occupational Health Team and/or Psychotherapy Team Counsellors

The chaplaincy department provides for pastoral, spiritual and religious needs and supports staff, patients, relatives, friends and visitors of all faiths and none.

For patients, visitors and staff

The department consists of Church of England, Roman Catholic, Free Church Clergy and lay volunteers in addition to a Jewish chaplain.  Our team work together across the denominations.  We do not try to 'convert' people or to push our viewpoints - we are simply here to help, talk, comfort and give support to anyone of any faith or none.

We visit the wards regularly and try to visit every ward in the hospital at least once a week; you may see one of us during your stay.  If we miss you on our visits we may leave a small green visiting card  If you would like to talk to a chaplain, please ask the ward sister or a nurse to contact the chaplaincy team.  If you have a particular religious background or church tradition it would be helpful if you could make this known to the ward staff so that they can contact the relevant chaplain.

We are available to talk or just listen to your hopes and fears, joys and concerns, and will support you confidentially in whatever way is appropriate.

On the second floor of the hospital is a beautiful chapel where the Blessed Sacrament is reserved.  The chapel is open for private prayer and meditation, and services are regularly held there.  In addition to the chapel there is also a prayer room for those of different faiths, together with washing facilities. Muslim Friday prayers are regularly held here. At Britannia House the HR Meeting Room is set aside as a Prayer Room most lunchtimes. Please ask for details.

In the Chaplaincy Suite we have a number of faith resources which are available for patients and staff to borrow.  These include copies of the Bible, Christian prayer books, the Hebrew Bible, the holy Quran and major texts of other religions.  If you wish to borow any of the resources, please contact the Chaplaincy Office.

For visiting clergy

We are always pleased to welcome patients' own clergy to the hospital and to contact clergy of other faiths if requested by patients.

Under normal circumstances, sacraments are administered by the hospital chaplains and those who are duly authorised within the chaplaincy team.

We are always pleased to hear from parish clergy when members of their congregation are in hospital and to futher good relations, mutual respect and cooperation across denominational and religious boundaries.

In addition to the services detailed on the chaplaincy notice boards, a baby memorial service is held on the third Sunday of every month for anyone who has lost a baby.  It is a quiet service with an opportunity to light a candle for the child.

Availability and contact

We are always available, 24 hours a day, every day of the year for emergency Holy Baptism, Holy Communion, Sacrament of the Sick and for pastoral care.

All enquiries to mse.southendchaplains@nhs.net or you can write to us at

The Chaplain's Office
2nd Floor
Cardigan Building
Southend Hospital

Telephone 01702 435555 ext 6453 (answerphone) or contact through the switchboard who will page the relevant chaplain.

Services

Evening prayer on Sunday at 16.00 and Holy Communion on Thursday at 09.15 in the Chapel of the Good Shepherd, 2nd floor, cardigan building These services are non-denominational and all are welcome to attend.

The Holy Eucharist (Church of England) Mondays and Days of Obligation 09.15.

Holy Communion is regularly given to patients at their bedside.  Please ask ward staff to notify the chaplain on ext 6453 if required.

Baby memorial service on the third Sunday in the month at 15.00.

The chapel is open daily for private prayer and meditation outside of service times.