Spiritual Care
Introduction
Hello and welcome,
At Trinity we understand that a life-limiting illness can bring many emotions, questions, and uncertainties to the fore.
Spiritual care is here to support you, whatever your beliefs or background. It’s about helping you find comfort, meaning, and peace—whether that comes from faith, personal values, or simply reflecting on your life.
Our compassionate spiritual care team is here to listen, talk, and walk alongside you on this journey. We offer a safe, non-judgmental space where you can express your thoughts, fears, hopes, and memories. You don’t need to be religious to receive spiritual care—it’s about caring for your whole self, including your emotional and inner needs.
Whether you’re seeking prayer, exploring life’s big questions, or just needing someone to talk to, we’re here for you. Let us help you find strength and comfort during this time.
Helen Houston (Chaplain) supporting a family
Spiritual Care in the Hospice Movement
It was Dame Cicely Saunders (1918-2005), founder of the modern hospice movement, who saw spiritual care as essential to holistic end-of-life care. She taught her staff to see that pain could be physical, emotional, social or spiritual, a combination of these, or all of these at the same time.
For Dame Cicely, spiritual care was not limited to religious practices but involved helping patients find meaning, peace, and comfort. It emphasized compassionate listening, allowing people to express fears, hopes, and unresolved issues. Her approach aimed to affirm each person’s value, supporting them to live fully until the end and helping families cope with grief and loss. Trinity Hospice is proud to follow in her footsteps.
‘Just Ask’
To help us care for our patients’ spiritual needs, we use a spiritual care assessment tool called ‘Just Ask’. There are the questions that make up ‘Just Ask’:
- In difficult times, what keeps you going?
- What would matter most to you as time becomes short?
- What does ‘peaceful’ mean to you?
- What thoughts or beliefs bring meaning and purpose to your life?
Patients are routinely asked these questions when they are new to our services or clerked into the In-Patient Unit. A clinician or chaplain will normally ask these questions and may follow up with some more questions to aid our understanding and tailor our support.
Chaplaincy and Spiritual Care
Who we are
The Chaplaincy and Spiritual Care team is a small team made up of people from a variety of backgrounds and beliefs. The team is led by the chaplain. The team’s office can be found in the In-Patient Unit building. The office door is open to patients, their families and supporters, staff and volunteers. We are an inclusive team and see everyone who would like to be seen.
What we do
Chaplaincy support can include:
- Regular visits
- Offering personal prayer and confidential spiritual support
- Facilitating the support of local faith communities and belief groups
- Bedside communion services
- Helping to facilitate private services
- Providing prayer or meditation resources for personal use
- The offer of home visits
- Blessings at the end of life
- Help in discussing funerals
- Bereavement support
Remembrance Services
We hold two big remembrance services in the year, ‘Light Up A Life’ falls in December, and there is normally another gathering in the summer (please see: Our events - Trinity Hospice).
We also hold nine, smaller, ‘Evenings of Remembrance’, in our chapel at Trinity. They are designed for families of those who received care from the hospice and its family of services. Whether you are wishing to mark an anniversary, an important date or simply needing a place to sit and be with others who are grieving, the Evenings of Remembrance provide a chance to give thanks and reflect upon the lives of loved ones. For more information and to book a place please see: 2025 Evenings of Remembrance - Trinity Hospice
The Hospice Chapel
Our chapel is in the main reception area of the In-Patient Unit building and is open at any time as a quiet space for personal reflection or prayer. There are inspirational readings and prayer request slips available. Morning prayer happens most mornings and other services are available on request. A guided, self-led meditation can also be obtained.
Anyone can use the chapel: patients, family members, friends, staff and volunteers, people who follow a religion and people who follow their own beliefs, are all very welcome.
In the chapel we have six large paintings by renowned artist Penny Warden. Collectively known as ‘The Dance’, they tell the story of patient care at the hospice. A seventh smaller painting called ‘Hope’ can also be viewed. To find out more about the artwork, please click here.
Contacting us
Please note, we are happy to talk to anyone using Trinity’s services, you don’t need to be religious to use us. We will also talk about anything that is on your mind.
Just ‘phone the main hospice ‘phoneline, (01253) 358881, and speak to someone in main reception, tell them you’d like to talk to the Chaplaincy team and your call will be transferred. Alternatively, it is possible to email helen.houston1@nhs.net ‘Phone calls and messages will be responded to as soon as practicable.
In order to aid communication, it may be helpful to know that the chaplain works five days a week and can be contacted during normal office hours. If the chaplain isn’t available, please leave a message with a member of the reception team.
If it’s an emergency and the chaplain isn’t available, please ask to speak to one of the nurses who is caring for your or your loved one, and they will do the best they can to help you. Please be aware that we only have limited access to an out of hours Chaplaincy service. If you think you may need a chaplain, please contact the hospice sooner rather than later.
Helen Houston - Chaplain
