Chaplaincy for the 21st century, for people of all religions and none

“Lots of people perceive chaplaincy as a purely religious service. It isn’t,” says Simon O’Donoghue, head of pastoral support at Humanists UK, a charity that promotes non-religious people’s interests.

Since 2015, guidance from NHS England has been that non-religious people should have the same opportunities as religious people to speak to someone like minded in care settings.1 It’s down to individual trusts to provide chaplaincy, defined broadly as pastoral, spiritual, and religious care.

In the beginning, the Church of England offered religious support in NHS hospitals; other Christian groups and, more recently, other faiths followed suit. Today’s chaplaincy teams include Muslim imams and Jewish rabbis, as well as Catholics or Anglicans—and increasing numbers of non-religious, pastoral support carers (box).

Nowadays most UK residents don’t identify as having a religion.2 Yet recent research by YouGov for Humanists UK found high demand among the public for someone to talk to about pastoral or spiritual matters in times of crisis.3 Almost 90% of those asked, however, said that they perceived chaplaincy as offering only Christian support.

Many people who might benefit …