Australian Chaplaincy Support of Health Care Staff: Presence, Professional and Relational

The aim of the research was to explore how health care staff experienced support from hospital chaplains. The context for the study was two acute care hospitals in the South Australian Government’s public health system: one paediatric, the other adult. The research utilised semi-structured interviews that were transcribed and analysed and coded using established methodologies for qualitative studies. The results and subsequent analysis revealed two overarching themes which emerged from the narratives of staff members. Support from chaplains was perceived as being (i) part of the hospital institution, (ii) a participant in the overall care team, (iii) as a symbolic presence, and (iv) available in the diverse settings of education, crisis and trauma events and debriefings. Chaplaincy support was experienced in relational and spontaneous care in serendipitous meetings with staff or at a workstation which was experienced as inclusive and respectful.