Nurses’ and Nursing Assistants’ Perceptions of Spiritual Healthcare: Spiritual Healthcare Services in Acute Cardiovascular Wards

Abstract: Healthcare chaplains in hospital have a number of roles, many of which may not be known. Whether staff are aware of healthcare provisions and the roles of the spiritual healthcare services will influence the use of these services for patients and, of course, for staff themselves. If staff are not aware of chaplains’ roles this may affect the ability of chaplains to carry out their full range of roles and provide the care needed for patients and staff. We investigated nursing and nursing assistants’ awareness of spiritual healthcare services in a cardio-vascular department, consisting of six wards and an outpatient clinic, in a central London tertiary NHS Trust hospital. Of the 184 members of staff that are nurses or nursing assistants, 78 filled in our questionnaires (42%). These questionnaires provided descriptive quantitative data to gauge awareness of spiritual healthcare services and provide information for which services needed development. By using the questionnaire, we also hoped to raise awareness of the services provided. Keywords: