Head of Chaplaincy | Croydon Health Services NHS Trust

Head of Chaplaincy

Secondment - 12 months, Band 8A

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a suitably qualified, experienced, visionary and talented healthcare chaplain to join Croydon Health Services NHS Trust . The Head of Chaplaincy provides strategic leadership to the Trust, leading on pastoral, spiritual and religious care within the organisation, and leading and managing the chaplaincy team. The Head of Chaplaincy role offers an exciting opportunity to lead the chaplaincy team across multiple sites in a busy and culturally diverse organisation, and to further develop a multi-faith and belief approach to chaplaincy provision.

The Head of Chaplaincy role requires taking full responsibility for the role across the whole Trust whilst maintaining a level of operational chaplaincy commitment through the provision of face-to-face pastoral, spiritual and religious care to patients, relatives or staff members of any religion or belief, and by participating in the 24/7 on-call service and weekend working.

Interview Date - TBC

This post involves a Trust-wide responsibility for the Chaplaincy & Spiritual Care Department with Bereavement Services (C&SCWBS), which includes budgetary responsibility for the service. In addition, the post holder is a signatory for the Chapels Trust Fund. The staff within C&SCWBS is directly responsible to the post holder as are the Chaplaincy volunteers.

Performance reviews, personal development plans and complaints handling are all within the remit of the role.

In addition to this a proportionate amount of chaplaincy duties fall to the Head of Department, including out of hours in call. At all times other than annual leave the post holder is the nominated back up to the departmental on-call rota.

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5. KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE REQUIRED

Please see the person specification for more information.

The post holder must be an experienced chaplain able to evidence expertise, skill and knowledge in this field of practice. As Head of Department it is expected that relevant academic qualifications have been gained at post-graduate level or equivalent experience and have considerable insight into the challenges and opportunities of spiritual care can be demonstrated.

Experience of departmental leadership prior to appointment is essential.

It is essential that the post holder is able to digest and apply key Trust policies and national policies and guidelines that relate to the work of chaplaincy.

Croydon Health Services provides integrated NHS services to care for people at home, in schools, and health clinics across the borough as well as at Croydon University Hospital and Purley War Memorial Hospital.

CUH provides more than 100 specialist services and is home to the borough’s only Emergency Department and 24/7 maternity services, including a labour ward, midwifery-led birth centre and the Crocus home birthing team.

Purley War Memorial Hospital (PWMH) in the south of the borough offers outpatient care, including diagnostic services, physiotherapy and ophthalmology services run by Moorfields Eye Hospital, alongside an onsite GP surgery.

Our experienced district nursing teams, Allied Health Professionals and community matrons look after for people of all ages across Croydon and our Children’s Hospital at Home cares for children with long-term conditions without them having to come to hospital.

We are a very close-knit and friendly organisation where everyone of our 3600 members of staff is valued. We strongly believe that our employees are our greatest asset.

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Please see the attached supporting document which contains more information about the role in job description and person specification ***********

This advert closes on Monday 20 Apr 2026