Emerging Paradigm Shifts in Spiritual Care Services in Scotland

Abstract

This article describes the profound re-focusing of spiritual care services in Scotland. The contemporary task of healthcare chaplains is about delivering strategic, relevant services which promote wellbeing in society; first, to shift the balance of care from acute institutions towards community-based work which reaches more people, and second, from un-wellness as deficit to promoting the assets of patients and their communities and so developing wellbeing and resilience. This article examines the contours of these paradigm shifts then identifies three discreet roots of these changes in emphasis: namely, the need to improve service delivery in the Health and Social Care sector; the need to promote healthy lifestyles and the need to reform the administration of public services in Scotland. A New Model of healthcare chaplaincy is outlined which requires reflective, flexible practitioners who first, in their own lives, are exploring how their values, beliefs, and experience influence their practice so they become safer and more effective. Second, help to strategically shape policy and systems to make sure that spiritual care is understood and integrated across Health and Social Services. And thirdly, carry specific leadership in connecting the drive to wellness and co-production in both primary and acute healthcare settings.