In that deep moment, when they talk about their real fears, it is a privilege to be there with them
They are a small battalion on the frontline in NHS Scotland’s war on coronavirus: the men and women of faith helping patients, families and hospital staff.
The chaplains, who work across all 14 of Scotland’s NHS Health Boards, serve all faiths and none. And in this crisis they are having to find new ways to do that.
Paul Graham, 59, head of Spiritual Care & Wellbeing at NHS Lanarkshire, and his 14 chaplains cover the university hospitals of Hairmyres, Wishaw and Monklands.
Paul, who has a background in IT, says that in days of lockdown and isolation, there is a greater reliance on technology. He said: “It is incredible to watch 83-yearolds FaceTiming folk. Some of our support has been as practical as showing patients how to download an app.
“If we are going into a ward where there are coronavirus positive patients, there is appropriate personal protection available to use.
“Alternatively, we have a sheet of instructions on how to install this stuff. The nurses hand it to patients and we talk to them on speakerphone from outside the room.
“Those who have tested positive have a feeling of, ‘Am I going to be the one that dies, the one that is one of the numbers?’ No one can say, ‘Yes, you will or no, you won’t’. There is that unknown factor.
“Our task is not to fix people, it’s about asking what are their greatest fears in the event of the worst outcome, and what would they want to do. In a situation where they feel they have no control, it helps them to get a bit of control.
“There is something in the Scottish male psyche; working with guys facing death, it’s like a whale at times – when they take in a gulp of air, they can go into a deep place and talk about deep things. And then they come straight back up to the surface for fresh air and start talking about football and telly.
“But in that deep moment, when they have gone in to talk about their real fears, what they dread or what their hopes are, it is such a privilege to be there with them.”
The chaplain said, in line with government guidelines, end-of-life hospital visits are classed as “essential”.
He explained: “We do this carefully. So if someone is coming in – say a priest – we have prepared briefings on infection control, how to put on PPE, what is expected of them, what we would recommend when they get home, such as like launder their shirts and trousers, that type of thing.
“For family members, it is about being guided by the professionals looking after the patient. On some wards it will be the full gear, gloves, gown, masks and goggles.
“I feel for families. We had a relative from down south who was on the phone because of the travel restrictions. They can’t be with loved ones at the end of life. That is going to bring complex grief reactions later on.”
Dealing with suffering and death is nothing new to chaplaincy. NHS Lanarkshire’s head chaplain admitted: “Sometimes it gets to our core and there is nothing we can do but go to a sanctuary space and weep ourselves.”
But there is back-up.
“We have been developing a peer support network for staff and have trained about 100 folk who have the listening skills and who are probably the ones the team member would turn to naturally,” he said.
The chaplain said:
“The experience in Italy and Spain is that once it gets into the peak a lot of staff are reluctant to go home.”
He added: “We find people are a bit more appreciative of how they are cared for now.
“The applause on Thursdays for NHS staff has them bowled over. I spoke to a number who were in tears at the response. It was such an uplifting thing.”