The Role
An opportunity has arisen within NHS Lanarkshire Spiritual Care and Wellbeing Service for a Band 4 Assistant Practitioner. This post will be based in University Hospital Wishaw, and it is expected that the successful candidate will work across NHS Lanarkshire. The post is 22.2 hours per week, ideally over 4 days per week.
This role will contribute to the work of Spiritual Care and Wellbeing and will support patients, families and staff within NHS Lanarkshire. The Assistant Practitioner will work as part of the team with Chaplains, Staff Care Specialists and volunteers. Support, education and development will be provided.
Successful candidates will have
* Formal qualification at relevant HNC Level or equivalent level of experience in a health / education / social care / counselling environment plus a good understanding of spiritual care and wellbeing.
* Effective listening, communication and interpersonal skills.
* Knowledge and understanding of bereavement support.
* Knowledge and understanding of self-care tools.
* Experience of maintaining clinical records and documenting clinical care.
NHS Lanarkshire
Have you always wanted to work with NHS Lanarkshire? Then this might be the opportunity for you to join Team Lanarkshire!
Here at NHS Lanarkshire, we put the patient at the heart of everything we do. Each colleague within the organisation plays a key role in how we deliver our healthcare services.
We proudly serve a population of 655,000 across rural and urban communities in both North and South Lanarkshire. NHS Lanarkshire is comprised of Acute Services (which currently provide hospital based services over 3 main sites), Corporate & Property & Support Services, North and South Lanarkshire Health and Social Care Partnerships which provide integrated primary healthcare and social care services to local communities and surrounding areas.
What we'll need you to bring
* Formal qualification at relevant HNC Level or equivalent level of experience in a health / education / social care / counselling environment plus a good understanding of spiritual care and wellbeing.
* Awareness of relevant spiritual care and staff care guidance, standards and strategies (Spiritual Care Matters, 2021; CEL (2008) 49 and HDL (2002) 76 Scottish Government Guidelines on Spiritual Care; NHS Lanarkshire Staff Health and Wellbeing Strategy, 2022)
* Knowledge and understanding of bereavement support. Shaping Bereavement Care, 2010
* Effective assessment skills.
* Effective listening, communication and interpersonal skills.
* Time management, planning and organisational skills.
* Demonstrate effective presentation skills.
* Knowledge and understanding of reflective practice eg Values Based Reflective Practice (VBRP)
* Knowledge and understanding of self-care tools eg mindfulness
* Experience of working with individuals or groups eg as a facilitator, mentor or coach.
* Working knowledge of basic information technology and Microsoft office products.
* Ability to work individually or as part of a team.
* Ability to learn and develop new skills and maintain a record of learning.
* Driver with a full, valid UK/EU/EEA drivers licence
This role will require periods of working across various sites within Lanarkshire
Please note for all vacancies where a driving licence is required this must be a full UK/EU/EEA licence.
It would be great if you also have
* Completed Essential Toolkit Values Based Reflective Practice (VBRP) training
* Listening skills / counselling skills training
* Experience of providing bereavement support to individuals or groups
Contract type
Fixed Term or Secondment for 24 Months.
Part Time
22.2 hours
Please note this is a part time post and the salary for this position will be pro-rata.
Please note this is a fixed term post for 24 Months. Where a post only has temporary funding and an existing member of NHS Lanarkshire staff wishes to apply, this will be treated as a secondment. The employee MUST already have written agreement from their line manager to be released on a secondment before applying for the post.
Location and Working Pattern
This role will be based in Spiritual Care and Wellbeing within University Hospital Wishaw
The working pattern for this role will be confirmed by the hiring manager.
Whilst this advertisement may be for a specific post(s) in a particular location, applicants who are shortlisted for interview may be considered for similar vacancies in alternative locations.
Looking to find out more?
If you’re looking to find out more, then we would love to hear from you!
Please contact Lorraine Allan on lorraine.allan3@lanarkshire.scot.nhs.uk, Healthcare Chaplain, Spiritual Care
For enquiries regarding the application form or recruitment process, please contact Jennifer Hughes, Recruitment Administrator on jennifer.hughes@lanarkshire.scot.nhs.uk (Please remember to include the job title and reference number in your email)
Why NHS Lanarkshire?
Join us and you will discover a supportive environment where you will have the chance to add to your skills and further your career.
Some of NHS Lanarkshire’s benefits include:
* A minimum of 27 days annual leave increasing with length of service
* A minimum of 8 days of public holidays
* Membership of NHS Pension Scheme, with life insurance benefits (for more information on the NHS Pension Scheme visit the Scottish Public Pension )
* Paid sick leave increasing with length of service
* Occupational health services
* Employee counselling services
* Work-life Balance policies and procedures
NHS Lanarkshire have a range of support services on topics that can impact both on your working and personal life including occupational health, spiritual care and independent counselling. This support can be accessed using the links on this page.
Further Information
For more information on the role, please refer to the Job Description. If you’re looking for more information on the recruitment process, organisation or the services we provide, please refer to our information pack, or our recruitment webpage .
Additional Information for Applicants
* Posts close at midnight on the indicated date. However, if there are a high level of interest in this position, we may close the advert once sufficient applications are received. Please complete and submit your application early.
* For help to complete an application on Jobtrain please follow this link:
* Please check your e-mail regularly (including junk & spam folders) as well as your Jobtrain account for updates.
* We recommend using the Internet Browser "Google Chrome" or "Microsoft Edge" when using Jobtrain
* Once you have submitted your application form you will be unable to make any amendments
NHS Lanarkshire is dedicated to building a diverse workforce where everyone can thrive, develop, and succeed based on their skills, knowledge, and talent—regardless of race, disability, gender, sexual orientation, or care experience* or any other dimension that can be used to differentiate people from one another.
*Care experienced applicants include those who have lived with foster parents, kinship carers, or in residential/secure children’s settings.
Candidates should provide original and authentic responses to all questions within the application form. The use of artificial intelligence (AI), automated tools, or other third-party assistance to generate, draft, or significantly modify responses is strongly discouraged. By submitting your application, you confirm that all answers are your own work, reflect your personal knowledge, skills and experience, and have not been solely produced or altered by AI or similar technologies. Failure to comply with this requirement may result in your application being withdrawn from the application process.
Right to Work within the UK
NHS Lanarkshire has a legal obligation to ensure that it does not employ any worker who has not been granted the relevant permission to work in the UK.
We are required to check the entitlement to work in the UK of all prospective employees, regardless of nationality or job category. UK Visas & Immigration rules are available at www.bia.homeoffice.gov.uk .
Prospective applicants are encouraged to check eligibility in advance of applying for vacancies in NHS Lanarkshire.
Please note that all Band 1 and Band 2 posts are not eligible for sponsorship through the Skilled Worker route.