Dean asks clergy not to support all PEH patients
ANGLICAN clergy were asked to withdraw their help for some patients at the hospital as the church lobbies against what it argues is under-provision of chaplaincy.
The Dean of Guernsey, The Very Rev. Tim Barker, has since apologised for suggesting that not everyone should be supported.
A letter he sent on 16 April to Anglican clergy was sparked by a decision not to replace a part-time chaplain and not to increase the hours that the two other chaplains work.
‘I have two requests of you: please continue your ministry to parishioners and people you know who are in the PEH; but please do not respond to calls from the switchboard or the wards to visit people you do not know,’ he said.
‘I appreciate this request goes against our pastoral instinct. But we will continue to undermine the provision of chaplaincy... if the management at the PEH do not accept the importance of a professional chaplaincy service for patients and the family and for the staff.
‘This is not a decision that has been taken lightly.’
The Dean told the Guernsey Press that the main purpose in writing the letter to his colleagues was to highlight some serious concerns about the under-provision of chaplaincy, to all patients and staff regardless of their religious commitment.
‘On reflection, however, I think that my letter to my colleagues was poorly worded. I regret that deeply. Of course, we must ensure that people in hospital can access pastoral support whenever they need it. I apologise for implying otherwise,’ he said.
‘What I was trying to highlight is that hospital chaplains are specialists. This is an essential ministry which cannot simply be supplemented by “plugging the gaps” with whichever member of clergy happens to answer the telephone. Failure to provide a professional chaplaincy service is a failure to provide a significant aspect of high-quality care for both patients (and their families) and staff.
‘This is an issue that I will continue to seek to address with the Corporate Management Team at the PEH and others.’
Health & Social Care was unable to comment before the newspaper went to print.
