Siobhan Hoyes is a Spiritual Care Practitioner at Ashgate Hospice. To mark Spiritual Care Awareness Week and the 2024 theme of ‘chaplains beyond religious roles’, she gives an insight into the many hats she wears in her role and a snapshot of the different aspects of spiritual care the team offers.

It’s forty years since I started nurse training, and I vividly remember the pride I felt the first time I wore my blue checked uniform, fob watch, and a paper hat, which I’d only just learned to fold the week before. My first ward sister called me ‘cup-a-soup’ because of my enthusiasm, quick action to get things done and my attention to detail. Her wise words, ”If you treat everyone you meet like you would someone dear to you, then you won’t go far wrong,” have stayed with me.

As a teenager, my hope was I might help people heal, and I wanted to care well for those I met. Today, I am a spiritual care practitioner, wearing an Ashgate top, and the same sense of vocation remains to serve others well. Dame Cecily Saunders’ words, “You matter because you are you” echo the same sentiment of that sister long ago, and personalised spiritual care is at the very heart of what I do.  

The essence of spiritual care 

One of my greatest joys is that this role within the spiritual care team is recognised as part of the very fabric of the organisation, once beautifully described as ‘a golden thread woven intricately throughout the hospice.’ For me, being a spiritual care provider is essentially about being present for another person, paying attention to them and their needs, accompanying them on their journey, so they feel heard and know they are not alone. 

Nurturing connections across all beliefs 

Whatever beliefs a person holds, whether they are religious, spiritual or non-faith based, I am here to offer deep listening, reflection and pastoral care within a safe space. I am privileged to be a companion on their journey, discovering what is deeply important to them and bearing witness to it. 

The power of listening 

For me, the most important attribute of a hospice spiritual care practitioner is the ability to listen sensitively, to avoid interrupting, and, when the time is right, ask powerful questions that help people express their concerns or fears. This isn’t always easy for them, so I’ve learned to be comfortable with silence, to sit with ambiguity, and to be fully present. It’s essential not to rush to offer quick solutions or try to fix things. Accepting that some things in life cannot be fixed or changed is all part of living in the moment and facing reality, both for the person I am meeting with and for myself. 

Supporting myself and embracing growth 

Caring for others in this setting is rewarding but also demanding and can be challenging. I receive support from my own spiritual director, which is vital because it gives me space to explore my own vulnerabilities and questions, helping me to become more self-aware. 

Continuing education also helps me thrive in my work. Last year, I completed a post graduate degree in psycho-spiritual care. This explored how we provide culturally informed care to promote wellbeing, integrating psychological and spiritual approaches. This course, along with my Masters in contextual theology, has encouraged me to be a reflective practitioner and helped me foster a curiosity to understand different perspectives. 

The strength of teamwork 

I’m part of a supportive and diverse team, enriched by members from various backgrounds, including incredible volunteers. This diversity allows us to offer a range of views, approaches and activities. A key part of my role involves supporting the team by sharing knowledge through staff skill sessions within the hospice.

Some of the things we do are central to our practice. For example, we aim to introduce ourselves to every patient and those important to them on our Inpatient Unit, offering the opportunity for a chat. We also liaise with community nurses and visit patients and those important to them at home across North Derbyshire. 

Sometimes, patients ask us to help plan their funeral or create personalised services, which we are privileged to deliver. After their death, we provide bereavement support for those important to them, especially around the spiritual or religious aspects of grief that can be hard to talk about, helping them navigate challenging emotions and find sources of hope. 

Exploring spirituality through creativity 

We use various creative mediums to explore spirituality with patients and those important to them, including music, poetry, photography, art, journalling, and recording oral history narratives. Recently, I facilitated a group called the Poetry Pharmacy, which has been a lovely experience. It started with a meditation to connect with the tranquillity of nature, followed by listening to a poem themed around ‘ripples and stillness’. We explored how our thoughts and actions are like stones dropped in a pond, creating ripples that travel outwards. From this, we responded by creating individual art works inspired by the poem’s words.

Behind the scenes, we’re busy preparing for our Light up a Life event, which includes a procession and service to honour and celebrate the lives of loved ones. Tim, a fellow spiritual care practitioner, is busy preparing for our annual Carol Service, and together we’re planning how to mark Remembrance Day. Our Reflection Room offers a quiet space for people to reflect, and our spiritual care volunteers regularly support this. We’ve also attended Pride celebrations to champion diversity and inclusion, and we help ensure messages are shared to mark religious and belief festivals.  

This blog is just a snapshot of the many different aspects of spiritual care our team offer. I love that my day can be so wonderfully unpredictable – no two days are the same. It is a phenomenal privilege to walk alongside people and to be a part of the amazing all-encompassing care we provide here at Ashgate.