Title: RELIGION AND BELIEF MATTER
1RELIGION AND BELIEF MATTER
- AN INFORMATION RESOURCE FOR HEALTHCARE STAFF
- Geoff Lachlan,
- Fair For All Religion Belief Project,
- Scottish Inter Faith Council
2THE GODFACTOR IN HEALTHCARE
3Fair for All Religion and Belief Project
- Scottish Inter Faith Council
- Scottish Government Health Directorates
- Healthcare Chaplaincy Training and Development
Unit
4BACKGROUND
- HDL (2002) 76 Spiritual Care in NHS
- WHO Definition of Health
- New Religious Legislation
- The need for FFA Religion Guidance
5Methodology
- Visit to all 14 territorial Health Boards
- Lead Chaplains
- Equality/Diversity Officers
- 13 Faith / Belief Focus Groups
- Literature search for evidence base
6Aims of Project
- To review the context for responding to religious
and belief needs - To review the evidence base for supporting
Healthcare Chaplaincy
7What is the Context?
Christian 64 3,294,600
Muslim 0.84 42,000
Buddhist 0.13 6,800
Sikh 0.13 6,600
Jewish 0.13 6,400
Hindu 0.11 5,600
Others 0.53 27,000
No Religion 27.5 1,394,500
Not answered 6.5
8RELIGION IN BRITAIN SINCE 1945,Grace Davie
(1994)
- Believing without belonging..
9Christian Roots, Contemporary Society, Lynda
Barley, 2006
- 55 believe in a patterning to life
- 67 believe in a Supernatural Force
- 69 believe in a Soul
- 76 admit to a Religious/Spiritual experience
10New Trends in Religions Data
- Attending church regularly now increased for
first time since 1950s. - ..........nearly all due to Catholic East
European migration.
11New Legislation
- Employment Equality (Religion/Belief) Regulations
2003 - Equality Act (Part 2) 2006
12Religion / Belief is Different to Other
Equalities
- Not so legislation- driven
- Chosen, unlike age, disability, gender,
ethnicity, sex orientation - Spiritual Care Providers are part of the M/D
Health Team
13What are Religious Needs?
- Most people are not Religious
- All people are Spiritual in some way
14How are Religious Needs Responded To?
- Take account of/respect beliefs, rituals,
practices, etc. appropriate - Ensure NHS does not at any stage compromise or
discriminate - Where possible, ensure availability of Faith
community reps. for religious care
15Why Respond to Religious Needs?
- The Moral Case
- The Legal Case
- The Business Case, esp. Medical aspects
16What is the Link Between Religion and Health?
- Just responsible members
- of a caring club?
17or is it Psycho-Neuro-Immunology..?
- The study of how psycho-social factors that
affect our state of wellbeing can influence the
bodys immune system through neuroendocrine
pathways (nerve connections that regulate
hormones)
18How Stress Gets Under Your Skin Psychobiological
Studies of Social Status, Stress, and Health
- Social networks, etc. that boost
- self-esteem are protective
- against the effects of stress.
19Stress is a Normal Physiological Response
20Of Molecules and Mind Stress, the Individual and
the Social Environment
- Chronic stress can produce changes to cellular
structure of brain can be reversed by relieving
the stress
21What is the Evidence Base for Responding to
Religious Needs?
- Harold Koenig, 2001, 1200 studies, Religion and
Health, 1900-2000
22There is Evidence that Something About Religion
can Provide Health Benefits
- Basak Coruh, 2005, Does religious Activity
Improve Clinical Outcomes? A Ciritcal Review of
the Recent Literature, The Journal of Science
and Healing, Vol 1, 3, 186-191
23A Consensus is Emerging in the Literature that
Evidence Exists to Support the Provision of
Spiritual Care in the Healthcare Setting
- Peter Speck, 2005, The Evidence Base for
Spiritual Care, Nursing Management, - Vol 12, 6, 28-31
24Spirituality Involves a Dimension of Human
Experience that Psychiatrists are Increasingly
Interested in Because of its Potential Benefits
to Mental Health.
- Royal College of Psychiatrists Special Interest
Group, Spirituality and Mental Health, 1999
25Such Evidence as We Have is Strongly Suggestive
of Positive Links Between Religion/Spirituality
and Personal Wellbeing
- Sandra Carlisle, 2006, University of Glasgow
Centre for Population and Health
26 Spiritual Awareness is to be Encouraged
Because of the Benefits it can Bring to the Human
Experience, Including Disease in Our Society
Today
27Absence of Evidence Does not Necessarily Mean
Evidence of Absence
- Harriet Mowat, 2007, The Potential for the
Efficacy of Healthcare Chaplaincy Spiritual
Care in UK A Scoping Study
28Summary of Findings
- There is a theoretical basis linking
Religion/Spirituality and Health - In practice, the link appears to be a positive
one - The R.C. Psychiatrists are supporting this link
- NICE including Spiritual Care in its Palliative
Care guidelines - Responding to Religious needs should support
Spiritual needs - which will provide true HOLISTIC care
2913 Faith / Belief Focus Groups
- From a religious/humanist point of view, what
was important for you when admitted to hospital?
30What are the Challenges?
- Responding to religious needs as Generic
Chaplaincy - East European arrivals
- Narrow interpretation of Data Protection Act
- Increasing out-of-hours work
31What are the Challenges?
- Increasing demands of Pastoral care for staff
- Ongoing lack of clarity about Religion/Spiritualit
y - Staff enthusiastic for training how?
- Lack of consistent data collection
32Conclusions
- You are a vital part of the M/D Healthcare
Team.. - and thus must become AHPs
- You have a large role in Pastoral care of the
staff - You need more practical research for your
evidence base
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