Hospital visiting: guidance for health boards

Spiritual care

Spiritual care is recognised as an important aspect of person-centred care and in general terms refers to the need for hope, purpose and meaning that all human beings seek. This is especially important during times of transition, uncertainty or illness. Sometimes this will involve religious faith, but not always and can include a wide range of resources and relationships that bring deeper meaning to someone’s life, especially during times of difficulty. 

The Spiritual Care Teams in each health board are specially trained to provide a broad range of support to people and help them with these needs. If a person in hospital needs to be supported by a representative from their own faith community, the Spiritual Care Team can also help to arrange this recognising that pastoral support is part of the person-centred spiritual care being given to a person in hospital. Spiritual care support should be in addition to a person’s family support.