Our Chaplaincy Team sits within our Family Support Care Pathway here at the Hospice. Our team is able to help patients, guests and families with their spiritual, religious and pastoral needs.
Meet the Team
The Reverend Stephen Martin – Volunteer Chaplain
“I am a Priest in the Church of England, Diocese of Durham and have been volunteering at the Hospice since November 2022. I am a curate of my Parish which includes Lanchester, Burnhope, Annfield Plain and Leadgate and I am able to volunteer my time at both St Cuthbert’s Hospice and Willowburn Hospice in Lanchester.
The sense of community here and the atmosphere amongst the staff is fantastic. They all get on so well and look after each other.
On a Friday, which is the day I visit St Cuthbert’s, I try to attend the morning handover for the In-Patient Unit and Living Well Centre to find out what has been going on. I’ll then visit the rooms on the In-Patient Unit to see if anyone would like to chat. I wear a clerical collar so most people may see me and identify me as a Chaplaincy volunteer straight away.
My role is to build relationships. Sometimes when I chat to people there is no mention of God or faith. It’s about meeting people where they are at and taking people as you find them.
Perhaps a family just needs a bit of space to vent for a little while and that’s fine, that’s part of my role – to be a listening ear when someone needs it. I know that in my role I can give that bit of time to patients and families, which can really make a difference.
It’s really life-affirming for me to be able to support people at the Hospice.
I hope to remain a Chaplaincy volunteer at the Hospice for as long as I am able to!”
The Reverend Chukwuemelie Okafor – Volunteer Chaplain
Reverend Chukwuemelie, an Anglican Priest, is one of our newest Volunteer Chaplains. He joins us on Tuesdays to offer support to patients and families using our In-Patient Unit and Living Well Centre, as well as Hospice staff.
“I am currently completing my Masters in Theology and Ministry at Cranmer Hall, Durham University. I found the Hospice through my own personal research and enquired about volunteering, following my passion for Chaplaincy.
I am from Nigeria and when I was there, I provided Chaplaincy in a local Hospital. That was very different, as you have people on all stages of life’s journey; births, deaths and everything in-between.
This is the first time I have volunteered in a Hospice.
While there is a focus on religion in my role here, there is a greater focus on spirituality and spiritual care, for patients, their relatives, and staff.
The number one rule of my role is to offer a duty of care and to ‘hear people out’. It’s all about listening.
You are talking with someone on a journey, and there are often a lot of emotions. My role is to provide spiritual and emotional support to patients during end-of-life care. This includes offering comfort, compassion, and prayer services. As a trained listener, I provide a safe space for individuals to share their fears, joys, and hopes as they deal with the transition of life. My role also includes comforting the patient’s relatives.
There is a great impact on staff if someone they are caring for reaches the end of life and passes away at the Hospice. My role is to support staff and listen to them, as this can bring up many of their own feelings and emotions about losing their loved ones, and it is important to talk about these things.
I support the staff as much as the patients and their relatives.
The staff here are a community. They look after each other. They are passionate and caring. One thing I have found is that staff and volunteers work alongside each other so well. You don’t know ‘who is who’. Everyone works as a team for the same reason. The Hospice is an inclusive and diverse place.
I have had many memorable moments volunteering at the Hospice already.
One example is speaking with people in the In-Patient Unit and they smile or give non-verbal cues to me, when they may not be able to speak. This shows me they are happy and content, even during the hardest of times.
I have seen so many patients surrounded by love at the Hospice.”
St Cuthbert’s Hospice offer Chaplaincy support for our Living Well Centre and In-Patient Unit. For more information, you can email familysupportteam@stcuthbertshospice.com or call 0191 386 1170.
