Hello, I am Sarah Crane and I am Chair of the Steering group for Healthcare Chaplaincy. I am also the Head of Chaplaincy at Milton Keynes University hospital and have been part of the chaplaincy team here since 2014.
I sometimes find it hard to explain to people what exactly I do; today for example I’ve attended the morning safety huddle (where the site and each ward leader as well as others report on how they are and what’s going on) and a multi-disciplinary team meeting (MDT) where multiple professionals providing palliative care across Milton Keynes meet to discuss their shared patient load. I’ve sorted one funeral and taken another one. I’ve spent time with a student on a placement with our team reflecting on my experience of the process of death, having spent time with our bereavement team. I’ve spoken to members of staff, I’ve visited patients in different situations, I’ve prepped some training for new volunteers, supported a family to have a short memorial at the time of a loved one’s funeral service and, most impressively for me, I’ve managed to approve an invoice for payment for supervision for one of our team.
A big part of the reason I have been here for that long is that I absolutely love it. I love the place, the work, the people, and the variety of every day. I enjoy the pace, the juggle of prioritising and re-prioritising, and then the space sitting with another person trying to bring a sense of calm and attentiveness to whatever is causing them trouble. I love the stories: of travel and adventures, of love and friendship, of tenderness and silliness, and of difference and similarity. I love working with staff from so many diverse disciplines, understanding new things and being able to be a vocal supporter of sustainable working which enables the flourishing of our organisation and the people who make it.
Beyond my own organisation I am passionate about the developing role of chaplaincy as a profession across the health sector. We are seeing the voice of chaplains, and the understanding of chaplaincy as necessary expertise and support in pastoral, spiritual and religious care, growing in value across the health sector, driven by the work of excellent chaplains working across the length and breadth of the country. After nearly a decade in healthcare chaplaincy I can’t wait to see where the next decade takes us all!