Multi-faith Group for Healthcare Chaplaincy Council 7 April 2003

Council Minutes

MULTI-FAITH GROUP FOR HEALTHCARE CHAPLAINCY

MINUTES OF THE MEETING HELD AT CHURCH HOUSE, WESTMINSTER ON MONDAY 7 APRIL 2003

Present:
The Hon Barney Leith - Chairman
Mrs Joy Conway
The Rev Robert Evans
Bimal Krsna das
The Revd Edward Lewis – Chief Officer
Mr Sital Maan
Mr Ronald Maddox
Mr Baldev Mawi
Mr Manhar Mehta
Mr Chowdhury Mueen-Uddin
The Rev Christine Pocock
Mr Kishor Ruparelia
Mr Dhirendra Sanghrajka
Mr Paul Seto
The Rt Revd Howard Tripp
Rabbi Martin van den Bergh

In attendance
Mr Tim Battle, Training and Development Officer
Ms Liz Paffey, HCC Administrator

Barney Leith welcomed those attending the meeting for the first time. Members introduced themselves around the table.

1/03 Apologies
Apologies for absence were received from HM Shafiqur Rahman and Revd Preb. Peter Speck.

2/03 Minutes
The Minutes of the inaugural meeting held on 4th November 2002 were accepted.

3/03 Finance (ref minute 5/02)
It was reported that we were still able to use up money remaining from the previous Grant 64 allocation amounting to approximately £800. The Group would need to decide about future applications for funding. Mr Lewis would review the applications once the work programme was agreed.

4/03 Launch Event (ref minute 7/02)
For the benefit of new members of the Group, Barney Leith gave a potted history of the Group from the time of the original Consultation in November 1997. A copy of the minutes of the first meeting of the Group and a copy of the draft Guidance were provided for members to bring them up to date. There was some discussion about the delay by the DoH in the issuing of the Guidance and the attendant frustrations.
The Launch would provide a high profile event which would make an important statement about Chaplaincy-spiritual care seen through the faith community eyes. It was agreed that good presentation and handout information would need to be worked up in readiness. Paul Seto provided for members a copy of the 2001 Census figures on Religion in London and a copy of the St George’s Healthcare NHS Trust figures on number of patients grouped by religion, to show the variety of faiths attending the Trust in the course of a year.
Mr Lewis reported that Mr David Lammy MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Health had agreed to launch the Group on 25th June at 6.30 pm (venue to be agreed). The exact list of names and modes of address would be needed in order to issue invitations.
Mr Lewis agreed to write to Members to confirm the arrangements.

5/03 Training Day (ref minute 8/02)

Paul Seto reported on the success of the Training Day held on 25th January at the Buddhist Society. 27 people from 7 faiths attended a very comprehensive and useful day facilitated by Paul Seto, Edward Lewis and Tim Battle. It was disappointing that more people had not attended, as arrangements had been in place to cater for 40 or more. Nevertheless those who had been there had considered it of enormous help, and thanks were due to the facilitators and the organisers. The Buddhist Society was willing to host further training days.

6/03 Membership of MFGHC
It was noted that the faith groups involved in the Multi-Faith Joint National Consultation Working Party had agreed to form the Multi-Faith Group for Healthcare Chaplaincy. The Constitution of the Group allowed for full membership to chaplaincy bodies that were multi-faith in their purpose, membership and governance, and associate membership for those which were not eligible for full membership. Members were asked to consider inviting organisations to apply for membership, viz.: The College of Health Care Chaplains, The Association of Hospice and Palliative Care Chaplains, and the UK Association for Clinical Pastoral Education
It was proposed by Christine Pocock and seconded by Paul Seto that the three organisations listed be invited to apply for full membership. The proposition was agreed.

7/03 Vice-Chair
It was agreed that for the time being, and until members know each other better, the post of Vice-Chair be left open.

8/03 Chair – Standards Committee
There was discussion of the purpose and remit of the proposed Standards Committee. It was hoped that the Group would work alongside other bodies and in conjunction with the DoH, CHI and SYWDC to develop common strategies and protocols around good chaplaincy practice which could be endorsed by all. The proposition was that this group, which brought together the interests of chaplaincy in a multi-faith setting, would be ideally placed to look at the framework for dealing with standards and competencies for Chaplaincy-spiritual care for all communities
It was agreed that two co-Chairs be nominated. Martin van den Bergh was nominated and agreed to take on this role. Ron Maddox was nominated and agreed to take on the role on an interim basis.

9/03 Chair – Education Committee
Christine Pocock was nominated as co-Chair for the Education Committee and accepted. It was agreed to nominate in his absence Shafiqur Rahman as the other co-Chair if he was willing to take this on.

10/03 Membership - Standards Committee
It was agreed that membership of the Committees should consist of the Chairs plus 9 members, 4 from the Council and the remaining members from other bodies representative of healthcare chaplaincy. It was suggested that the Standards Committee should hold 3 meetings a year. After discussion, Manhar Mehta, Kishoor Ruparelia and Bob Evans agreed to serve on this Committee. Mr Lewis would check whether Sital Maan or Peter Speck would be willing to serve.
It was also agreed that each Committee would need to add members from other bodies not yet represented on the Council.

11/03 Membership - Education Committee
It was agreed that membership of the Committees should consist of the Chairs plus 9 members, 4 from the Council and the remaining members from other bodies representative of healthcare chaplaincy. After discussion, Paul Seto, Bishop Tripp, Dhirendra Sanghrajka and Joy Conway agreed to serve on this Committee.
It was also agreed that each Committee would need to add members from other bodies not yet represented on the Council.

12/03 Observer Members
It was agreed to invite the Department of Health Policy Branch and the South Yorkshire Workforce Development Confederation to send observers to Council meetings.
It was agreed to invite the CHI link person to be an observer at Standards Committee meetings.
It was agreed to invite Revd Alan Brown, Senior Lecturer in Healthcare Studies at University of Leeds to be an observer at Education Committee meetings. It was agreed to invite the Markfield Institute of Higher Education to send an observer, and Chowdhury Mueen-Uddin would advise the name of an appropriate person.

13/03 Dates of meetings
It was agreed that the co-Chairs would convene the meetings of the Committees.
In conjunction with members diaries, dates were set for meetings as follows:
Council
9th June 2003. 10.30am to 1.00pm. Room 3 at Church House
29th September 2003. 10.30am to 1.00pm. Room 3 at Church House
Standards Committee
14th July 2003.
8th December 2003.
Room 2 at Church House was provisionally booked for these dates from 10.30am to 1.00pm.
Education Committee
20th May 2003. This date was already booked at Church House for CEDG.
17th November 2003. Tavistock Square was booked for this meeting.

14/03 Reaching a level playing field
A paper attached to the Agenda set out suggested characteristics of a healthcare chaplaincy Faith group and proposed that members should assess where they were now and where they wanted to be in the next year or two.
Tim Battle explained that the aim was to help people make progress within their own framework and to discover what resources would be required to achieve this. Communication issues were very important with access to office services, phone and email as a minimum requirement. Christine Pocock and Martin van den Bergh spoke about the grants their organisations received from the DoH.
Members reported on the stage of development of their own community organisation in relation to the MFG Stocktake. Tim Battle agreed to have talks with members individually to assess what particular assistance was required and to summarise the necessary action in a paper to be attached to the Minutes. It was also agreed that a Section 64 Grant application be made as soon as possible thereafter.

15/03 National Strategy for Healthcare Chaplaincy
Tim Battle explained the history and the role of the South Yorkshire Workforce Development Confederation. He reported that the work on the national strategy for healthcare chaplaincy should be finalised in July.

16/03 Multi-Faith Organ Donation Study Day
Paul Seto drew attention to the Multi-Faith Organ Donation Project Study Day which UK Transplant were holding on 10th September in Birmingham.

The Chairman thanked members for their attendance and closed the meeting.

TB/LP13.05.03.

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