HUMANISTS IN PASTORAL CARE - NOT AVAILABLE DURING COVID RESTRICTIONS
Humanist ward visitors provide Pastoral Care to patients at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital by engaging with them in positive open and relaxed conversations, mostly on subjects of their own choosing with them as the main contributer. It is both a rewarding and positive experience and our intention is to add to the well being of the patients we visit.
If asked, ward visitors will describe what it means to be a humanist in terms of what we can think and how we should act towards others. This can include some discussion of provisionally true beliefs and provisionally known information. It can also include some discussion about why most actions have a moral dimension. As volunteers, our aim is to become confident and effective people who can visit wards and have meaningful, supportive chats with patients.
At present we are mainly visiting patients on the Orthopaedic Wards on the top floor of the hospital. Visits take place in the morning when all staff are busy and no other visitors are allowed. All the wards have several bays for men and women and isolation rooms for individual patients.
Becoming a volunteer
To become a humanist ward visitor, arrangements would initially be made for you to have discussions about your motivation with someone who already has extensive practical experience of the task in hand. You could start by attending some introductory sessions one morning a week with them or someone else who works at the hospital. The purpose of this local training would be to help you learn the skills and responsibilities involved in the work and to become confident enough to be supervised by someone with more experience. You will need to be able to record a summary of your meetings with each patient. When everyone thinks you are ready for further training with Humanists UK, you can attend an almost fully subsidised two-day course, usually held in a city not too far away from Norwich. During your training you will need to become familiar with the Chapel offices on Floor 1 in the central block of the hospital. Everyone who works there is friendly and supportive.This is the meeting point where volunteers get changed at the start and end of their shift. We adhere to the hospital rules on personal presentation and wear distinctive red waistcoats. We are not allowed to wear watches, long sleeves or jewellry. When we visit patients, we are not allowed to sit on any of the beds or touch anyone. We also try not to have conversations with paitents behind screens or curtains. This is to reduce the risk of later being the target of unfounded allegations.
After a suitable period of time and following the successful completion of your training, if everyone is agreed, you will formally be given the status of a fully qualified humanist ward visitor.
If you are interested in becoming a humanist ward visitor, contact us on hello@norfolkhumanists.com
If asked, ward visitors will describe what it means to be a humanist in terms of what we can think and how we should act towards others. This can include some discussion of provisionally true beliefs and provisionally known information. It can also include some discussion about why most actions have a moral dimension. As volunteers, our aim is to become confident and effective people who can visit wards and have meaningful, supportive chats with patients.
At present we are mainly visiting patients on the Orthopaedic Wards on the top floor of the hospital. Visits take place in the morning when all staff are busy and no other visitors are allowed. All the wards have several bays for men and women and isolation rooms for individual patients.
Becoming a volunteer
To become a humanist ward visitor, arrangements would initially be made for you to have discussions about your motivation with someone who already has extensive practical experience of the task in hand. You could start by attending some introductory sessions one morning a week with them or someone else who works at the hospital. The purpose of this local training would be to help you learn the skills and responsibilities involved in the work and to become confident enough to be supervised by someone with more experience. You will need to be able to record a summary of your meetings with each patient. When everyone thinks you are ready for further training with Humanists UK, you can attend an almost fully subsidised two-day course, usually held in a city not too far away from Norwich. During your training you will need to become familiar with the Chapel offices on Floor 1 in the central block of the hospital. Everyone who works there is friendly and supportive.This is the meeting point where volunteers get changed at the start and end of their shift. We adhere to the hospital rules on personal presentation and wear distinctive red waistcoats. We are not allowed to wear watches, long sleeves or jewellry. When we visit patients, we are not allowed to sit on any of the beds or touch anyone. We also try not to have conversations with paitents behind screens or curtains. This is to reduce the risk of later being the target of unfounded allegations.
After a suitable period of time and following the successful completion of your training, if everyone is agreed, you will formally be given the status of a fully qualified humanist ward visitor.
If you are interested in becoming a humanist ward visitor, contact us on hello@norfolkhumanists.com
