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Healthcare Chaplaincy and District Health Board Spiritual Care Policy in Aotearoa NZ: Review and Recommendations

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Abstract

Healthcare in Aotearoa New Zealand is currently undergoing major reform. A document review of spiritual care policies of (former) District Health Boards (DHBs) obtained via the Official Information Act 1982 was undertaken in August 2022. Dalglish, Khalid and McMahon’s (2020) READ process was used for analysis. Eight of twenty DHBs reported that they had no spiritual care policy. While there is commonality in terms of pastoral interventions provided, there is variation in how chaplains are expected to practice. Spiritual care policy needs to be refreshed and standardised to allow chaplains to better meet the diverse needs of patients receiving care in Aotearoa New Zealand hospitals.

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Abbreviations

Tāngata whenua:

(noun) local people, hosts, indigenous people–people born of the whenua, i.e. of the placenta and of the land where the people's ancestors have lived and where their placenta are buried.

Whānau:

(noun) extended family, family group, a familiar term of address to a number of people—the primary economic unit of traditional Māori society. In the modern context the term is sometimes used to include friends who may not have any kinship ties to other members.

Source: Te Aka Māori Dictionary (https://maoridictionary.co.nz)

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The author declares that no funds, grants, or other support was received during the preparation of this manuscript. The author has no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose.

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  1. School of Arts (Theology), University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand

    Jacqueline Tuffnell

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  1. Jacqueline Tuffnell
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Correspondence to Jacqueline Tuffnell.

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Tuffnell, J. Healthcare Chaplaincy and District Health Board Spiritual Care Policy in Aotearoa NZ: Review and Recommendations. J Relig Health 62, 117–129 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-022-01728-w

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