Royal Free Charity | Spiritual care and chaplaincy volunteers

Spiritual care and chaplaincy volunteers

Providing a compassionate source of support

A craft tree covered in small pieces of colourful paper to resemble leaves on which prayers are written.
Spiritual care or chaplaincy volunteers form an integral part of the support available for patients, family, visitors and staff at the Barnet and Royal Free Hospitals. 

Chaplaincy volunteers support the chaplains in our hospitals, assisting in the provision of spiritual care, which may include supporting the patient’s religion-based wishes for comfort, as well as simply a safe and non-judgemental space to confide in. 

Volunteers are there for everyone and are not bound or limited by their own or patients’/service users’ religious beliefs (or lack of them). 

They are committed to treating everyone equally and with the empathy and dignity they deserve. 

At the heart of what chaplaincy volunteers do is compassion and a respect for the fellow human being.

Therefore, all our volunteers are deeply patient-centred, and are committed to their well-being. 

We recognise there is a diversity of dialogues’ that surrounds individual needs around religion and spirituality, and our volunteers recognise and welcome this.

All volunteers undergo training and are supervised by the chaplaincy services at the hospitals.

Humeyra Hub’s story

Humeyra Hub is one of our enthusiastic chaplaincy volunteers at Barnet Hospital.

Humeyra has two decades of providing Islamic religious education to people of different age groups in Türkei (Turkey).

Among her duties are helping offer prayers (including in Turkish), listening to patients where needed, and providing faith-based guidance to patients when sought.

A trained chaplain, her placements have helped her gain deep experience in offering emotional support and counselling to individuals facing illness, bereavement and other challenging circumstances.

She practises spiritual guidance in a non-judgemental way to people of all backgrounds. She is a strong believer in compassionate care and feels that spiritual support can be a strong positive accelerator in the recovery process.

I am volunteering as a chaplain to provide spiritual and emotional support to those in need, believing that compassion and presence can make a significant difference in someone’s healing journey.”

– Humeyra Hub, volunteer at Barnet Hospital 

Volunteering at Barnet Hospital has been deeply rewarding. I have had the opportunity to meet and support a diverse group of patients, staff, and families, offering comfort and a listening ear during their challenging times.”

– Humeyra Hub, volunteer at Barnet Hospital