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Faith in Health Conference
Faith in Health: Sustaining vocation and professionalism in Healthcare today 3-5th July 2008, conference held at St Mary’s University College, Twickenham.
Catholics in Healthcare is an informative web-based resource designed to help Catholics working in health and social care fields in England and Wales to network with others, access resources and support, and live out their vocations as skilled, effective and committed care workers.
The Conference was a response to a desire expressed by healthcare professionals within the Catholic community for more opportunities to bring together people of different faiths and professions within the health and social care, to reflect together on the relationship of faith and health, both in relation to clinical practise and also in the wider context of the evolving character of the NHS.
This key conference brought together healthcare professionals from across the country to further the current debate about vocation and professionalism within the NHS. It also provided a space for healthcare professionals to reflect on the spiritual basis of their vocation to work in healthcare. Faith in Health featured engaging plenary sessions and a series of parallel workshops.
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Archbishop Peter Smith...
 | ...chair of the Catholic Bishops' Conference department for Christian Responsibility and Citizenship, officially opened the Faith in Health conference on Thursday, 3 July. Christians have not only a distinctive theology, but also a distinctive anthropology, which recognizes that the spiritual dimension is fundamental to all aspects of human life, including health and healing. We also have a particular understanding of what is meant by the spiritual, and what is required if the full humanity of those in need is to be respected. Be aware of the Christian vocation and the ethical aspects in health care. There is an obvious element of the spiritual in our lives with the true nature of our humanity to be found in the image of God. There is a spiritual dimension to all aspects of life. |
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Sir Cyril Chantler...
 | | ...is the chairman of the King's Fund - an independent charitable foundation working for better health in the UK. He delivered a speech at the conference entitled Sustaining professionalism in healthcare delivery, and the contribution of faith. At the start of the 20th century, most people accepted the authority of morality. At the end of the 20th Century, it was hard to be confident either about the moral law or about moral progress. A sense of duty was the main way in which markets are regulated. ‘Similarly, I have argued that the conscience of the doctor is of equal importance, and may be more important to the patient than the contractual responsibilities the doctor has agreed with her or his employer or the NHS.’ Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sachs once argued that the Hebrew Bible (OT) ‘was a good foundation for the development of moral laws and the State should try to enshrine these values in its constitution or laws so that the tyranny of the majority could be avoided.’” “Nothing in life is more wonderful than faith, the one great moving force which we can neither weigh in the balance nor test in the crucible.” "Faith’s partner, trust, is an essential part of our existence. We have to have faith or trust in doctors and in our spouse or partners and in our fellow human beings.” “Medicine is a vocation in which a doctor’s knowledge and clinical skills and judgement are put in the service of protecting and restoring human well-being. This purpose is realised through a partnership between patient and doctor, one based on mutual respect, and individual responsibility and the appropriate accountability.” “Physicians who display a warm, friendly and reassuring manner with their patients are more effective. Empathy makes patients more forthcoming about their symptoms and concerns, facilitating medical information gathering, which in turn, yields more accurate diagnosis and better care.” We know that patients are more satisfied with physicians who behave professionally. They are more likely to co-operate with treatment if they trust their doctors, and they make fewer complaints and are less likely to sue doctors who are professional. Recently, the NHS Confederation issued a briefing paper on the need for compassion in healthcare. It is alarming that they thought it necessary to do so and there are other indications that people urgently want to be able to trust their clinicians but are concerned that they cannot always do so. ‘The care of the body was an offshoot of the desire to save the souls of the poor and the sick, and to ease the transition between life and death. Tending the body was always a staging post on the much more important journey towards eternal salvation.’ The evidence shows that a strong religious faith is beneficial to health and happiness. We must however be careful not to impose our beliefs on others, careful not to create guilt and not to patronise; there are many who have no religious convictions, who live strong positive lives and provide great support to their fellow human beings. |
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Baroness Julia Cumberlege...
 | ... former health minister and Conservative peer, spoke to delegates about trust - trust in the NHS, trust in the Church, and trust in our politicians. Baroness Cumberlege focused on the role of the politician in sustaining vocation and spirituality in healthcare. "High trust teams take every member of the team into their confidence. It means being open, honest and truthful - no secretive plans, no Russian Dolls, no agendas within agendas... openness, honesty and truthfulness are essential if we are going to build and maintain trust." High trust teams take people into their confidence. High trust organisations share information. Leadership is of the Spirit (essential). Management is of the mind (necessary).
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Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor...
 | ... the Archbishop of Westminster, spoke of a crucial ingredient for quality modern healthcare - compassion. "How can a culture of compassion be nurtured? Compassion is a human response. It is a gift, not a skill, or something that one can be trained for - although we can practise it and the more we practise the better we become. Compassion is a being with the other in their distress and suffering. It is not passive but active." If respect for the whole person is truly at the centre of decision-making throughout the service then we will not need to worry too much about measuring compassion, it will be evident in everything. Faith and health (or religion and medicine) have always gone hand in hand. We cannot be healed in a crowd. How can a culture of compassion be created? Compassion is about being with the patient; it is not about being passive but about being active; to be able to recognise anxiety and fear; about having a human capacity beyond natural feelings. A humane culture is required and a respect for the whole person is required together with an ability to recognise a faith commitment! There is no contradiction between cherishing life and accepting death. Dying is not failure but reality.
We should go to the Gospel and reflect on some insights which it seems are gifts which faith brings and which may have some relevance today as we think about the role of healthcare work in the fast changing world of the NHS. Also the palliative care and Chaplaincy work where it seems there is a particular connection to be made between faith and health.
· In the Gospel stories Jesus’ healing miracles are central to his ministry. He always heals following a personal encounter. It is not just a matter of mental or physical health but also the faith of the person who is ill (or those who bring the person who is ill). Jesus’ acts of healing are restorative spiritually as well as physically and mentality.
· Palliative care is extremely important because it explicitly recognises and acknowledges the reality of death and the need to come to terms with it. We should cherish life, and the healthcare service should provide what is needed to heal, restore and promote healthy living. We should also accept death, which means that when a person is dying they are given the care and treatment which is appropriate, and that they fulfil their human needs fully (bodily, mental and spiritual).
We have to live within the law of the land. Sometimes the results of discussions and legislation are not what we want, but the actual discussion is essential!
What will help those of faith is to find ways in which to deepen the connection between your faith and professionalism in healthcare. The Church needs to be more visible, and we need to be courageous in standing up for the values we believe to be true – not only for the ethical principles of life, fundamental as those are, of course – but also for the ethical foundation of profound respect and care for the person in need. In this way we can best try and bring faith and health together. For the paradox of our faith is that it is through that service of others – and in fact only through that service of others – that any of us can come to that fullness of life to which we are all called.
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Comments from other contributors:
The Health Service in today’s world may be considered as about rapid access to services and about money, and about meeting waiting list targets. In the last two weeks there has been a significant refocusing on the future of the Health Service by Lord Darzi; whilst quality is most important, so is safety and dignity in hospitals, value of care offered in health care, and compassion in the Health Service.
There is a religious diversity within the healthcare workforce which healthcare authorities lack awareness of; we all have a universal call to holiness plus a loving service to others, which is not just confined to those in ordained ministry. We respond to and fulfil our obligations in accordance with our own calling.
Reference was frequently made to Lord Darzi’s major report on the future of the Health Service ‘High quality care for all’, emphasises the need for the service to focus on enhancing the quality of care’with patients treated with compassion, dignity and respect.’
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These notes are drawn from...
These notes are drawn from the brief summary provided at: http://catholicchurch.org.uk/ccb/catholic_church/catholic_bishops_conference_of_england_and_wales/working_nationally/catholics_in_healthcare/events/faith_in_health plus my own notes and also the handouts given at the conference, which were extensive. If you require further information on these notes please contact Deacon Chris Blackman. |
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