Faith on the frontline as hospital chaplain reveals how spiritual first aid can help ease pain on the wards

It can be a place of bleak despair and miraculous recovery, of pain and hope, of anger and joy.

A hospital can be all of these things, often on every ward on every day.

Bringing comfort and spiritual support to patients and their families going through this maelstrom of emotions is a challenging task.

But it is a challenge Dawn Allan relishes, a job she would not swap for the world.

She is the newly-appointed lead chaplain at Scotland’s largest health board, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. an organisation which includes 35 hospitals – including the flagship Queen Elizabeth University.

“We’re just one part of healthcare but actually spiritual care is integral to all of it,” said Dawn.

“I’ve inherited a team that had been all over the place the last few years, and it’s been a case of trying to bring them all together in a good way to get the message out there about what spiritual care is.”

Modern chaplaincy has moved beyond a minister dispensing wisdom with a distinctly Christian flavour.

Instead it is a multi-faith service, and Dawn has a team of staff, as well as clerics, on hand across several hospitals, and all faiths.

It includes an Imam, Roman Catholic priests, deacons, Jehovah’s Witness faith leaders and a Sikh priest.

And it is a service which doesn’t just help with purely spiritual concerns. Sometimes, Dawn explains, it can be more about sitting in on a night-vigil, lending an ear, or just holding a hand.

“It’s not about religion,” explained Dawn. “The chaplaincy is about the well-being of the person which includes mental, emotional, physical, as well as spiritual.

“We need to take account of how someone is sleeping, for instance. If you’re in pain, it’s going to affect how you sleep.

“If you can’t eat, your energy levels drop. The biggest concerns most human beings have are money worries, and mental health is affected hugely by that.

“It’s a multi-disciplinary approach, so if someone has money worries we can link them to experts in our support and information services.”

Dawn moved to South Africa from Ayrshire in the early 1970s after her father landed a job as a textile engineer in Natal Province, now KwaZulu-Natal.

It was a society driven by apartheid, and shocked the then-five year old.

“The cultural difference was huge, compared to Cumnock,” she explained. “There were benches in the street that would say ‘not for non-whites’, black people had to queue in a partitioned areas in the Post Office, and there were white carriages on the trains.

“So we lived in a white, white area, and all the black people would go home to their segregated areas. We lived a very white existence.”

As outsiders, Dawn’s parents refused to have servants, and she was outspoken about the system of apartheid.

She eventually found a strong calling to faith, thanks to her mother, who was inspired by a powerful Christian radio sermon.

“It wasn’t just about sitting in a pew, it was a relationship,” said Dawn. “This is a faith that can actually make a difference, a positive difference in our lives and how you view the world. It was the lens through which you view the world around you.

“You could view man’s inhumanity to man, racism and segregation – none of which are good Christian principles.”

After spells as a dental nurse, secretary, interior designer, retail manager and IT software trainer, Dawn eventually found her calling and studied theology.

A stint at Glasgow Royal Infirmary, dealing with palliative care patients, finally revealed to Dawn what she wanted to do with her life.

“I suddenly found my niche, but never wanted to be ordained,” she said. “I’ve always been fascinated with death and dying, because of my mum being an orphan from a young age.

“To actually be the person that they might share their life story with became a real privilege. I’ve always loved people’s stories, having grown-up cross-culturally. I am fascinated by people and what makes them tick.”

Having experienced various cultures, and their attitudes to death, Dawn described the Scots as unique.

“What I’ve noticed is that, when people talk, the relief is palpable,” she explained.

“That what they’ve worried about wasn’t as big a worry if they just, for instance, share their wishes with their loved ones.

“We do workshops with people, and we talk about death and dying. And I’ve noticed in Scotland some people can get superstitious with things.

“I recently had one experienced nurse say they’re a wee bit worried they’re tempting fate by talking about the death of a loved one.

“We joke about it, and I’ll say, ‘Well, I, can’t guarantee because I’m not God, but it’s more than likely that you’re going to wake up tomorrow morning if you talk about this.

“Just because you’ve spoken about death and dying, your life isn’t going to end overnight.

“I think we have almost folklore-like concerns in some families.”

Much of the job Dawn and her team carry out comes down to old-fashioned compassion.

“One of the chaplains this week spent 40 minutes sitting with a dying woman,” said Dawn.

“Her son didn’t want to leave his mum but he was exhausted.

“The chaplain sitting with his mum meant he was able to get away and have a soft drink.

“We often we stand in the gap for people.

“Any of us can pray with anybody, we are led by the needs of the patients. That can be a patient, a relative, or a member of staff.

“Just asking them, what can I do for you? What might offer you hope?

“We remind people that, even in dire circumstances, there’s always a bit of light somewhere to hang on to.

“Sometimes our job is not saying anything, sometimes it’s just being present. Holding up a hand or an arm, around the shoulder. Just giving someone something tangible.

“And sometimes some of us might say, ‘you know, I’m not that religious either. I’m just here to see how you’re doing’.

“It’s important to say to patients they don’t actually need to have active faith.

“You might be an atheist or secularist or humanist.

“It doesn’t matter what you believe. What we’re doing, from one human being to another, offering kindness and care.”