On behalf of the board, we are delighted to present Spiritual Health Association’s Annual Report 2022-2023.

This represents the final year of SHA’s Strategic Plan 2021-2023, and we are well placed to deliver on our core aim to “co-design and test an agreed and consistent model of spiritual care that is safe, high quality and person-centred by 30 June 2023”.

For over a decade SHA has advocated for a nationally consistent model for spiritual care in the health sector. In these years we have laid the foundations through the development of key standards, frameworks and resources, through our commitment to research and our ongoing leadership in the sector. In 2022 we commenced a project to co-design a national model for spiritual care in health. Over eight months we worked with a wide range of stakeholders and in March 2023 finalised a model now ready to be trialed and evaluated in eleven participating pilot sites.

In November 2022 SHA delivered Spiritual Care in Healthcare: Elements of best practice, a scoping review of the latest evidence of the components, elements, and characteristics that indicate a quality model of spiritual care within healthcare settings. This review was conducted and published in partnership with Spiritual Care in Aotearoa New Zealand (SCANZ) Healthcare Co-design Rōpū (with partners from the University of Otago and Massey University) and informed the development of the national model.  

As the industry leader for spiritual care in the health sector, we have sought new ways to communicate the contribution that spiritual care practitioners can make in people’s lives.

We were thrilled to sponsor the social impact film, Live the life you please that premiered in Canberra in May 2023 during National Palliative Care week. Russell Armstrong, spiritual care worker from Barwon Health’s palliative care service, features in the film and embodies safe, high-quality and person-centred spiritual care. SHA partnered with Palliative Care Victoria for the launch of the film at Palace Kino.

For International Spiritual Care Week 2022, SHA launched new evidence-based posters Spiritual Care: Relevant and responsive in times of crisis and Who are spiritual care practitioners?

We acknowledge the work of our members (listed below) and their commitment to providing high-quality and safe spiritual care services, and we welcome new members who have joined us in 2022-2023.

We also acknowledge and thank the organisations and individuals who have worked alongside us, both national and international. Their contribution has enabled many of the significant achievements you will read about in this report.

There is still much work to be done to ensure spiritual care is understood, valued, and integrated into healthcare. In this tight fiscal environment, SHA successfully advocated for continued funding in 2023-2024. We are grateful to Safer Care Victoria and the Victorian government for their continued support for our work.

With a renewed strategic plan SHA is well placed to continue leading the integration of safe and high-quality spiritual care in healthcare.

Spiritual Health Association is the national peak body for spiritual care in the health sector. Our focus is on advocacy for and promotion of compassionate, person-centred spiritual care in health services.

Since 1974 we have been collaborating with health services, faith communities, consumers and other key partners and stakeholders, to expand the availability and accessibility of spiritual care as an integral part of quality healthcare.

We are informed by a growing body of evidence for the value and contribution of spiritual care and involved with international colleagues in the move towards professionalisation of the sector.

We are committed to ensuring patients, carers and staff receive high-quality and safe spiritual care that is responsive to their spiritual needs.

Our Purpose

To advocate for and promote compassionate, person-centred spiritual care in health services.

Respect: We value the humanity and dignity of every person.

Compassion: We value sensitivity to another’s suffering, which motivates healing care.

Inclusiveness: We value the spirituality, perspectives and contributions of all people.

Excellence: We value continuous improvement, innovation and accountability in the provision of spiritual care.

Compassionate, person-centred healthcare.

Health service consultation

SHA provides consultation to health services upon request. In 2022-2023 SHA provided 43 occasions of consultation/advice. The most frequently occurring issues have been models of spiritual care.

Other frequent issues include recruitment, documenting in patient medical records, scope of practice for volunteers and awards and salaries. The need for a consistent model for spiritual care has been a key focus of work in the current year with the development of the co-designed National Model for Spiritual Care in Health. 

Spiritual Care Management Network (SCMN) Leadership Training

The Soulful Leadership in Complex Times training was conducted on the 16th of November 2022 aiming to provide leaders and emerging leaders in spiritual care with the necessary skills, insights, and tools to lead soulfully and competently in a complex and challenging environment. 19 leaders of spiritual care across Australia attended the training. It covered various topics related to soulful leadership and the flourishing of spiritual care during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The training was delivered by Ewan Kelly, a highly experienced healthcare chaplain and educator with extensive knowledge in the field. It had three main objectives:

1. Deepen awareness of self and vocational identity in a leadership role;
2. Identify priorities for leading soulfully and competently in complexity;
3. Learn new approaches and tools to promote soulful or spiritual reflection on leadership practice.                                                                         

The training received overwhelmingly positive feedback from participants. Most respondents expressed high satisfaction with the workshop, praising its tutorial-like format, Ewan's wisdom and experience, the opportunity for personal reflection, and the focus on internal aspects of leadership. The facilitation and breakout room discussions were also deemed effective by most participants. The participants highly recommended the workshop to others and expressed interest in future leadership workshops. 

Submissions

• Department of Health and Aged Care - National Health Literacy Strategy consultation, November 2022
• Australian Commission for Safety and Quality in Health Care (ACSQHC) - Draft national consensus statement on end-of-life care, January 2023
• Federal Treasury - Measuring what matters statement, in conjunction with University of Melbourne and Deakin University, January 2023
• Federal Treasury - Budget submission, January 2023

Panels and Councils

SHA has provided representation at:

• Victorian Transcultural Mental Health reference group
• International Advisory Committee - Study of Peer Specialists using spirituality to inform their work survey development
• Spiritual Care Australia's Professional Development program steering committee
• Palliative Care Australia National Expert Advisory Panel
• Spiritual Care Australia Credentialing Committee
• University of Divinity course development panel
• International Joint Research Council
• Co-editor, Transforming Chaplaincy book series (international)
• International Advisor (request for a Aotearoa New Zealand national review of spiritual care in healthcare)
• Mental Health Australia Parliamentary Advocacy Day, 8 September 2022

Key Highlight - Social impact campaign sponsors

Live the life you please

In late 2022, SHA became proud Silver Sponsors of the Live the life you please, a film-led social impact campaign in support of compassionate, person-centred palliative care. SHA played an instrumental role in highlighting spiritual care as essential to the holistic palliative care process.

A feature-length documentary by Moonshine Agency premiered at Gold Sponsor Palliative Care Australia's event on 22 May 2023 at Parliament House, Canberra, followed by country-wide screenings.   

I wept most of the way through the film.

Not because it was about death, and nor was it because it recounts real pain and tragedy. It was because it was beautiful.

In an extraordinary way.

Dr Dan Fleming, St Vincent's Health

SHA in partnership with Palliative Care Victoria hosted a special screening event in Melbourne CBD on 23 May 2023. Louise McKinlay, Deputy Secretary for Commissioning System Improvement, Department of Health opened the event and Dr Stephen Duckett was emcee for the evening.  The film was followed by a panel discussion with participants including Spiritual Care Practitioner Russell Armstrong, Dr. Mark Boughey, Nurse Amy Nobel and Music Therapist Clare O’Callaghan.

According to Moonshine Agency, Live the life you please was reported in the media across television, radio, online, digital and social media 120 times, generating over 17 million impressions during the week of the film's release. The film was theatrically released with over 140 screenings at 55 locations across Australia during National Palliative Care week. The film is set to continue to reach audiences broadly through cinema and also through organisational and institutional screenings and hopefully on television, in educational facilities, public libraries, streaming and inflight entertainment.

The feature film was accompanied by short films available on the campaign website, including one specifically about spiritual care at the end of life, as well as ongoing social media promotion and media interviews.

>> Back to Key Highlights

Spiritual Care Management Network (SCMN)

The Spiritual Care Management Network (SCMN) provides an important regular forum for managers to discuss current issues in spiritual care with their peers and SHA staff. Our monthly virtual meetings enable the network to connect with colleagues right around Australia.

Our monthly program in 2022/23 has been based on topics from SHA’s yearly evaluation and feedback from spiritual care management. We have focused on the integration of best-practice spiritual care, research, advocacy, workforce development and resourcing, SHA’s Capability Framework and discussion on innovation including The National Model for Spiritual Care in Health Services.

SCMN has helped me stay connected

and appraised of current practices

 in spiritual care, from diverse perspectives.

Spiritual Care Manager

In the early part of 2023, we moved to bi-monthly and targeted content and discussions to specifically support spiritual care managers in their everyday roles as managers, as well as assisting them to build the profile of spiritual care in their local settings. This has led to meaningful interactions each gathering and relational connections outside of the regular meetings. With many new managers commencing in 2023 it has been a valuable resource to draw upon the collective wisdom of the management network when sharing content.

On the whole, the network has been a positive space for our managers to engage with each other and there is a strong sense that this supportive group is assisting in our manager's roles at the coal face.

Mental Health Network

In 2022 – 2023 Network members continued to participate in online gatherings, with a steady increase of participation from regional and interstate mental health spiritual care practitioners. The meetings were a mix of planned information sharing sessions, and an open format responsive to practitioner need thereby fulfilling the important function of peer support, debrief and critical reflection.

 I have always valued the support and

what you bring to the mental health space,

as well as the chosen topics and articles. 

MHN participant

Discussion points included:

• Group work techniques
• Suicide in workplace setting and spiritual care responses
• Spiritual care documentation processes
• In conversation with Dr Nivanka Da Silva, Psychiatric Registrar
• Celebrating our successes

An evaluation was completed at the end of 2022 and feedback suggested monthly meetings be held on Tuesday rotating between morning and afternoon time slots to support more people to access the space. In the early part of 2023 consultation advice was sought from members to support several SHA projects in process. 

 Thank you for your continued effort in organising our monthly meetings. I find

them so valuable and rich with ideas

that I can put into practice. 

MHN participant

Membership of the network has continued to expand and regular mailouts of relevant research and mental health news continues to be well received. 

Spiritual care at the end of life short film

As part of the broader Live the life you please campaign, a special emphasis was placed on the integral role of spiritual care in holistic palliative care. This commitment to highlighting spiritual care led to the creation of the short film Spiritual care at the end of life.

This poignant film was thoughtfully crafted to provide an insight into the unique qualities of the spiritual care relationship, demonstrating how it tends to the aspects of life that give people meaning, purpose, and connection until the very end.

Specifically, the film shares the story of Alex Robins and Leila McCann, who were companioned by spiritual care practitioner Russell Armstrong as part of Alex's palliative care journey. Through their personal narrative, viewers gain a profound understanding of how spiritual care can hold another's story during this significant time, emphasising its unique and essential role in whole-of-person care.

The film has received over 2.9K views, reflecting a growing recognition of the importance of spiritual care in the health sector. Its continued availability as part of the Live the life you please campaign ensures that these essential messages continue to reach a wide audience, aligning with the SHA's mission to advocate for compassionate, person-centred care, and holistic well-being.

Special thanks are extended to both Alex and Leila for graciously sharing their touching story.

In memory of Alex Robins.

Celebrating a second year of work, the Spiritual Health Lived Experience Advisory Committee (SHLEAC) team again worked closely with Mental Health Leader Jennifer Greenham to raise awareness to the importance of the lived experience voice in mental health care and recovery, and its strong connection to spirituality. In late 2022 two founding members, Kevin Treloar and Hannah Friebel retired from SHLEAC to focus their expertise into other spaces, and we welcomed Tess Marotta and Betty Do in the early part of 2023 after seeking expressions of interest from around Australia.

Achievements across the 2022- 23 year include:

• A full committee presentation titled Spirituality, spiritual care and mental health: What’s the correlation?’ to the VTMH monthly seminar series with 90 sector workers in attendance.
• Connecting with Mary O’Hagan, Director of the Lived Experience Department at Department of Health, Victoria. Mary joined SHLEAC meetings on three occasions to discuss the place of spirituality in mental health recovery.
• In October the Committee celebrated the launch of the National Spiritual Health Lived Experience Network, a place for consumers and carers who share a vision for spirituality and spiritual care to be embedded into all mental health services models, to gather and have their voices heard. To this end the Committee hosted an inaugural ‘meet & greet’ event in April 2023 to connect with Network members and this consultation has informed the direction of SHLEAC’s work for the next financial year.

SHLEAC will continue to consolidate and build upon their successes of the last few years as they pursue further engagement and strategic input into mental health reform.   

SHA's partnership with Victorian Transcultural Mental Health service moved into its fifth year of delivering opportunities for education and meaningful reflective sessions to mental health sector workers. The core facilitation team of Rohan Souter, Justin Kuay, Abie Jazi and Jenny Greenham welcomed a new team member in Natasha Rajagopalan, Psychiatric Registrar at the beginning of 2023, after Nivanka Da Silva’s work at VTMH completed.

Mental health sector workers were supported by monthly reflective discussion sessions as well as a live webinar event in April 2023 to an audience of 60 mental health workers. The webinar titled Spirituality matters: What clinicians need to know featured a panel discussion between Consultant Psychiatrist, Justin Kuay, Spiritual Care Practitioner, Rohan Souter, Tess Marotta, SHLEAC member and Naomi Chapman, VTMH Consumer Consultant.

Such a privilege to listen and discuss such a crucial topic with informed and respectful people. I think we need more conversations about the essential value of spirituality in health and wellbeing.

Participant, Spirituality and Diversity Discussions

This conversation generated much interest in the sector and provided a platform to launch the 2023 series of monthly reflective practice group sessions. Additionally, the project was showcased at TheMHS Conference in Sydney in October 2022 and the INSS Conference in Waterford Ireland in May 2023. 

Key Highlight - Poster series

Spiritual Care: Relevant and responsive in times of crisis

SHA provided two informative infographic posters for International Spiritual Care Week (23-29 October). The evidence-based posters respond to the theme Spiritual Care: Relevant and responsive in times of crisis. They are designed to support spiritual care practitioners, health professionals, educators, patients, and families.

These posters focused on the urgent need for spiritual care during the Covid-19 pandemic, emphasizing the role of spiritual care practitioners as part of interdisciplinary teams. They highlighted the importance of addressing the spiritual needs of patients, families, caregivers, and even healthcare staff.

We used the opportunity to follow on from our 2021 posters and further highlight the role of spiritual care practitioners.

The posters are brilliant – a very thorough, balanced and educational insight into the merit and worth of healthcare chaplaincy. Thank you so much.

Spiritual Care Manager

The resources emphasized that everyone has a right to receive spiritual care, promoting spiritual well-being for all. By recognizing the profound impact of spiritual support during crisis situations, the posters reminded us of its vital role in overall well-being.

The posters were available on our website for free download with an option to purchase printed copies. These resources  were well received by spiritual care teams across the country, as well as internationally, and provided an opportunity for them to show case their work during Spiritual Care Week by posting them around health care settings for staff, patients and families to view.

The posters continue to be a popular resource to help advocate for the role of spiritual care within health settings.

>> Back to Key Highlights

Faith Communities Report: Service Provision

There were ten faith communities in receipt of Government funding for the provision of spiritual care in Victorian public hospitals in 2022-2023. Even with the limitations imposed by the continuing impact of the pandemic, their contribution to the spiritual care of patients across Victorian hospitals was substantial. This workforce included both paid chaplains and volunteers who work with the spiritual care departments of hospitals.

Key Highlight - E-learning module

The Essence of Spiritual Care

SHA in partnership with Palliative Care Australia (PCA) developed The Essence of Spiritual Care, an online learning module designed for healthcare workers. 

All health professionals, working in any care setting are encouraged to better understand spiritual care, not only for the people and families in their care, but for their own wellbeing too. It shows the importance of tending to the things that bring a sense of meaning, purpose and connection in our lives - whether that be for the patients in our care, or for ourselves as we sustain our energy to care for others.

I valued the diversity of scenarios which were presented which reflect the various age groups / family situations of people with whom I connect with.

Course participant

It was launched on PCA's Thursdays@3 podcast on 9 February 2023 by SHA Chair Luke Bowen and Clinical Director Sara Fleming. View the launch video below.

>> Back to Key Highlights

Online Communications

e-News readership:

• 1168 subscribers at 30 June 2023
• 12 eNews campaigns
• Average opens 45%
• Australian and international audience including USA, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, China, India and New Zealand.

Social media

• SHA's Instagram and Facebook accounts continued to grow after launching in early 2022. A reel boosted on 30th May 2023 reached over 164K accounts, with 349 interactions. Click here to play.

Website

12, 538 users accessed SHA's website in the last year. It is accessed by users in all states and territories in Australia, and internationally including the USA, UK, Germany, Canada, NZ and India.