Research

Chaplaincy in General Practice is a relatively new discipline and so inevitably research to date is limited and even less has been formally published. However, in addition to the growing body of evidence that links spirituality to health and wellbeing, the Association of Chaplaincy in General Practice seeks to raise awareness of research which is particularly relevant to the British General Practice context.

Honouring Personhood in Patients: the added value of chaplaincy in General Practice gives an introduction and overview of how Chaplaincy developed in one area and it contains some qualitative analysis by Birmingham University.

Dr Peter Kevern, Associate Professor in Values in Care,; Professor Wilf McSherry, Professor in Dignity of Care for Older People and colleagues from Staffordshire University have worked with the Association of Chaplaincy in General Practice and published a variety of papers considering various aspects of Chaplaincy in General Practice in England.

Chaplains for well-being in primary care: analysis of the results of a retrospective study. Peter Kevern and Lisa Hill. Primary Health Care Research and Development, 2013; 00: 1–13

Kevern, P, McSherry, W. & Boughey, A. (2015). External Report: Evaluation of the Role and Development of Primary Care ‘Chaplains for Wellbeing’ in Sandwell and West Birmingham CCG. Sandwell & West Birmingham Clinical Commissioning Group / Staffordshire University / Sandwell Wellbeing Hub.

McSherry, W., Boughey, A. & Kevern, P. (2016.) ‘“Chaplains for Wellbeing” in Primary Care: A Qualitative Investigation of Their Perceived Impact for Patients’ Health and Wellbeing’ in Journal of Healthcare Chaplaincy.

GP Chaplaincy in Scotland is termed Community Chaplaincy Listening.
The reports below give insights into this work and the research which has been done:
Community Chaplaincy Listening: Your story; your time; your wellbeing. Full report on the national Scottish action research project 2011

Developing Innovation in Spiritual Care Education: Research in Primary Health And Social Care.2013