Starting a Local Health Ministry Project 

1. From Scratch  A quick check list for starting - click here

You could gather together the people interested in health ministry and see what they can offer between them. They could contact the local GP surgery and ascertain local need. They could also do wider research on health needs through the PCT and locate possible sources of funding for specific projects. They could pray about the way forward in health ministry. Local health staff could be invited in to Toddler groups/Senior Citizens clubs etc. to speak about health needs. More healthy eating patterns could be practised through the church catering group. Exercise classes and walking groups could be commenced. 
All of the above and more could be led by a Parish Nurse. But in addition, he/she will advocate for clients, offer personal health advice, and promote the integration of spiritual care with physical care. Prayer will be a significant feature in the care that is offered. 
Funding could be gathered from various local sources to support a paid Parish Nurse position. Job descriptions, advertisements and person specifications are available through “Parish Nursing Ministries UK”. (PNMUK) 


2. With a potential volunteer nurse:

Parish Nurses are appointed or employed by the local church. “PNMUK” offers education for the ministry of Parish nursing practice and provides advice and ongoing coordination to both church and nurse through its regional coordinators. One of our coordinators would be very willing to come and talk to your church about the concept, and it is normal to offer travel costs and a fee for this. (Payable to Parish Nursing Ministries UK) 

If there is a registered nurse in your church with some community experience, he/she may be interested in Parish Nursing and may want to look at offering some voluntary hours in order to get things started. The church can then send them on the one-week introductory course, perhaps offering to pay at least some of the costs (around £500 including residence). At the moment we offer this twice a year. They come back with a better understanding of what Parish Nursing is all about and are then able to gather a group of people interested in developing health ministry through your church. 

This group forms both a support group for the Parish nurse and a steering group for the project. It may consist of other health or social care professionals, pastoral workers, and someone with admin skills and fundraising abilities. It is sometimes called a health team, or a health ministry committee…the name is up to you. 

In addition to this the nurse will need a Professional mentor and a Spiritual mentor. They can be one and the same person, if there is someone with dual qualifications around. Often the Professional mentoring is offered by the Primary CareTrust, which helps to build good relationships with the community health nurses, and the Spiritual mentor is a mentor with some training in theology. The two meet together with the nurse about every six to eight weeks and the purpose is to discuss any issues that arise out of the practice. Both people need to be in an accountable relationship themselves, and more qualified in their role than the Parish nurse. 

All Parish Nurses need to be currently registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council and therefore signed up to the professional code of practice. It is possible to re-register if registration has lapsed. Parish Nursing practice counts as hours of work, even if it is not paid. Our training days count as professional study days. All nurses have registration P.I.N. numbers and it is the responsibility of the church as appointer/employer to check the P.I.N. number on the NMC website. 

A volunteer contract needs to be agreed, and child and vulnerable adult enhanced checks made. Expenses should be paid by the church. These include travel, a mobile telephone solely for Parish Nursing use, stationery and computer access, a lockable filing cabinet that is used solely by the nurse, a display board, cards/booklets and health education leaflets and a sphgmomanometer. (The latter costs normally around £70). A private space should be made available somewhere in the church for consultations at given times of the week. 


3. With a paid nurse

All the above applies also to paid nurses. But there needs to be a properly advertised post with interviews. A representative of PNMUK may be helpful as part of the interview panel. 
This post should be advertised as a “Genuine occupational requirement” post when it comes to faith issues, because the nurse will be required to pray with people and may also lead services and offer Holy Communion. PNMUK has examples of adverts that have been used. 

The church may design appropriate hourly pay-scales for paid Parish nurses, in line with “Agenda for Change” but if preferred, they may adopt a pay scale based on ministry stipends with housing allowance included. 


4. Other possibilities

It is possible for a team of churches or a group of churches together to appoint a Parish Nurse. In this case a management group will be appointed representing the churches concerned. Care must be taken to ensure that the Parish Nurse is not overwhelmed by demand, that there is adequate “ownership” by each church, and that each church has its own health team or committee. 

Several nurses could be recruited to make up a team operating from one or more churches. 


5. Insurance and indemnity

It is vital that with all the above scenarios adequate insurance is taken out. The nurse is responsible for his/her own practice and this is normally covered through the nurses’ personal membership of a professional body like the Royal College of Nursing or the Community Practitioners and Health Visitors Association. In addition, though, as employer/appointer, the church needs to check with its own insurers if it is likely to incur any additional uninsured risks.. Ecclesiastical insurance have advised that because the type of nursing undertaken does not include any invasive practices there may not be many new activities undertaken that would require extra church insurance. However, the actual practice of Parish Nurses varies slightly from one church to another, depending on individual competences and community need and it is important to submit the nurses’ job description to the church’s insurers so that they can advise appropriately. 

6. Coordination

PNMUK provides advice, appropriate study days and networking to church and nurses through regional coordinators. Normally, they make at least one visit per year to the project and are available at other times by telephone or email. They may offer nurses local study days and/or retreat days encouraging peer support. They collect annual statistics so that there is both quantitative and qualitative evidence of good practice.

This costs around £200 per church per year, and so we ask all churches with parish nurses to realise an annual or monthly regular donation to PNMUK in order to facilitate this. 

The guidelines for starting a Parish Nurse pilot through a local church are below. Printable versions are available to download below.

Guidelines for Acceptance of a place on the UK Parish Nursing Induction Course.

IIf accepted, all participants are treated as participants attending a training course. Each nurse will have or seek to develop a three year placement scheme, where parish nursing practice can be supervised and evaluated.

The responsibilities of PNMUK are to develop an appropriate education and evaluation process on a not for profit basis. To arrange coordination support for the Placement churches and Parish nurses offering up to two visits from a Coordinator per year and telephone/email contact as appropriate..  

The responsibilities of the Placement Church are:
1. To take reasonable care for the safety and well-being of the nurses, to comply with data
protection requirements, and to effect child/vulnerable adult protection procedures
according to the guidelines of its denominational body.
2. To agree a voluntary contract with the volunteer, ensuring that the voluntary hours to be
worked are mutually agreeable. (We would estimate that the minimum hours needed to
develop a pilot placement are approximately three hours per week in addition to the study
days, mentoring and attendance at a worship service)
3. To gather a group of interested individuals who will help to develop a health ministry within
the church and offer prayer support for the participant.
4. At a time to be decided by the church, to arrange some form of commissioning as part of a
worship service. To provide an identity card, visiting cards, and an appropriate place for
consultations when required.
5. To refund to the parish nurse reasonable telephone, administrational and travel expenses.
6. To refund the initial expenses of the interviewers and if the placement goes ahead, to pay
PNMUK an annual donation for as long as the church has a parish nursing ministry, so that
both church and parish nurse may have access to a network of other nurses and coordination
support visits

Where possible, the placement church will also seek to assist the nurse with the fees/costs of the course and subsequent study days, and of his/her insurance and professional registration fees.
The placement church/project may seek grant funding from various funding bodies in order to extend the hours available, support and develop the ministry and any community projects that develop through it. Should such funding become available, it will be dispensed appropriately by the placement church/diocese. If paid hours become possible, the appropriate amount will be worked out according to either ministry scales of stipend, or nursing guidelines.

After the first three years, it is recommended that a report will be compiled by both Church and Parish nurse, and a review will take place. If a temporary or permanent paid Parish Nursing post becomes available, any employing church will be advised to follow their normal denominational guidelines on employment procedures. Alternatively the nurse and church may wish to continue the arrangement on the original basis and the contract may become renewable annually.

The responsibility of the nurse is
To remain registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council, following whatever
requirements that registration demands.
To observe confidentiality and data protection guidelines at all times.
To join a professional body that provides adequate personal indemnity insurance.
To fulfil the demands of the child and vulnerable adult protection procedures followed by the denomination of the placement church.
To work at developing good, communicative, team relationships with professional colleagues in
both NHS and church structures.
To develop a service that is complementary to NHS provision and not in competition with it.
Not to engage in any nursing intervention or advice that is beyond that for which she/he has
been adequately trained.
To have respect for the religious convictions of clients and to refer on to other faith
communities and agencies as appropriate.
To refer to his/her spiritual and professional mentors in both personal/professional
development and the growth of the ministry.

I have read and agreed to the above conditions

Participant:                                                      Church representative: 
Date                                                                Date

Applications should be sent to:
Rev. Helen Wordsworth
3, Barnwell Close
 Dunchurch 
Nr Rugby
Warwicks. CV22 6QH

 Printable copy in PDF

Acceptance of the guidelines must be signed and returned along with an application form which is available here:            

  PDF format

A job description for a Parish Nurse can be seen [here].

Copyright Parish Nursing UK 2007