The Association of Chaplaincy in General Practice (ACGP) was established in 2014 and draws from the experience of service provision for more than 25 years.

We are not a membership organisation and everything we do is focused on public benefit.

We achieved our own charitable status as a CIO in December 2023, and our work prior to this was overseen by our parent organisation, Whole Person Health Trust.

We achieve our objectives in the following ways:

• We seek to help Chaplains in General Practice, the public, service providers and commissioners make better, more informed choices about the provision of whole person care within the primary healthcare setting. We are committed to raising the ethical and professional standards of GP Chaplaincy through education, evaluation, accreditation and resources.
• We provide training and education for people working as Chaplains in General Practice and those interested in offering a Primary Healthcare Chaplaincy service.
• We support connections between practitioners by means of networking, continual professional development events and conferences.
• We offer guidance and recommendations concerning professional standards for Chaplains in General Practice and service providers. We require Chaplains to practice in accordance with the UK Board of Healthcare Chaplaincy Code of Conduct
• We offer accreditation and certification specifically for primary healthcare practitioners which aligns to the requirements of the UK Board of Healthcare Chaplaincy.
• We collate and share research highlighting the provision and efficacy of Primary Healthcare Chaplaincy.

Guidance on Service Provision

ACGP has produced a handbook to assist those interested in establishing and delivering a Chaplaincy service in General Practice. The handbook is periodically updated in the light of service delivery experience and policy developments.

Seminars for those interested in setting up the service are periodically provided.

Training

ACGP provides training tailored specifically for Chaplains working in a Primary Healthcare setting and regular Continuing Professional Development sessions.

Please see our training and events page for further details.

Collaboration

ACGP is represented in the College of Health Care Chaplains and leads the GP Chaplaincy Interest Group.

ACGP has a representative who attends board meetings of the UK Board of Healthcare Chaplaincy

ACGP is a member of The Chaplaincy Forum for Pastoral, Spiritual and Religious Care in Health
 

Our Values Statement

1. We honour the remarkably integrated, multifaceted composition of human beings and the uniqueness of each person. 

2. We recognise that each human being is of intrinsic value and of immeasurable worth. 

3. We believe that human beings flourish most in the context of unconditional acceptance, forgiveness and compassion. 

4. We consider that health and well-being is diminished where there is no integrated bio-psycho-social-spiritual approach which recognises spiritual or existential needs alongside other aspects of health. 

5. We adhere to the view that in every human being there is a spiritual dimension with spiritual needs - the universal human need for significance, identity, purpose, belonging, meaning and hope - and find the following description, which is used within the NHS to be helpful:  

‘In every human being there seems to be a spiritual dimension, a quality that goes beyond religious affiliation, that strives for inspiration, reverence, awe, meaning, and purpose even in those who do not believe in God. The spiritual dimension tries to be in harmony with the universe, strives for answers about the infinite, and comes essentially into focus in times of emotional stress, physical illness, loss, bereavement, and death.’i 

6. We consider that spiritual care involves helping people to recognise, explore and address their spiritual wellbeing including their spiritual resources and needs. This is an important but often absent aspect of whole person, patient-centred care. 

7. We concur with the NICE guidance description regarding spiritual and existential support: 

‘Key issues in delivering effective spiritual and existential support to people experiencing illness or treatment ...  are: 

• listening to the patient’s experience and the questions that may arise 

• affirming the patient’s humanity 

• protecting the patient’s dignity, self-worth and identity 

• ensuring that spiritual care is offered as an integral part of an holistic approach to health, encompassing psychological, spiritual, social and emotional care, and within the framework of the patient’s beliefs or philosophy of life’ii   

8. We are aligned with an NHS description of spiritual care: 

‘Spiritual care recognises and responds to the deepest needs of the human spirit, particularly when facing trauma, loss, sickness or sadness. It includes the need for meaning, value, and self-expression and is expressed through compassionate, relational trust, moving in a patient-centred direction’. iii 

9. We consider that spiritual care is most effectively delivered by staff who have a clear personal faith and spirituality; who are actively part of a community which shares their faith and spirituality; who have an awareness of the wide variety of expressions of faith and spirituality and have the maturity to be able to support patients in whatever spirituality and faith is important to them. 

10. We recognise that for some patients effective spiritual and existential support may involve clients receiving prayer or other religious practices which can be a relevant intervention in caring for the whole person.  

11. We recognise the importance of staff well-being and of compassionate workplaces in order that staff can flourish and offer excellent patient care. We seek to support staff in their work wherever possible. 

12. We honour the Judeo-Christian foundations of Chaplaincy and Spiritual Care in the NHS, which undergird all our values, while respecting and seeking to learn from other religions, beliefs and expressions of spirituality.