Chaplaincy has been working closely for years with the Pediatric team for providing spiritual care and supporting services to newborn babies, children, adolescents (0-18 years old), as well as their parents and family over difficult moments and challenges. We regularly care for the baby and children admitted into pediatric intensive care unit and neonatal intensive care unit. For wellness of inmate, some evangelical activity will be co-organised with the Nursing Christian Fellowship. 
 
A drastic increase of service demand in 2024 is expected with the opening of the Pediatric Day Centre after the completion of the UCH expansion project. Recently, Chaplaincy has joined into the case conference session with various disciplinary force of the team for some Palliative Care cases.

Family-oriented spiritual care is the key approach in this specialty. We provide daily visitation and caring programme for the needy community. At the same time, Chaplain in charge joins into the case conference meeting with various disciplinary forces for every individual inpatient progress in weekly basis for the best of service concerned. 
 
Meanwhile, we have established a chaplaincy palliative care volunteer team. Chaplain serves inside the hospital while those volunteers will be the best assistance as well as a role into the community. This is a very crucial bridge to continue the caring effort either by the volunteer or by local churches in the latest stage of those patients. With Faith and various spiritual resources, chaplaincy wish those parties experiencing transformation in peace, love and hope.

Over the years, chaplaincy has committed to serve a marginalized group in the society– the mentally and emotionally illness patient. As a folk suffered from emotional disorder, they cannot connect with their families and society healthily, resulting in a long-term "alienation". With the love of God, Chaplain provides spiritual and emotion support to these patients during their treatment or recovery stage by setting up hymn groups in wards, rehabilitation activity either in day clinic or Yung Fung Shee GOPC.
 
Recently, Chaplaincy trained up volunteers by building up their knowledge in this specialty and wholistic care. Trained volunteers can provide spiritual care service to patients and their families at the day clinic, and hope to expand to activities to person in recovery at the day hospital. Through Christian Faith, chaplain wishes to build up positive self-image, meaning of life, and re-establish the comrade partnership of couples.

The number of cancer diagnoses is increasing every year in Hong Kong. Oncology patients usually go through some stressful spiritual stages: denial, anger, bargaining, and depression until acceptance. Chaplain cares about patients’ various emotions triggered from their illnesses, so as to relieve their negative feelings; lets them experience the real peace and hope through the promises through reading the bible and singing hymns. It is a long journey for oncology patient on treatment and recovery, and Chaplain serves as a companion along the way to support in terms of relief and ventilation for both patients and family. Ward visitation, coordinate mutual supporting group, Faith strengthening group are the way to go.

Each birth of a child brings great joy to a family, at the same time a lot of adaptation. By gifting each family a Baby Bible and prayers, Chaplain delivers caring session with love before those mothers discharge from hospital. 
 
Besides, Chaplain provides bereavement service and caring to patients (and their families too) with gynecological diseases and miscarriage tragic. Collaborating with medical staffs, the team provides supporting group to the couples undergo different abortion. Companionship is the best healing process during these critical moments. After all, chaplaincy will arrange memorial prayer service for the dead fetus or still born baby in order for the family to walk through the grief valley.

Every day there is a long queue of beds in the operating room of the hospital ready to be admitted into the operation theatre. The waiting time of such varies. Many patients experience fear and worry where there may be life threatening and loss of limbs or parts. 
 
All these preoperative emotions have a great need to be understood and cared for. Hence, Chaplain provides timely spiritual care to prepare the hearts of those surgical patients. Spiritual care helps patients decrease their anxiety, increase their hope for the future, and most importantly experiencing comfort and encouragement from the great healer Jesus Christ Himself.

There are about 120 churches in Kowloon East. Under the Partnering Church Programme, Chaplaincy and churches could join hands to provide spiritual care to both in-patient, out-patient and their families, which includes urgent baptism for in-patient, out-patient caring, volunteer training, seasonal activities and support and so. With such collaboration, we hope to bless the spiritual lives of the community. 
 
Participating church have to fulfil minimum two of the requirements as below:

1. Serve as Partnering Pastor
2. Send forth Volunteer Chaplain
3. Join the Ward Adoption
4. Support with Regular Donation

As of the end of 2024, 29 churches have registered as our partners, with a total of 90 pastors supporting patients with urgent sacrament needs and continuous spiritual care after discharge. Among them, 11 churches including 27 pastors have also joined the "Wards Adoption". They regularly lead church volunteers (currently 143 volunteers) to wards visitation, caring for more than 100 patients on average every month.
 
Partnering Church Programme

After completing the core training organised by Chaplaincy and HRC, volunteer will visit the ward on regular basis to listen and provide spiritual care to patient, as well as to be with them when facing emotional and spiritual difficulties, with the love of God.
 
Activities 
Chaplaincy disciples volunteer in fellowship, which includes group gathering, training, retreat, seasonal serving and so, in order to provide a platform for them to learn and grow together outside wards. The “Volunteer Newsletter” are dispatched quarterly to volunteer to enhance communication and keep them updated with the news of Chaplaincy and Volunteer Fellowship.
 
Training 
Chaplaincy organised the “Pastoral Care Volunteer Training Course” to promote patient care and coordinate volunteer ward visitation. It is aimed to equipped christian to participate in hospital care service, training topics includes understanding the ministry of UCH Chaplaincy, Whole person needs of patients and their families, Spiritual Care and resources, Hospital visitation technique, and faith reflection of facing lost and suffer. Through practicum and case study, volunteers would learn more about the communication skills with patients and their families.

There are about 100 full-time chaplains in Hong Kong. According to the statistics in 2019, the Hospital Authority provides 28,000 hospital beds and hires about 79,000 staff. Seeing the great proportion disparity between chaplain and patients, Chaplaincy has been putting in effort to build up the next generation. Through the mentorship and step-by-step training experienced in this One-year Hospital Chaplain Trainee Programme, it is hope that these trainees could take up the spiritual care role with Christianity as their core value. Since 2021, most graduated trainees have become full-time chaplains.
 

By Cheque:

• Crossed-cheque made payable to "United Christian Medical Service" and send directly to Chaplaincy, G Floor, Block P, 130 Hip Wo Street, Kwun Tong, Kowloon. Please state "donation to Chaplaincy" and donor's name at the back of the cheque, and provide postal address for issuing the official receipt.
• Only Hong Kong Dollar cheque issued by Hong Kong registered banks accepted.

Deposit/Transfer to our bank account: 

• Our account no: HSBC 004-030-024301-002
• Please mail us the original bank-in slip to Chaplaincy, G Floor, Block P, 130 Hip Wo Street, Kwun Tong, Kowloon, or email us the scanned copy to uch@hospitalchap.org.hk, indicating "Donation to Chaplaincy" with donor's name and postal address for records and issuing the official receipt.