The development and audit of a spiritual care policy used across three hospices in England

Spiritual care may be said to be universally recognized as an important aspect of palliative care and yet its effectiveness is notoriously difficult to evaluate. This article traces the experience of a group of three hospice services in East Kent. It describes the formulation of a multidisciplinary policy for spiritual care based on the best available evidence. Clinical and non-clinical staff were encouraged through training to adopt an approach to spiritual care for all patients recognizing that their spiritual needs are broader than religious needs, The outcome of the training was audited and showed that the principles of the policy had been understood and put into practice. Lessons learned through the audit were then used to update the policy, adapt practice and plan a fresh round of training.