THE new NHS Chaplain at Morecambe Bay Trust has set out his ambitious vision for the role.

Ian Dewar, the new Lead Chaplain at University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust (UHMBT), says he has ambitious plans to tackle some of the 'big questions' facing people and society today.

“One of my aims is to rethink traditional Chaplaincy. I think we need to create a safe place for ‘slow questions’. Very often people have little time for looking at the big questions," said Mr Dewar, who has worked for years at Furness General Hospital.

Mr Dewar trained at Durham University and was in parish life for 13 years before working in Chaplaincy.

He said: “I’m fascinated to be the new Lead Chaplain of the Trust at a time when there are sharper and deeper questions about the NHS, our health and how we are living our lives.

“It is a great privilege to step up to the role. I spent a number of years working with the previous Lead Chaplain, Rev Jane Tyrer and Debbie Wilde, our Chaplain at Furness General Hospital in Barrow, raising the profile of the Chaplaincy Team through our annual Health Festival and other initiatives.

“Now Debbie and I have a chance to build on that work. We are also in the process of looking for a new site Lead Chaplain for the Westmorland General Hospital in Kendal.

Commenting on his plans for the new role at UHMBT, he said: “One of my aims is to rethink traditional Chaplaincy. I think we need to create a safe place for ‘slow questions’. Very often people have little time for looking at the big questions.

"Sometimes just asking the questions is important. There need to be much deeper conversations between the health care world and the wider community. What we need most just now is space for meaningful conversations.

“The people we see through our Chaplaincy work very often don’t have any form of spiritual background. More often than not we are talking with non-religious people. This has been particularly true during the coronavirus pandemic.

“The pandemic has raised issues of mortality with many people; big questions about life and death have come to the surface. Often in life people don’t have a religion - there is just a life to be led. Chaplaincy is the art of filling in the gaps.

"When people come into the hospital, often they have all sorts of questions buzzing around. We can help people to find their meaning in life.

“I believe everyone needs to have a reason for living. A lot of people talk about longevity but I would ask: ‘what is a meaningful life?’ I am also interested in looking at the impact of the imagination on wellbeing.

“The public need to recognise that the primary mover in their health is themselves. Chaplaincy feeds into this but, in my view, the most important question for people to ask themselves is: ‘What is my reason for getting up in the morning?’

“Tragedy is part of life and life is full of challenges. As Chaplains sometimes we can help people find connections that will help to make their life work better.”