The Community Chaplaincy Listening program at the Dalbeattie Clinic has been running for one year. It provides patients with 6 chaplain appointments per week, serving about 50 patients or 1% of the practice population. Referrals come from doctors and nurses. The benefits include fewer doctor appointments as patients can receive limitless time to talk through issues, less need for specialist referrals or medications as talking helps the healing process, and positive patient perception with over 60% returning to the service. This year developments included a new holistic care room, adding chaplain notes to patient records, and including the service in a local social prescribing pilot. Case studies showed patients who were possibly saved from low mood or depression through open communication with the

1. Community Chaplaincy Listening
Dalbeattie Clinic
Community Chaplaincy Listening
Dalbeattie Clinic

2. From a Doctor’s
Perspective

3. CCL@Dalbeattie Clinic
• Up and Running 1 Year
• 1 Chaplain; 6 appointments per week
• About 50 patients
• 1% practice population
• Referrals from Practice Doctors and Nurses

4. The Benefits

5. Less Doctor Appointments
• Limitless Time in an Ideal World
• This is Not and Ideal World
• For many Talking is the Healing Process
• CCl Provides an Effective Forum for the Process

6. Reduced/More EffectiveReferrals
to Specialist Care
• The Healing Process of Telling One’s Story:
• Can Remove the Need for Specialist Referral
• Can make any Referral more Effective

7. Reduced/More Effective
Pharmacological
Intervention
• Reduced Use of Anxiolytics
• Reduced Use of Antidepressants

8. Positive Patient Perception
• Patients Really Like the Service
• 60.5% return
• Very Positive

10. This Year’s
Developments
• Built a new holistic care room
• Added chaplain appointments to the notes
• Added CCL to the local Social Prescribing pilot
• Service seems to be really “bedding in”.

11. Cases
• Mr A.
• Former armed forces- active service in NI
• Married with grown up children
• Struggling with low mood/ moderate depression
• Confided in chaplain
• Possibly saved his life

12. Cases
• Mr B
• New Patient, recent traumatic separation
• Fell apart during consultation
• Obviously helped by talking
• Engaged fully with chaplain
• Haven’t seen him since

13. In Summary
• Less GP Appointments
• More Effective Use of Resources
• Service Popular with Patients
• Builds Resilient Communities

14. Thank you