“I thought, ‘this is something I really need to apply for.’” - Barts Hospitaller begins work
Fr Jonathan Livingstone will split his time between the hospital and parish and strengthen the links between the two.
Like most people, Fr Jonathan Livingstone hadn’t heard of a hospitaller before he saw the position advertised in the Church Times.
The ancient role was first occupied at St Bartholomew’s during the reign of King Henry VIII when the hospital became a parish in its own right.
Back then, the hospitaller supervised the food bought for the patients to ensure that everyone got their fair share, whilst the vicar took care of the parishioners, which would include staff and residents of the hospital site.
The two positions were combined in the time of William Orme, the Vicar from 1670-97, and have been held jointly by successive clergy ever since.
The latest hospitaller won’t be quite so concerned with catering. Instead, they will combine ministry duties in the parish, including weddings, funeral and baptisms, with a chaplaincy at the hospital, replacing a member of the team who recently left.
Trust chaplains visit patients and relatives on the wards, often when they are seriously ill, dying or recently bereaved. They operate a 24/7 on-call service and also provide confidential support to hospital staff.
It’s this ‘dual-aspect’ that appealed to Jonathan, who, in March, became the first person to be awarded the sole title of hospitaller since the roles were combined 350 years ago.
Born in Edinburgh, Jonathan was raised in the Scottish Borders town of Peebles and in Perthshire, before reading Theological Studies at the University of St Andrew’s.
After a career in retail, he was ordained in the United Diocese of Glasgow and Galloway in 2017 and began a three year priest training post, known as a curacy.
“My training was coming to an end and I was looking for jobs in Scotland, with no intention of moving south of the border”, Jonathan explains.
After spotting the advert, the position immediately stood out.
“Each time I read the job description I got more and more passionate about it. I thought, ‘this is something that I really need to apply for.’”
Jonathan had expected to travel to London for his interview, but the pandemic meant the application process took place entirely online.
The role is already very different to the one he applied for at the turn of the year.
“Under normal circumstances, the chaplains would accompany the clinical teams on ward rounds, moving from patient to patient and speaking to anyone who needed our help.
“Infection control measures mean we now rely on hospital staff, including the nurses and palliative care teams, referring us to specific patients.
“We don’t have the same freedom as we enjoyed before the pandemic.”
Jonathan and his colleagues are required to wear protective equipment for every visit, including a mask, gloves and apron, to avoid catching or passing on the virus.
“The mask in particular can feel like a barrier. A major part of pastoral care is being able to see each other’s faces. A smile can go a long way.
“Not having as much physical contact with patients can be hard too.”
Despite the challenges of PPE, Jonathan says most patients adapt to the ‘new normal’ very quickly.
“Some patients have been in hospital for a very long time, often without any visitors. They’re so grateful for someone to spend time with; to listen to their cares; to talk to about what’s happening in the world; what’s reopened and what’s not – that transcends any PPE.”
While new to the role – he was only officially sworn in by the Archdeacon of London at a ceremony at St Bartholomew the Great earlier this month – Jonathan is keen to forge relationships with teams and departments and raise awareness of the help available to staff through the chaplaincy team.
“In the past six months, it’s really hit home how much stress and trauma staff can experience in their roles and how easy it is to feel overwhelmed.
“It’s important that we are there to support them as much as anyone else.”
Jonathan is keen to strengthen the links between the church and the hospital, whose histories have been intertwined for almost 900 years.
Both were established in 1123 by Rahere, a cleric in the court of Henry I.
He is said to have fallen ill on a pilgrimage to Rome, vowing that, if he survived, he would establish a hospital for London’s poor. As he returned home, a vision of Saint Bartholomew urged him to form a church at Smithfield.
The Priory was closed as part of Henry VIII’s dissolution of the monasteries in 1539.
The hospital, Britain’s oldest, survived and was granted by Henry to the City in 1546 on the condition that its chapel become a parish church, serving the people of the hospital. It was at this time that the hospitaller role was formally established.
The church – called St Bartholomew the Less to distinguish it from its larger neighbour within the parish, St Bartholomew the Great – still sits within the boundaries of the hospital.
It is an arrangement unique to the whole of England.
Jonathan says the prospect of being hospitaller for the 900th anniversary of both church and hospital in 2023 is an exciting one.
“We’re already discussing ways to mark the occasion. It’s going to be a great event to be involved in.”
So, how does a job that originated in Tudor times apply to a modern NHS hospital?
“In the 1500s, the focus was as much on the practical as the pastoral”, says Jonathan.
“It’s my job to reinterpret this for the 21st century.”
“I hope to be a consistent presence in the hospital – here to provide the religious and liturgical aspect of church life, whether that’s presiding over communion or giving the last rites to someone near the end of their life.
“At the same time, I want to support people in a more general, holistic way, emotionally, psychologically or spiritually.
“For a lot of people, their spirituality will be very religious and they will have their own faith, but for many others this won’t be the case.
“That’s when my role is more about being a listening ear, asking what’s important to them at that particular time and providing a safe space, in the most accessible way possible, whether that’s for staff, patients or relatives.”
Images: Barts the Less in 1906 and Barts the Less in wartime. Picture credits: Barts Health NHS Trust Archives
Read more
Follow @BartsHospitaller on Twitter
Chaplaincy services at Barts Health NHS Trust
St Bartholomew the Great and St Bartholomew the Less parish churches