Cheery American Jim Linthicum has been senior chaplain at Great Ormond Street Hospital for nearly 10 years.
In that time he has conducted marriage blessings, baptisms, funerals and bedside prayers - and been at the side of patients and families at some of the most trying times, regardless of their faith.
He places emphasise on spirituality rather than religion, believing everyone has a spiritual side which helps us deal with life’s challenges, gives us hope and meaning, and helps us see our experiences as part of a bigger picture.
It is that spiritual side he endeavours to support, through the stress of having a child in hospital and when families, patients and even staff at GOSH, feel lonely, confused, angry or without hope.
He has been an invaluable pillar of support for many people that have walked through the doors at GOSH.
First ordained in the United Methodist Church in Baltimore in 1981, twenty years later he was ordained again into the Church of England.
Now he's a friendly face at GOSH's St Christopher's Chapel, once described by Oscar Wilde as the "most delightful private chapel in London."
As head of the chaplaincy service, Jim manages a team which consists of staff from the Church of England, Roman Catholicism, Judaism, Islam and the Greek Orthodox Church, meaning that parents and staff from a variety of faith communities can find the support they need. There is always a member of staff available, 24 hours a day and seven days a week.
Areas of special interest for Jim include spiritual assessment, the spirituality of children and medical ethics.
Perhaps most intriguingly, he takes an interest in research pertaining to the delivery of spiritual care within the field of healthcare.
In his work, which can sometimes mean late-night phone-calls from grieving parents, he is supported by staff from a range of faiths, helping GOSH to provide the all-encompassing care that makes it so much more than just a hospital.
