David Savage took a leading role in establishing the non-religious pastoral care programme at Humanists UK. In 2012 he started to provide pastoral care at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust and was the first non-religious person to successfully complete their spiritual healthcare department’s two-year professional training course. He continues to provide care at the Trust and is helping to found a non-religious pastoral care role at the University of Surrey. Dr Savage is chair of the board of the Non-Religious Pastoral Support Network.
'This is a much-needed intervention on the growing phenomenon of non-religious pastoral care within chaplaincy contexts. It will undoubtedly raise challenges for chaplaincies and institutions across a wide range of settings in British public life.' - Ben Ryan, Researcher at Theos Think Tank, author of A Very Modern Ministry: Chaplaincy in the UK