As he walks through the corridors of the Bristol Royal Infirmary, Canon Chris Davies seems to know an awful lot of people.

Doctors, nurses, administrators, patients and families of patients – as we cross the BRI's maze of corridors, every turn reveals another flash of recognition – a simple "hi Chris", a swift handshake, or a passing chat.

As a hospital chaplain, covering all three Bristol NHS trusts, Chris is a familiar face in hospitals across the city. He leads a team of 13 chaplains and 150 chaplaincy volunteers who have the unenviable task of offering spiritual and emotional support to people at the most difficult times in their lives.

Whether it's comforting a distraught family member who has just lost a loved one, offering reassurance to the terminally ill, or simply lending a friendly ear to a stressed doctor at the end of a challenging shift – no two days are ever the same for Chris and the rest of the chaplaincy team.

They must have one of the most emotionally-draining occupations in the world.

"You have to be a certain type of person to be able to do the job," Chris agrees. "And no matter how many years of experience you have in this role, it can still be tough at times."

Earlier this year, the National Secular Society called for an end to NHS funding for hospital chaplains, arguing the £40-million annual cost could be better spent.

But Chris is keen to explain that the chaplains are healthcare professionals who never consider their role to be one of pushing a particular religious belief.

"We may wear a priest's collar, but we're not here to put religion into the NHS – we're here to offer spiritual support to everybody in the hospitals we serve," he explains. "That's everybody – no matter what faith background they come from, including atheists and agnostics.

"The Bristol area is a vibrant and lively pluralist community and the chaplains are only too pleased to help members of all faith communities to find the support they need when in hospital or at work in the health service locally.

"Sometimes everyone needs spiritual and emotional support, and it's our job to be here when people find themselves in that position.

"We also play an important role in the daily life of these institutions – for example, I am a member of the Clinical Ethics Advisory Committee at one of our hospitals, because I'm working with issues of medical ethics all day, every day."

Chris began his life in the ministry working as a hospital chaplain in the East End of London, and went on to work as a parish priest in Portsmouth before coming to Bristol in 1987.

"It's a specialised role within the ministry," he explains. "Our support needs to be non-judgemental and non-denominational.

"Often it's simply about listening to people who are carrying a heavy burden of pain, grief, trauma or fear. As a team we try to visit every single high dependency or trauma ward at least once a day, to make sure that people know that we're here if they need us.

"I always tell the chaplains in my team to imagine there is a glass door in front of people that they need to knock on before they step into their lives. We're not here to force our support on people. You have to be very sensitive about what people want.

"When dealing with people who have just lost somebody, or who have a loved one close to death, the key thing is to listen carefully, and help them to put their feelings into words. You can't try to explain what's happening to them – they have to explain it to you."

He adds: "A lot of our work is in supporting young couples who have lost a baby – whether born or unborn. We're happy to offer spiritual support by organising special funerals and naming ceremonies for the child, and this can be very important for the grieving parents."

Another challenging part of Chris' job is offering support to those who are close to death.

"Sometimes it's not about saying the right thing," he explains. "It is about giving reassurance. But that can often be about holding their hand or giving them a smile.

"If they are afraid, and suffering because of a terror of death, we can make a big difference by helping them to work through their fears and to reach a sense of peace."

But the chaplaincy's role isn't just about the most serious of cases.

"It can be a patient who is just in for a minor operation, but happens to be going through a traumatic divorce at the same time," Chris says.

"And often it can be about helping the other people who work here deal with the emotional strains upon them.

"Because whether you're the chief executive or a porter, everyone in a hospital is a sort of chaplain – everyone finds themselves needing to offer emotional support to the people passing through our doors."