NHS chaplaincy services hit by cuts

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Chaplaincy care has been cut by 54,127 hours a year since 2005, the findings of a survey of 198 NHS trusts by the public theology think tank Theos have shown.

Only two trusts, Lincolnshire Partnership and County Durham and Darlington, reported an increase in the number of chaplaincy sessions available.

Where trusts had made cuts the average reduction was 19 hours a week.

The highest recorded loss was at Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust, where 22 sessions a week - 77 hours - have been lost, or more than 50% of the trust's healthcare chaplaincy, according to the report.

This was followed by North Bristol and Oxford Radcliffe, where 14 and 11 sessions have been lost respectively.

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust reported the loss of 10 sessions but the study noted that a large proportion of remaining sessions were funded by charitable donation.

Currently there are around 400 full-time chaplains and 3,000 part-time chaplains in NHS Trusts in the UK.

The role of NHS chaplains - who come from a range of faiths and denominations including Anglican, Roman Catholic, Jewish and Muslim - ranges from visiting the sick, to administering sacraments and advising on ethical dilemmas.

They also help staff and relatives cope with death and serious illness and play a part in helping traumatised and bereaved people after disasters such as the July 7 bombings in London.