The Rt Revd Dr John Inge, Bishop of Worcester, will visit Worcestershire Royal Hospital on Wednesday June 25th in order to lead part of the 60th anniversary celebrations of the NHS taking place this year, and re-launch the chaplaincy as the department of the spiritual and pastoral care.  He will license 2 readers and commission chaplaincy volunteers in a service which also celebrates long service by a number of NHS staff.

Bishop John said: ‘Few people nowadays see a connection between the NHS and the Christian Gospel but those who set up the NHS were committed Christians.  The NHS is a kind of institutional answer to Jesus’ question ‘Who is my neighbour?’ ensuring that the answer is ‘everybody’. It is a cornerstone of our civilisation which is Christian in its inspiration.’

The Bishop will begin his visit on Laurel, a medical and chemotherapy ward, with Chairman Michael O’Riordan. He will then lead a service which celebrates the Caring and Carers in the NHS and, in particular, the service of four people who have shown outstanding dedication to it: who between them have accrued over 120 years service to the NHS and represent the dedication and commitment of thousands of others.

During the service the Bishop will license Ros Davies and Abigail Penfold as readers in the Church of England in Worcestershire to serve at the hospital and commission the chaplaincy volunteer group which includes over 35 people from a denominationally diverse group, including Baptists, Quakers, Methodists, Roman Catholics, Community Church members and Anglicans.  The volunteers, between them, visit regularly on almost all wards and help in a variety of ways as needed.

Judith Thompson who has been a dedicated hospital chaplain at WRH for over 3 years said, ‘We are delighted to welcome Bishop John here to help us celebrate the great work of the NHS, which seeks to relieve sickness and suffering and affirms the value and worth of every person – values which are close to the heart of all the major faiths.’

Notes to editors: Readers are lay people who have been selected, trained and licensed by the Bishop of a diocese to preach, teach and lead worship in a pastoral context. There are more than 10,000 active Readers in the Church of England. Most are licensed to a parish but some are chaplains in prisons, hospitals, hospices or schools, a few are in charge of parishes. Readers give their services to the church so do not receive payment.

There will be a photo opportunity at 5.15pm in the River Court Restaurant.

Issued by Rachel Edwards, acting Press Officer for the Diocese of Worcester and the Bishop of Worcester. Email: redwards@cofe-worcester.org.uk. Tel: 07852 302516

The Diocese of Worcester is one of 44 dioceses in the Church of England. It covers an area of 671 square miles and includes parishes in the County of Worcestershire, the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, and a few parishes in northern Gloucestershire, south east Wolverhampton and Sandwell.

Diocesan Office, The Old Palace, Deansway, Worcester WR1 2JE

Tel: 01905 20537   Fax: 01905 612302