The Queen Elizabeth Hospital King’s Lynn NHS Foundation Trust (QEH) has today opened its new multi-faith rooms for patients, their families and staff.
These rooms are vital in supporting our local community to practice their faith; whether they work as part of Team QEH as a member of staff or are our patients or their families who are often with us during some of the more difficult moments in life.
The multi-faith rooms consist of male and female Prayer Rooms as well as male and female toilet facilities and Ablution Rooms, a ceremonial act of washing parts of the body.
The official opening of the hospital’s new multi-faith rooms took place today with the unveiling of a ceremonial plaque to mark the occasion.
Text reads: These Multi-faith prayer rooms were officially opened by Rev Canon Stella Green on 20 January 2023.
Rev Lee Gilbert, Head of Spiritual Care at QEH, said: “Having these multi-faith rooms available to members of staff and to the public seven days a week, 24 hours a day means that in the multi-faith and multi-cultural society that we live in, all people can express their religion, their spirituality, their way of life in a way that is relevant for them. It is a great addition to the hospital and in my mind shows what a warm and welcoming place our hospital is.”
Laura Skaife-Knight, Deputy CEO at QEH, said: “We are committed to creating an inclusive culture at QEH. The multi-faith rooms are a special place for contemplation, reflection and prayer for patients, their families and staff, many of whom come here at the most vulnerable moments, along with our Sacred Space. We listen and act upon feedback we receive and have today opened the multi-faith rooms in direct response to both patient and staff needs. Thank you to our wonderful Chaplaincy and Spiritual Care Teams for making this happen and for the outstanding work they do to support our patients, their families and staff.”
The rooms were officially opened by Rev. Canon Stella Green, previous Lead Chaplin for QEH. In attendance on the day, alongside people who had been using the rooms for their daily prayers, were Laura Skaife-Knight, Deputy CEO, Dr Govindan Raghuraman, Acting Medical Director, Chelsea Kirk, QEH’s Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, and Trust Governors Julian Litten and Gilli Galloway.
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The current workforce at the QEH includes, but is not limited to, the following religions and faiths: Atheism, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Jainism, Judaism, and Sikhism.
Photo caption. From Left to right. Rev Lee Gilbert – Head of Spiritual Care, Dr Govindan Raghuraman – Acting Medical Director, Laura Skaife-Knight – Deputy CEO, Rev. Canon Stella Green – Former Lead Chaplain, Claire Roberts – Former Associate Director of Patient Safety, Chelsea Kirk – Head of Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion, Judy Rosser – Chaplain, Karen McGuire – Deputy Chief Nurse.
For further information, please contact Communications Team, media.enquiries@qehkl.nhs.uk or 01553 613216.
To download the press release and photos, click here.
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