New research has found that more than a third of hospital trusts in
England have cut chaplaincy services during the past five years.Figures from the 163 acute hospital trusts show that nearly 40 per cent have fewer chaplains than they did in 2009, while about half have reduced the total number of hours they are on duty.
Bishop Tom Williams, chairman of the Bishops' Conference Healthcare Reference Group, said NHS hospital trusts have a legal obligation to provide spiritual care to patients.
"While we understand the difficult financial climate, the value of good spiritual care for patients and staff cannot be underestimated," he said.
"Spirituality and faith are important personal issues for many. Meeting the needs of both when you are in hospital is essential to making healthcare personal. We work and will continue to work very closely with NHS trusts to make sure that we get this right."