A new Spiritual Care Centre available for staff, patients and visitors has opened at Burnley General Hospital.

The Spiritual Care Centre at Blackburn Royal Hospital is well-established and well-used.

In recent years, the Chaplaincy and Spiritual Care Team and East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust have aspired to provide new and updated facilities at Burnley. 

It aims to provide a quality experience for colleagues, patients and their families, where their spiritual and religious needs can be met and exercised.

To mark this important development, a multi-faith ceremony was attended by colleagues and representatives from different faiths.

The event included an official ribbon cutting followed by a ‘dedication of the chapel’, a short service of readings and prayers led by Canon Andrew Horsfall, Head of Chaplaincy and Spiritual Services at ELHT, Anglican Bishop of Lancaster Jill Duff and Sister Catherine Ryan, a Chaplaincy volunteer.

“This is a place for people who have a faith, any faith or no faith,” said Canon Andrew Horsfall.

“This place is a sacred, open, and inclusive space, already becoming much valued by people; a place of welcome to patients who’ve been able to come here to worship, pray, be quiet, and for our colleagues who come for a moment of calm in the busyness of the hospital.

"It is such a privilege to be able to support the wellbeing of our colleagues who give their all for ELHT and who need care and to be listened to and accepted.”

Guests, including vicar-general Fr Peter Hopkinson, local parish priest Revd Munawar Din and the founder of Building Bridges, Mozaquir Ali, were then guided into the space.

There, the Trust’s Imam, Fazal Hassan, conducted a short service of prayers and a reading from the Holy Qur’an.

Commenting on the centre, ELHT chief executive, Martin Hodgson, said: “Over the last year at Burnley we have opened a new urology investigation unit, an infusion suite, a new training facility/stimulation centre.

"This suite of developments that we have had on the Burnley site are a pivotal part of the East Lancashire hospital organisation.

“It is fantastic that we now have the new Spiritual Care Centre to add to the list. I know how important it is to colleagues, patients and visitors, so congratulations to all involved.”

The multi-faith centre is open seven days a week and includes a chapel and male and female prayer rooms and is open for colleagues, patients and visitors.