Hospital Chaplaincy
In an emergency
Where an urgent visit from a Priest is needed, please ask the ward to contact the hospital switchboard and page the on-call Catholic Chaplain. Fr Sabu or a Priest from a neighbouring parish will be with you within an hour, and usually within 20 minutes. There is always an on call Priest, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. An emergency means a sudden event which has caused a lot of shock, or any situation where someone is in danger of death. Please do not ask for the pager to be used in any other circumstance.
For non emergency calls
Please contact the parish office (see number in page footer) and give the name and ward of the patient who would like to be visited. Please do not do this without speaking to the patient (presuming they are able to have a conversation). Sometimes it is very frightening for a patient to have a Priest just turn up at the bedside, as they think they are more seriously ill than they actually are and no-one has told them! Or they may not want to see a Priest. Do not presume they want it: ask them!
If you, a friend or relative is going into hospital for a planned operation and would like to receive Holy Communion then this is readily arranged. Please call the parish office and let us have the patient’s name and the ward they will be in. Please do let us know if the arrangements change – if the op is cancelled or the ward changes – as the hospital is a big place and it is a bit frustrating to search for someone who is not in fact there!
We know that time in hospital can be disorientating and stressful, and we will support and help you in any way that we can both while you are in hospital and afterwards, as you recover at home. Please just ask – and the best point of first contact is the parish office.