There is a mixed faith chaplaincy team working at the Ipswich Hospital, Heath Road. This team, in part full time and in part volunteers, helps minister to the spiritual needs of in-patients.
The role of Catholic chaplain is currently unfilled, following the departure of Fr Bineesh OCD from St Marks, and a new appointment is awaited from the Bishop of East Anglia. In the mean time, please let Fr Paul, or any other Ipswich parish priest, know if you, or any member of your family, are going into hospital. Please be aware that for reasons of patient confidentiality, the current practice in the NHS is NOT to inform the chaplains of any Catholics that are admitted to hospital. So unless you or your relatives inform the chaplains of your hospital stay, you will not be visited by a priest or any other member of the chaplaincy team.
Each Sunday morning, a Eucharistic Minister from one of the Ipswich parishes, visits the hospital to take Holy Communion to those that have requested it. However, the hospital gives no patient information to the chaplains, consequently we have no knowledge of Catholic patients. So if you, or any member of your family, are going into hospital and would like to receive the ministrations of the Church whilst there, please let Fr Paul or Fr Luke know.
