St James' hospital, Leeds
National newspaper claims denied
Stories in the national press suggesting that details of an elderly Leeds hospital patient were passed on to Ripon Development Campaign have been strenuously denied by the Head of the Chaplaincy services. The Revd Chris Swift said such action would have breached strict codes of confidentiality. The Daily Mirror and Guardian were among several newspapers which suggested that the church had ‘targeted’ a 99 year old lady as a result her admission to St. James’s hospital, inviting her to ‘change her will in favour of Ripon Cathedral’. A member of the family is alleged to have said, “It is like they are targeting the old who they think are ready to die.” A chaplain had visited the old lady and “before we knew it a letter dropped through the door inviting her to change her will.”
If true, such an action would have breached the NHS code of conduct on confidentiality said the Chaplaincy department, and all sides have made it clear that no names or addresses were ever passed on from the hospital. Both the Cathedral development campaign, and Bishop John who signed a circular letter endorsing it, have made it clear that the letter and bequest leaflet were sent out as one of more than five thousand addresses and were intended for those with some connection to the Cathedral. ‘We wholeheartedly apologise for any hurt caused to this lady and her family. The letter was clearly sent to her in error, but definitely had no connection with her hospital visit.”
The Revd. Chris Swift, head of the Chaplaincy services for the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said he was concerned that newspaper reports had given the impression that a patient’s details could simply be passed on to outside bodies. ‘Chaplains are employed by the NHS and required to abide by a strict code of confidentiality. No addresses or any other personal details would ever be passed on to outside bodies and if chaplains at any hospital were to breach the code of conduct in this way it would be a disciplinary matter for the hospital which would treat it extremely seriously’. The Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust employs nine full time and five part time chaplains working across their six acute hospitals with a small number of honorary chaplains and more than eighty volunteer hospital visitors.
Mr Swift said that the chaplaincy service was scrupulous in its professionalism and strict standards of confidentiality. ‘I am keen to assure patients that their details will never be passed on by our chaplains without their permission. Even if their vicar called us to find out how they were doing, we could not pass on any information without their consent.’ Details of the code of conduct for chaplains can be found on the internet at www.healthcarechaplains.org/code