Prayer Suspension

You have probably read about Caroline Petrie in the press recently – the Christian nurse who was suspended after offering to pray for the recovery of an elderly patient. At the time of writing this, Caroline has been asked to return to work; she doesn’t yet know whether she will.

Caroline is a community nurse who carries out home visits in North Somerset. She was suspended shortly after she visited a female patient in December. Apparently, she asked, ‘Would you like me to pray for you?’ after putting dressings on the legs of 79-year-old May Phippen. Mrs Phippen mentioned the matter to another nurse, who may have passed on the matter to the local NHS Trust. Mrs Phippen is adamant that she did not complain or want action taken against Caroline; she was simply making a comment. Whilst the Trust now recognises that Caroline was, ‘acting in the best interests of her patients’, initially she was accused of failing to show a commitment to equality and diversity.

No doubt this is a simplistic summary of the actual events – apologies – but it does flag a number of issues. Personal space and boundaries do need to be recognised and respected; insensitive intrusion can be hurtful. It is impractical, however, always to expect people to ask for something when they may not know what is available. Equally, the NHS prides itself on taking an increasingly holistic approach to patients; so-called alternative therapies are widely available. This being the case, I fail to see why prayer – offered in whatever faith tradition – cannot be regarded as a legitimate and beneficial service in appropriate circumstances. There is evidence that people of faith with an active prayer life live longer than those who have no faith: at worst, prayer can be regarded as something which is benign, supportive and which does not have the aggressive side effects of some medication; at best, for some it will be integral part of the healing process.