Parish Nurse introduced at Wolverhampton church
A parish nurse has been introduced at a Black Country church to provide healthcare advice and moral support.
Gill Fenner, formerly matron at Nuffield Health's Wolverhampton Hospital, has taken up the role at St Martin's Church, Parkfields, Wolverhampton.
She will be based in an old store room inside the church's hall which has recently undergone renovations.
Ms Fenner will work on a voluntary basis two days each week.
Father Stewart Powell, vicar at St Martin's Church, said he believes she is the first parish nurse to be appointed in Wolverhampton.
He added it was about "reclaiming" some of the historic link between Christianity and healthcare.
"Historically, if you look at the Bible, Jesus was very much involved in healing people," he explained.
"The first hospitals were religious institutions - that is why nurses are called sisters.
"It was only at the end of the nineteenth century when the state started to take on a lot of different things that the church gave up some of that role.
"There was quite a close connection historically and it is about reclaiming some of that."
Parish nursing was founded in the USA in the mid 1980s and first made its way to the UK in the early 2000s.
Much of their role is about providing a link between patients and NHS health services to ensure they are used appropriately and that people understand their medication.
Currently there are only around 100 parish nurses in the UK.
Visit www.parishnursing.org.uk for more information about the role.
