Bibles For Hospitals, Care Homes, Residential Homes and Hospices

Hospitals and Hospices

For many years we have been providing Bibles for bedside lockers in hospitals throughout the UK. Almost without exception hospitals have welcomed these Bibles, and as one Director of Nursing said, “they provide hospitals an important and familiar source of comfort for patients during their stay in hospital”.  Special Testaments are also available for staff.

On admission, hospital patients are asked to declare their religious faith.  In Leicester, one of the country’s most ethnically diverse areas, over 70% of inpatients classify themselves as Christian (2 September 2013). It is important to equally recognise those of other faiths and the provision of Bibles has always had the support of other faiths. Professor Harminder Singh of the Sikh Fellowship argues that “The only objection to having Bibles on hospital wards is if you are being forced to read them”. Inayat Bunglawala, Media Secretary for the Muslim Council of Britain says: “The world's great religions have provided spiritual comfort for their adherents over many centuries. In hospitals, where many patients and their families are dealing with often traumatic news, the help our holy books provide in trying to cope with pressure and stress should be welcomed and made more accessible”.   

The ready availability of Bibles continues to have support from various spiritual leaders, hospital chaplains and clinicians, and we are committed to providing these Bibles, free of charge, for the benefit of patients and visitors alike, as part of the Charity’s Statement of Identifiable Public Benefits:

“Through the distribution of Bibles and/or Testaments in many different walks of life – Schools, Hotels, Hospitals, Universities, Colleges, Prisons, to name just a few examples –  Good News For Everyone provide a Book that provides an ethical and moral code for society, which gives guidance in life, inspiration, and deals with many of the issues that people of all ages, nationalities, ethnic and social backgrounds face on a day to day basis.”

This letter was received from a grateful mother:

“Please accept this gift in memory of my son Stephen, who went to be with the Lord on 27 July 2012.  On the evening of 26 July he rang me from hospital to say he was being moved to the heart ward because of difficulty breathing.  He rang again an hour later to say he was reading the Bible that was by his bed; he told me not to worry and said he was fine and has just read Psalm 23 and that when he was better he was going to give a testimony in church.  Sadly he died the following morning.  I am so thankful for the conversation we had together the night before, it gives me great comfort.” 

This email was received from a grateful patient:

“Last week I found myself in hospital for a hip replacement operation.  I am not brave and was very anxious indeed. As I waited to be called for surgery; I looked in the bedside cabinet and finding a Bible, started to read the notes at the front.  I was immediately very comforted.  I remain very thankful indeed for the help I received that day.”

Infection Control

There has been no reported instance of an infection being acquired being attributed to the presence of a Bible.  All Bibles produced for use in hospitals have special, anti-bacterial, wipe-able covers. For Isolation and high-risk areas Bibles can be packed in sealed bags and taken away by the patient upon discharge or disposed of appropriately.

Care and Residential Homes

We greatly value the opportunity of placing a Bible and/or a Testament in each bedroom and in the lounge areas in care and residential homes for the use of residents and their families.  These are proved entirely free of any charge.  Testaments contain the New Testament, Psalms and Proverbs and are available in large print. Special Testaments are also available for staff.