Well, after the excellent treatment I received today for my cataract op, there’s really only one theme I can follow today, isn’t there: those in our hospitals, whether patients and staff. The following prayer is taken from my 2017 book Intercessions for a Hurting World.
Loving God,
hear our prayer for hospitals –
for those admitted to them as patients,
those who staff them,
those who run them
and those responsible for funding them.
We think of those receiving treatment:
those in Accident and Emergency;
those visiting as day patients for all kinds of procedures;
those waiting for or recovering from an operation;
those being treated for an acute or chronic disease;
those diagnosed with terminal illness.
In all they experience and the challenges they face,
support and help them.
We think of elderly patients,
many of them frail and vulnerable,
facing continuing decline,
often requiring ongoing care in a nursing
or residential home,
yet not finding anywhere able to take them in and look
after them.
In all they experience and the challenges they face,
support and help them.
We think of medical staff –
consultants, surgeons, clinicians, nurses and so many more –
striving to bring relief from pain,
improved health,
a better quality of life.
In all they experience and the challenges they face,
support and help them.
We think of counsellors, chaplains and clergy –
those who seek to minister to mind and spirit
rather than body,
bringing comfort, encouragement, strength and peace –
to be a listening ear,
a friend in adversity,
a compassionate and caring presence in what can
sometimes feel an impersonal environment.
In all they experience and the challenges they face,
support and help them.
We think of support staff –
cleaners, caterers, porters, cooks –
their work often overlooked,
taken for granted,
yet so vital and integral to patient health and safety
and to the smooth running of any hospital.
In all they experience and the challenges they face,
support and help them.
We think of Health Trust administrators and accountants,
those who must balance hospitals’ books while responding
to increasing demand;
and we think of governments that must wrestle with the
pressing question of funding
in an era where most people live longer,
where money is short,
and where our lifestyles often contribute to health problems.
In all they experience and the challenges they face,
support and help them.
Amen.
Amen.
I told you to rest and you’ve gone and snuck a post in!
Seriously though, the staff in our hospitals do brilliantly with the resources they have. When I go to the pulmonary unit, I see just how stretched they are – often double-booked and having to see new referrals as well, and the consultants are so thorough.
I hope you’re feeling comfortable tonight after the surgery. ☺
You did, Lesley, and you’re quite right, but I couldn’t resist. As you say, how lucky we are to have such a wonderful NHS.