Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland are religiously and culturally diverse. This multi-faith pack has been designed with the intention of assisting and preparing NHS healthcare staff to address some of the needs of patients and service users in their care. This multi-faith pack has information and guidance regarding cultural and religious practices so that patient care can be given with knowledge and sensitivity.
A person’s religion and belief will be central to their well-being and will have a direct effect on their needs, their behaviour and quite often on their attitude to being ill. At a time of illness and being in hospital or in a care setting, a patient or service user may receive a lot of comfort from their faith and the opportunity to practise it. Patients and their relatives will appreciate their culture and religious belief being respected. This will help them feel valued at a difficult time for them.
This multi-faith pack is offered to staff to help achieve the quality of patient care required by Standards for Better Health. The Equality Act 2010 also makes it unlawful for a person to discriminate against a person on grounds of their religion or belief when providing goods, facilities or services (whether for payment or not). These provisions cover both direct and indirect discrimination.
This is only a guide; there is very wide variation in belief and practice.
Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust has a Spiritual and Pastoral Care team staffed by a chaplaincy team, who are a good source of knowledge and experience on how to serve the needs of a multi-faith population. Often the chaplaincy will be the first place people call when seeking advice or help in finding the right care. Chaplaincy teams help to facilitate spiritual or religious care for all.
When in doubt – ask the patient
You can resolve many of the issues by simply asking the patient, or their visitors, how they wish to be looked after.
This pack has tried to cover the majority of Leicester’s, Leicestershire’s and Rutland’s communities of religion or belief and the relevant issues. Therefore it is essential to talk to the patient about their health needs. All NHS services should offer access to interpreting services and it is essential to use these services when a patient has difficulty communicating their needs.
If you are aware that a person belongs to a community or group that identifies with a religion or belief, then you should be able to use this pack to deal with the main areas which may be relevant.
The following communities of religion or belief covered in this document:
- Bahá'ís
- Buddhists
- Christians
- Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons)
- Hindus
- Humanists
- Jains
- Jews
- Muslims
- Pagans
- Rastafarians
- Sikhs
- Spiritualists
This pack provides the following information in the same order, for each of the faith communities listed above:
- Introduction and local information
- Mode of greeting
- Birth
- Examination of patient
- Particular sensitivities
- Washing, ablutions and personal hygiene
- Modesty and dress
- Special dietary requirements
- Fasting
- Family planning
- Abortion
- Care in serious (or final stages of) illness
- Blood transfusion / transplants
- Organ donation
- Spiritual advisor / counsellor
- Death
- Religious symbols
- Post mortem
- Burial / cremation
- General considerations for community nurses visiting patients at home
The risk of being attacked or abused on the street, at work or in their own home just because of who they are remains an everyday reality for many people.
Hate Incidents and crimes happen because of hostility, prejudice or hatred of another person because of their actual or perceived disability, gender identity (transgender), race, religion or belief or sexual orientation
No two hate incidents are the same but may include the following:
These incidents don't just affect the lives of those involved but affect their friends, their families and every part of the local community.
- verbal abuse and name calling
- physical attack
- graffiti or other deliberate damage to property
- written or recorded threats
If hate incidents are not reported, then the bullies, bigots and thugs will feel their behaviour is totally acceptable and they they can continue to abuse people whenever they feel like it.
Stamp It Out! is a community-led partnership bringing together different groups and organisations all committed to challenging, tackling and stamping out hate within Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.
Thousands flock to Leicester's Golden Mile for Diwali fireworks
Leicester's Golden Mile was alive with colour and excitement as thousands of people celebrated Diwali last night.
Revellers packed Belgrave Road and Cossington Street recreation ground to enjoy drumming, dancing and an impressive firework and laser display.
People travelled from all over to join in the celebrations.
Heena Pathak, 44, of Rushey Mead, went along with husband Nitin, with both keen to see the fireworks.
Heena said: "Even though I'm local, I've never come out in Leicester for Diwali, but this year instead of sitting at home we wanted to join in with the spirit of things.
"We've celebrated at home with family, but we wanted to come here and be around lots of people and enjoy some food and drink."
Jatinder and Nitin Patel, who live in Walsall, were returning to Leicester 20 years after they met as university students.
Nitin, 40, said: "We wanted to come back and share this with our children so they learn a bit more about their culture and heritage because there's nothing like this where we live."
Neelam Patel, 18, from Thorpe Astley, was celebrating with her 12-year-old sister Naomi and four-year-old brother Drew.
She said: "I really like coming here to socialise and see the fireworks.
"For me Diwali is about eating lots of yummy food, getting together with family and buying presents – it's just like Christmas."
Suresh Sida, 43, who lives near Hinckley Road in Leicester, said: "It's great to come down and meet up with people and spend time with the family.
"We've got friends coming here from Northampton because Leicester does Diwali so well."
Councillor Piara Clair, chair of the city council's Diwali working party, said: "I am delighted we can share our Diwali day celebrations with people from far and wide as well as with many different communities right across the city."
The Diwali events were organised by the city council and the Leicester Hindu Festival Council and sponsored by 02 for the first time this year.
At Curve theatre, the festival was celebrated with an exhibition of vibrant sarees.
The display of intricate garments was curated by family-run Belgrave Road business Anokhi House of Sarees.
Set against a display of light projections, it shows how the colours and style of the saree has changed from 2,000 BC to today.
Shop manager Karan Modha said: "I'm absolutely overwhelmed by the interest and very grateful for the opportunity to display our designs.
"The beauty of the garment is that it fits everyone, and no matter who you are, when you wear it you feel like a million bucks. It's a piece of art."
Return to basic values helps in difficult times
Ramanbhai Barber issues an invitation to everyone to celebrate the Hindu festival of Diwali
Diwali is by far one of the most important festivals in the Hindu calendar. It is of great religious, cultural, social and commercial importance. People look forward to Diwali all year around.
Diwali is a time of feasting and celebration. People come together and share food, time and exchange gifts.
People come together to pray for prosperity for the New Year.
In the current economic times, when the unemployment rate is at the highest level for years, inflation is painstakingly high and fuel prices are going through the roof, many of us will be, no doubt, curbing our spending this Diwali.
Basic commodities are not as affordable. As a community, we need to come together and share what we have. We need to share our joys to forget our sorrows.
Sharing is a key feature of Diwali. Families and friends come together to share food, to share time, to share happiness.
Material goods do not equate to happiness (unfortunately this is the view we are slapped with by our consumer society). Religious festivals are about connecting with God, connecting with one another. This is not done by spending lots and "keeping up with the Jones". This is done by being humble and respecting every individual and sharing joy.
No doubt we face hard times ahead of us and the more disadvantaged will be the hardest hit. If we rekindle our community spirit and reinstate our basic values we will be able to ride out this difficult time.
The message from our Mandir this Diwali is simple living does mean high thinking. We need to re-evaluate our lives, our needs and our desires as we cannot continue to live the lavish lifestyles many are used to.
We need to live a sustainable lifestyle. This way we will all be happy and we will all be able to support one another. This is what the Big Society should be about: The every day person and their important role as a citizen, as a human, as a member of society.
Diwali this year is celebrated today and New Year tomorrow. You all are cordially invited to come and celebrate Diwali with us at Shree Sanatan Mandir.
Nutan Varshabhinandan – Happy New Year to all.
Ramanbhai Barber, MBE, is President of Shree Sanatan Mandir, Leicester.
Festivals put in spotlight by top exhibitions
Diwali displays and activities introduced museum visitors to the Festival of Light.
Newarke Houses Museum, in Leicester, held dance exhibitions and craft classes on Friday and Monday.
Operations officer Stefanie Tyler-Divine said: "It went very well and everyone had a good time.
"We had a dancing group in to perform on Monday and I put on a sari for the day, which was a first.
"We had people making Diwali candle holders they can put tea lights into, as well as greeting cards."
Diwali, which is celebrated by Hindus and other religions, takes place today.
Thousands of people are expected to join in the celebrations at Cossington Street recreation ground in Belgrave, Leicester, starting at 6.45pm with music and dancing.
A firework and laser display will round off the evening's events at 8.30pm.
Faith leaders light candles for victims of hate crime
Prayers were said and candles were lit yesterday to mark the launch of anti-hate crime week.
Faith leaders from different religions gathered at Leicester Cathedral to remember the victims and families.
Friday is International Day Against Hate Crime.
The week has been organised by Leicestershire Police and the Stamp It Out campaign, a community-led project committed to challenging, tackling and stamping out hate crime throughout the county.
Cathedral chancellor David Monteith said: "The week is about remembering those who have died from hate crimes and those who continue to be victimised.
"Yesterday, we lit candles and held silences and it was very moving.
"It was also great to see such a variety of cultures and religions committed to working together for the campaign.
"The victims need to have a voice and we're all working together to stamp out hate."
The gathering was the first of a series of activities which are running throughout the county this week.
For more information, visit: stamp-it-out.co.uk
Sun 20: Little Buddha (Buddhist - obviously)
Mon 21: A Serious Man (Jewish)
Thu 24: Life in a Day (illustrating the Bahá'í principle of world unity)
Fri 25: My Name is Khan (Muslim - with Hindu connections too)
Sat 26: Lourdes (Christian)
This film is being screened as part of Phoenix Square's Faiths Film Festival, presented in association with Leicester Council of Faiths, during Inter Faith Week.
The third national Inter Faith Week is being celebrated from Sunday 20 to Saturday 26 November. Leicester has a positive and widespread reputation for the diverse and cohesive nature of its faith and cultural communities, so when Leicester Council of Faiths asked if Phoenix Square would host the first Faiths Film Festival – of course we said yes! This varied selection of movies showcasing faith, religion and belief also marks the 25th anniversary of Leicester Council of Faiths – which has been working to promote trust, understanding and cooperation among the city’s communities since 1986.
We must work together to rout [sic] out child abuse
Protect the vulnerable and don't let evil go unchallenged, urges Suleman Nagdi
At certain points within our lives, we are faced with dilemmas requiring us to stand up for those who are vulnerable and make a point which will safeguard them. A recent report highlighting around 400 cases of children being abused in Madrassas is one such instance. When I read about the issue, it left me feeling dismayed.
In recent years, we have faced numerous examples of abuse against children; whether it is the tragic case of a single child such as Baby P or the systematic abuse seen at the Haut de la Garenne children's home in Jersey. We know it exists in our society and wherever we find it we must act upon it. Above all else, we must challenge the tendency to hide or bury it.
Where Muslim religious schools or Madrassas are concerned, the need to challenge it is personal for me. This is my religious community and I know that my religion detests such abhorrent actions, as does all natural human sensibility.
Child abuse in all its hideous guises has no place in any faith or ethnic group and should be condemned whenever and wherever it occurs. All communities in Britain value and cherish the innocence of childhood and this must be protected against those who would seek to usurp it for their own disgusting ends.
As an active member of the British Muslim community, I am proudly a part of the local Federation of Muslim Organisations (FMO) which has for many years striven to safeguard children against possible abuse.
Crucial to the FMO's safeguarding work is the "Madrassa Project", a collaborative effort with the local authority to ensure the safeguarding of children in Madrassas.
The FMO acts as a bridge between its various partners including the local authority as well as the police and the local Madrassas in Leicester. The aim of the project is to prevent child abuse in Madrassas by providing Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) checks, child protection training, whistle blowing and education to individuals and groups working with children.
The project seeks to investigate any instances of child abuse in collaboration with its partners. Having now run for a few years, the project has been highly successful, garnering praise from its various partners. This project is our stand against all forms of child abuse, and the recent reports tell us that we must press the project even further forward.
Just as mainstream schools have spent decades ensuring that children are safe from mindless, repulsive individuals, the Madrassas are walking the same path but with some way to go.
The key to our success is to ensure that whenever we come across anything suspicious, we report it. This is the only means for routing out this evil and providing our children with the childhoods they deserve. Children are our wealth and prosperity.
Wise words?
I cannot understand why Allan Hayes, of Leicester, describes the Bishop of Leicester's description that the atheist position is a tale told by an idiot, as an unfortunate remark (Mailbox, October 7). It was not an unfortunate remark. Of course, the atheist position is a tale told by an idiot.
In St Matthew's Gospel chapter 25 is a parable of the 10 virgins. Five were wise and five were foolish. Humanists, atheists and the secular people, are all like the foolish virgins.
At the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, if they do not get baptised and believe in Him, they will not go to heaven.
Frank Evans, Enderby
Mosque arsonist
An arsonist who endangered lives when he set fire to a city mosque has appeared in court.
Somali-national Saleebaan Sheikh-Omar admitted setting fire to the Alforqan mosque, in St Matthews, on June 21 this year.
The Leicester Crown Court case was adjourned until December 14, for the preparation of a psychiatric report.
The 42-year-old defendant, of Claremont Street, Leicester, was remanded back into custody.
I attended the first seminar of a project, Mapping Faith and Place, run by Leicester University, "investigating the significance of South Asian religious and cultural heritage in Leicester's urban landscape." This took place at New Walk Museum and Art Gallery. There are two further seminars to run next year followed by a public conference. I was wearing a number of hats, firstly as the creative director of Heterarchy, my interior design practice, based here in Leicester, secondly as an academic from DeMontfort university and thirdly, after George had asked me to write a blog about the seminar, as a member of the Leicester Council of Faiths.
The seminar was organised by Dr Deirdre O'Sullivan and Dr Ruth Young, both from the School of Archaeology & Ancient History at Leicester University.
There were a series of talks which were preceded by an introduction to the project by Dr Chris King, who had originally conceived and obtained funding for the research; Dr King, formerly of Leicester University, is now based at Nottingham University.
Dr King outlined the purpose of the project which is for academics and non-academics to work together to share knowledge and insights in order to gain an understanding of Leicester's cultural and religious landscape. In this series of seminars we will be looking at ways to take the project forward and how to best connect with people from the different communities.
Dr Deirdre O'Sullivan and Dr Ruth Young talked about the work that had already taken place, which has resulted in The Faith Trail, most of the work for which was carried out by students at Leicester university. There is a website and booklet which accompanies this part of the project.
We then had a talk by Linda Monkton of English Heritage, who is head of research policy for places of worship. She spoke about the National Heritage list for England which includes an on-line database of all nationally designated heritage assets and the National Heritage Protection Plan, which is a framework for the key priorities for research over protection issues. She was very interested in finding out ways that English Heritage could foster good relationships with local contacts in the different faith communities.
I then gave a talk on the work my company had carried out on the interiors for the new Swaminarayan Hindu temple on Gypsy Lane, which opened on the 8th-9th October. Describing how we had become involved in the project and how we set about the design process, to create interiors which reflected the rich cultural heritage of the Swaminarayan faith yet in a more contemporary style.
Rupert Allen, Assistant Church Buildings Development Officer for the Diocese of Coventry and Leicester spoke about the re-use of historically significant buildings and ways in which these could be sympathetically re-ordered to accommodate the new occupants.
In the afternoon we had lively discussions which initially looked at the issue of the Leicester orthodox synagogue which has recently been put up for sale, and the significance of religious buildings and their heritage as "sustainable sacred space".
This was followed by looking at ways to move the project forward and what the major issues were for the different faith communities in terms of buildings and the built environment and other groups who had an interest such as English heritage and academics.
