Creating our multifaith centre
After consulting with patients, employees and our communities, we will soon begin refurbishing our faith space at Northwick Park Hospital.
The current space dates from 1979 when the hospital first opened and no longer meets modern NHS chaplaincy guidelines.
Over December and January, we asked patients, employees and our local faith communities to give us feedback about our draft plans for the refurbishment.
More than 1,000 people engaged with us, including representatives from our local Jain and Hindu temples. We also met with representatives from our Church of England local deaneries and from our Catholic diocese.
There was a lot of support for what we're trying to achieve, including from local faith leaders and communities. At the same time, we received a range of valuable feedback which has helped us improve our plans.
For instance, concerns that activities such as yoga could reduce availability for quiet contemplation have led to better arrangements for booking the space. This means that our Chaplaincy team will be able preserve plenty of time for reflection and prayer.
In response to particular feedback from our Catholic worshipers and diocese representatives, we have arranged for a new location for the statue of Our Lady, so that it is positioned in the most appropriate location for the community.
The refurbished centre will also include kneeling pads for services that need them, two ablution cubicles, and bespoke celebration items and symbols for our Hindu, Sikh, Jain and Buddhist communities.
We will call the new space the Multifaith centre, based on the feedback received during the consultation. It will be warm and welcoming for people of all faiths, and respectful of the symbols of all the religious communities we serve. It will also be more accessible for people who use wheelchairs or have other accessibility needs
Work on the Multifaith centre is due to start on Monday 23 February, and we expect it to take about eight weeks. During this time, services will take place in the Jonathan Levi Lecture Theatre on the ground floor of the hospital next to the restaurant, while a space for quiet contemplation will be available in a dedicated room near our patient advice office.