Caring for the body and the soul - Parish Nursing, Risca, Wales

This is a story of a powerful ministry of church-based health care, delivered with passion and commitment. Combining whole-person-centred professional healthcare with listening and support services, it is a great partnership with local statutory services. By demonstrating an interest in both body and soul, the church is growing as a result.

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A pioneer ministry

One such project, Parish Nursing, is a pioneering work which is helping overcome declining health in our nation. Parish Nursing, which was started by Christians in the USA, is a unique and highly successful tool which a few churches in Wales are using to help meet the health needs of both Christians and non-Christians alike. Linda Harris of Risca, Caerphilly, one of only two Parish Nurses in Wales, says the project is all about helping improve people’s lives.
Linda, 57, has been running Parish Nursing successfully for four years, having trained and worked as a nurse before retiring. The grandmother-of-two gave up full-time nursing after feeling a new call on her life to use her skills in part-time ministry. Now she devotes all her time to providing church-based health care in her local community.

A letter about Parish Nursing appeared on my pastor’s desk. He said it was meant for me. It took me a while before I could say yes, it was so different from the nursing jobs that I had previously done. In the end I agreed to go to a one-day conference to find out more about it. As the day progressed, I knew that it was what the Lord was calling me to do.

“Parish Nursing came about after I had had an experience in church, when I felt the Holy Spirit was calling me to do more work for the church,” she says. “After discussing this with my pastor, we felt I was being called into some form of ministry. This totally blew me away, as this was something that had never, ever crossed my mind."

“I prayed about it for many weeks when unexpectedly a letter about Parish Nursing appeared on my pastor’s desk. He said it was meant for me. It took me a while before I could say yes to the project. I didn’t think I could do it because it was so different from the nursing jobs that I had previously done. In the end I agreed to go to a one-day conference that was being held in Penarth to find out more about it. As the day progressed and I listened to the speakers talking about the role of a Parish Nurse, I knew that it was what the Lord was calling me to do.

“There were seven of us on the first UK Parish Nursing training course, with only two from Wales including myself. It was a bit scary as we were pioneers of a new type of ministry as well as a new nursing role, and we were thrust into the limelight, which was very daunting as I prefer to be in the background and not out in front leading things. It was a learning curve for all of us and we all learnt as we went along.

“At the end of the first year of the project in Risca, I was able to go to the USA to work with Parish Nurses there for two weeks. It was a great experience as they began the first ever Parish Nursing twenty years ago. It is now a global organisation and Parish Nurses exist in New Zealand, Australia, Africa, Swaziland, Canada and Germany, with other countries showing interest.”

The Church and statutory services in partnership

Linda works with a number of other volunteers out of Bethany Baptist Church, carrying out daily tasks including visiting the sick in isolated parts of the community and giving essential health advice and counselling.
In the deprived area of Ty Sign, where unreliable public transport and health care services leave many elderly and single parent residents without health support, Linda and her team have been able to set up monthly health screenings.
“The health screening sessions were set up to try and get more people to take responsibility for their own health by knowing their numbers – blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar (diabetes),” says Linda. “We teach them to look at how they can alter their lifestyle so as to keep within the normal limits. As well as looking after the health needs of the churchgoers, I work with a local partnership on a large housing estate, where I hold a regular monthly surgery in their coffee shop, for health screening and for any other health or social problems. We have picked up a lot of people who have high blood pressure or high cholesterol, and even some with diabetes.
“Some are then pointed in the direction of the statutory services or other services that are available to them for the help that they need. Many people have been referred to their GP surgeries from these screening sessions, people who wouldn’t normally have gone to their GP for a check.”

Linda is often asked to visit house-bound residents to give health care and well-being advice. “I am finding I can reach people where perhaps ministers can’t,” she says. “People seem to open up to nurses; they want to tell you everything. It is all about building relationships.

Linda is often asked to visit house-bound residents to give health care and well-being advice. “I am finding I can reach people where perhaps ministers can’t,” she says. “People seem to open up to nurses; they want to tell you everything. It is all about building relationships.”

Linda also runs support groups for cancer recovery, as well as exercise and nutrition classes for the over-50s. Families, OAPs and young people come for arts and crafts classes as well as taking part in the health and exercise clubs.
“The exercise and craft classes for the over-50s were set up to address the health problems identified in our area,” Linda explains, “helping people to remain active and mobile, to prevent trips and falls and to help prevent social exclusion. The craft class enables people to learn new skills and to help give them a sense of achievement which then raises their self-esteem and gives them a sense of worth.

“People are feeling the benefits of the exercise classes, even people suffering from strokes; and it’s a good social event too. Both classes are going well, with the numbers increasing. Many of the people who attend the exercise class have a range of health problems and disabilities, but really enjoy coming and feel the benefits from exercising. It gets them out of their homes to meet new people, and new friendships are formed. Most of them have to be picked up by car to be able to come, but some are able to help those who need assistance, so it helps to create a community where people care for each other.”

The church perspective - health AND growth

From a church perspective, Bethany Baptist has seen steady growth at church events thanks to the work of the parish nurse.
“In parent and toddler group we actively promote healthy eating and a healthy lifestyle. At special times in the year like Christmas, Easter and Harvest we hold a service during the toddler session, bringing the church to them, which has more response than inviting people to church. Some parents are showing interest in bringing their children to Sunday School.”
Linda adds, “What is encouraging is that we are being asked to take church out into the community and to take services into sheltered accommodation premises on a regular basis.”

What is encouraging is that we are being asked to take church out into the community and to take services into sheltered accommodation premises on a regular basis.

Linda Harris

The project receives funding from medical and sports companies, as well as donations from the congregation.

“Everything that I do is dependent on outside funding. Grants awarded to the project along with funding for my training needs, volunteer training, advertising and stationery enabled me to set up the initiatives up and run them for a year,” said Linda. “We also received grants from Welsh sports organizations for the exercise classes. We fundraise ourselves through events which involve many people in the church. It also brings many people into the church who wouldn’t normally come in.”

Fit4LlifeForever and caring for carers

In response to the statistics showing rising obesity in Wales, Linda started a new twelve-week course called Fit4LifeForever, which is a Christian programme with workbook, a daily meditation and nutrition book, based on a book by Sue Prosser called How to Stop Dieting and Start Living.

“It looks at your emotions, fears, your relationship with food, past learned habits in relationship to food, and how to listen to your body,” says Linda. “This course can be adapted for non-Christians. I am actively trying to encourage younger people to do this course as Type 2 Diabetes is on the increase amongst this age group.” Half-way through the first course people were already wanting to join up for the next one.

As well as providing health advice, Parish Nursing also runs a service for carers in the community.

Linda says, “Very often carers just want to come and talk to people in the same situation as themselves. I am there if they need any further information or if they have any health concerns about themselves that they want to discuss. We take them out for meals or leisure activities so that they have some time out for themselves.”

As well as planned services, Linda finds people often suggest new ideas, like accompanying them on hospital appointments. “The number of people requesting me to accompany them to their hospital appointments has been increasing, particularly from those who live alone, are frail, deaf, or have no family to go with them. I act as their advocate and I go in to see the doctor with them so that I can help them to understand what is being said. They also find it a great help that I know my way around the hospitals, which can be so confusing.”

Through Parish Nursing, Bethany Baptist Church has been transformed into a centre where anyone can come in and use its services, whatever their beliefs. Linda says, “It is a faith-based ministry but we don’t push our beliefs on to people. We ask people what they believe and talk to them about it if they want to.

Linda Harris

Through Parish Nursing, Bethany Baptist Church has been transformed into a centre where anyone can come in and use its services, whatever their beliefs. Linda says, “It is a faith-based ministry but we don’t push our beliefs on to people. We ask people what they believe and talk to them about it if they want to.”

The users' perspective

Margaret Gardner, 60, who lives near Risca, is one of the many who have been helped by the Parish Nursing scheme. She started attending a breast cancer recovery counselling course which Linda organised.

Margaret says, “I was diagnosed with cancer in August 2005 after I had found a lump on my breast. I had a mastectomy and the doctors also removed all my lymph nodes. On top of that I had full radiotherapy and chemotherapy. I underwent major treatment, pills, everything; it was very hard.
“I got involved with Parish Nursing when I saw an advert for people who wanted support post breast cancer treatment. I started to go to the counselling sessions which Linda arranged. She was very supportive. I started coming to the coffee mornings at the church too, although I don’t go to church. She has offered support to myself and those around me who have been affected by my illness. Even just chatting through some of the issues with her is such a relief. She makes herself available on the end of the phone as well as visiting and arranging counselling. It’s been such a help to me and I am so grateful for the service. I think every church should have a Parish Nurse who works in the community as well as for the congregation.”

Dorothy Dever, 78, from Risca, says the Parish Nursing ministry has helped her recover her confidence and good health, and she has made new friends for life through the church’s special ministry. “I have a heart condition and wouldn’t go out on trips if there wasn’t a qualified nurse there. I only moved from Bridgend about four years ago and didn’t know anybody. But through the exercise classes and seeing Linda at health sessions I have so much more confidence now.”

She adds, “Parish nursing is such a benefit to the whole community because it’s about visiting people who are not in the church.”

Linda, who joined the church in 1998, is hoping other churches in Wales and beyond will begin Parish Nursing because of the many benefits it brings to the congregation and wider community.

“It is a very rewarding and fulfilling vocation as it combines my love of nursing with my Christian faith,” she says, “It enables me to reach out and connect with people wherever they are – to provide whole-person-centred healthcare from the local church. Time is a precious commodity today and that is one thing that I can give people. People will often tell you their little problems before they get around to telling you what is really troubling them – and that takes time and trust. It is a Christian ministry which spreads across all denominations. It is also about building up relationships, befriending, and showing love to everyone and letting them know that they are special to God.”

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This was first published in  ‘Meet the Neighbours’, Serving our communities through acts of kindness. Edited by Alison Walley and published by Gweini (Council of the Christian Voluntary Sector in Wales).

More information is available  on the Gweini website

For more information on Parish Nursing in the UK, visit Parish Nursing Ministries UK



The photo above shows Pc Franca Sidoli and Councillor Dave Rees chatting to a local.
BBC photo courtesy of http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/south_east/8122462.stm