Hertingfordbury Parish News: March 2003
St. Luke's Hospital for the Clergy
St. Luke's Hospital for the Clergy, London, is keen to become more well known. They say, "An amazing number of people do not know anything about us, and yet we have been here for over 100 years, serving clergy and their dependent families; monks and nuns; missionaries; and licensed lay workers, all within the Church of England, as well as the world-wide Anglican communion. St. Luke's is an acute surgical hospital, treating a large range of health problems. Of course we cannot carry out every kind of operation and treatment, but we can provide consultations and post-operative care for people undergoing major operations elsewhere in London. We have a network of psychiatrists around the country, and we offer a regular couples counselling service. The General Secretary is a qualified counsellor and regularly speaks to clergy groups about stress management. And all the time we make no charge to people who are eligible for free treatment at St. Luke's. We are only able to offer this unique service because some 220 leading London consultants give their time and talents to St. Luke's completely free of charge. Even with this wonderful help, it costs nearly £350 to keep a patient here for a day. Our only financial support comes from charitable trusts, cathedrals, parishes, legacies and donations. It is a constant struggle to keep going, but somehow we do. To quote our staff, 'It's all miracles here!' Our website (www.stlukeshospital.org.uk) details the history of, and the facilities provided by, St. Luke's. For more information telephone 020 7388 4954Please note: Although the Hertingfordbury Parish News is produced by St. Mary's PCC, the opinions expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of the PCC.