From the BBC News website

Acute hospital trusts in England have significantly reduced their number of chaplains in the last five years against a backdrop of NHS cuts.

Almost 40% of the 163 trusts contacted by BBC Local Radio in a Freedom of Information request have fewer chaplains than they did in 2009.

And nearly half have reduced the number of hours chaplains are on duty.

Advocates say chaplaincy services form a vital part of clinical care. Others describe them as a waste of money.

The NHS - which is not a religious organisation - has employed chaplains to give spiritual care and support to patients and staff since it was formed in 1948.

The Revd Mark Burleigh, lead chaplain at the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, said although hospitals were secular spaces, many patients brought their faiths with them.

"If the hospital provides nothing for a person who has a religious faith then they're failing that aspect of that person's holistic care," said Mr Burleigh.

Read the full story at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-23011620