An information leaflet to explain to nurses and doctors of the UK hospitals how to treat Catholic patients. It is an initiative of the Bishops Conference of England and Wales, in the attempt to explain to atheist or non-Catholic medical staff in the UK that Catholic patients have specific spiritual needs. In a society like the British one, where Catholics are only five million, a patient asking to receive Confession or Communion might sound strange. The leaflet “Caring for the Catholic patient” consists of 16 pages and costs one pound fifty, just about two euros. It explains to non-Catholic medical and paramedical staff why Catholics wear religious medals, why they ask to meet a priest when they are sick, and the meaning of Confession and the Last Rites. The Catholic Church is the first Christian denomination to publish guidelines for the medical profession in the attempt to avoid misunderstandings and confusion. According to Tom Williams, auxiliary bishop of Liverpool and consultant to the Bishops Conference for Hospital Chaplains, "there is the risk that all religions are grouped together, and that the British government decides not to guarantee one Catholic chaplain in hospitals any more".
