Churches should pay for hospital services.

CHAPLAINCY services in hospitals cost the NHS more than pounds 32 million a year and should be funded by churches, the National Secular Society (NSS) said today.

Data obtained under the Freedom of Information Act found that NHS trusts across the UK were spending millions of pounds ever year on religious services for patients..

The NSS said the cash could better fund around 1,300 nurses or more than 2,500 cleaning staff, both of which were "much needed".

The organisation contacted acute and mental health trusts across the UK and received full responses from 233 trusts.

Overall, trusts spent pounds 26.72 million a year on paying clergy staff, with an average spend per chaplain of pounds 48,953. The NSS extrapolated these figures for the whole of the UK to suggest such services currently cost the NHS more than pounds 32 million a year.

Terry Sanderson, president of the NSS, said: "The headline figure only takes into account the salaries of the chaplains, it doesn't take account of national insurance contributions, pension payments, administration costs, office accommodation, training, the upkeep of chapels and prayer rooms.

"We can conservatively add another 20% to the headline figure, taking it up to pounds 40 million." The NSS said its findings showed that, in some cases, organists were on the payroll for playing in chapels and some priests charge NHS hospitals a call-out fee for delivering last rites..