Online Newsroom |
 |
THE MOD'S BLOG
|
The Moderator, the Right Rev David Lunan,
writes about his travels around Scotland and abroad
during the year. |
Care and compassion
| If variety is the spice of life, ours
has been well seasoned this week; we are daily grateful
for the privileges and the opportunities. From significant
anniversary celebrations in churches -Alloway(150),
Dalry St Margaret’s (400) and Lochwinnoch (200)
to hosting at the flat |
Boys Brigade, Glasgow Cathedral
|
the President, alumni and staff from Union Theological
Seminary in New York, from the 125 years of the Boys Brigade
National thanksgiving service in Glasgow Cathedral to
Paisley Abbey for the YMCA centenary – each different,
each special and each a celebration and an expression
of the talents of the church and the nation.
We want however to share with you our day spent with
staff and patients at Carstairs State Hospital.
We were quickly aware of how little we knew about this
national resource – that it is part of the National
Health Service, not the prison service, that some of
the patients do not need to be held in such high levels
of security but there is nowhere else for them to go
currently, that the average length of stay is about
6 years (and for many it is much less), that it is the
State Hospital for both Scotland and Northern Ireland,
that the figures for those who are compulsorily detained
is not rising (despite the media’s reporting).
Lochwinnoch Church
|
Security is high and rigorous but
that will not be our abiding memory of our visit,
but rather the care and compassion and commitment
of the staff we met. Many have been employed there
for a long time and their unique gift is to treat
each of the patients with respect - as a child of
God. Some in society just do not want to know, but
in fact we can be proud of a society which provides
such a professional service; it both challenged
and humbled us. |
The programmes ranged from psychological care (e.g.
anger management, violence reduction) to what was called
Patient Activity Recreational Services (PARS) which
we might call life skills, with a spiritual and pastoral
care team whose manner and aims could serve as a model
for us all:
Meeting staff at Carstairs
|
"To provide
spiritual and religious care for all patients, carers
and staff of all faiths and none, in ways that are
responsive to their needs" |
One of the special moments was sharing communion in
the arts and crafts centre, surrounded by the many beautiful
paintings, plants and sculptures, created by the patients.
We cannot deny how difficult this job must be, but we
came away knowing that Jesus was to be found among the
people we met there.
| |
The Moderator with colleagues from Union Theological
Seminary
|
6 October 2008
You can read more about the role
of the Moderator
here and find out about the events and visits he
will be attending in the Moderator's
Diary.
Archive
You can read previous blogs here.
If you have any comments, please email
the webteam.
[top of page]
|
