A PARISH nurse will be joining a Whitley church in the new year.
Reading Gateway Church is teaming up with Parish Nursing Ministries UK, Reading Borough Council and other churches for the new role.
The non-clinical nurse will work with GPs and health professionals to support the health and wellbeing of the parish community, and help reduce the pressure on hospitals by treating residents in their homes. They will also offer spiritual care if wanted.
The Revd Nick Hill, rector of Reading Gateway Church, said: “We are really excited to be able to appoint a parish nurse as part of our mission and ministry to around 22,000 local residents.
“The service is one of the practical ways we can share the love of God to our community and make a real difference to the lives of our neighbours.”
The post is supported by the Diocese of Oxford Development Fund. Since its launch in 2019, it has donated more than £2.9m to more than 155 local church projects worth £7.3m across the Diocese of Oxford.
The Diocese of Oxford has more than 800 churches in 626 parishes, the largest number of churches of any diocese in the Church of England. It is also home to 285 schools and academies educating some 60,000 pupils.
