The NHS Trust in Bradford is to give out ‘Fast packs’ to Muslim colleagues during Ramadan.
Bradford Teaching Hospitals is putting together ‘Fast packs’ for NHS colleagues who are keeping the fast during Ramadan.
Ramadan is expected to begin on 2 April and end on 1 May, but it is dependent on the moon.
Each pack will consist of dates, water, a disposable prayer mat, a prayer counter and a Ramadan prayer timetable.
This new innovation for Muslim colleagues has been created by the Trust’s Spiritual Pastoral and Religious Care team (SPaRC), formerly known as Chaplaincy.
Ramadan is the Muslim holy month of fasting and one of the five pillars of Islam where followers fast from dawn to dusk.
Head of the SPaRC team, Imam Mohammed Arshad, said: “I am delighted that the Trust is recognising our colleagues who will be working on our hospital wards this Ramadan.
“The creation of these new Fast Packs will enable staff, who have been fasting without food or drink for 16 hours, to carry on working when the time comes to open their fast in the early evening.
“When colleagues have opened their fast on-site with these new packs, it means that work breaks can be staggered in order to maintain safe staffing numbers without breaking Ramadan rules.”
Chief Nurse Karen Dawber added: “It’s really important working in a multi-cultural community that we encompass all faiths and beliefs. That’s why we want to be supportive to our colleagues, patients and visitors who are observing the holy month of Ramadan.”
The Trust will start handing out the packs next week.
