“Working in Parliament ‘to have spirituality and spiritual care explicitly acknowledged in health and social care changes’”

Lobl, Tony. “Working in Parliament ‘to have spirituality and spiritual care explicitly acknowledged in health and social care changes’.” Journal for the Study of Spirituality 5, no. 1 (2015): 70–79.

Lobl, the UK/Ireland District Manager for Christian Science Committees on Publication, begins by noting that in spite of the abundance of research in recent years on the connection between spirituality and health, this research has not translated into actual legislation. To help foster legislation supportive of spiritual care, Lobl sees a need to “widen the sphere of public concern” (70) so that policies reflect the growing numbers of people who value spirituality in the realm of healthcare. As a case study for how to go about this, Lobl describes how an amendment was added to the Care Bill explicitly acknowledging the need for the government and local authorities to take into consideration a person’s ‘beliefs’ when planning their health care. This amended Care Bill was passed through the UK Parliament and implemented in 2015. For Christian Scientists and all others who value spirituality as key to their health, the term ‘belief’ would include spiritual care and practices. Lobl concludes with a history of the Christian Science Church’s “90 years of speaking up for spirituality and health in Parliament” (77).

ISSN: 2044-0251
Print ISSN: 2044-0243

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1179/2044024315Z.00000000042