Nurse combines body and soul to join clergy

Staff nurse, the Reverend Phil Douglas, juggles NHS and parish duties

A "caring" Wolverhampton nurse is juggling corporeal matters with the clergy after becoming a deacon.

The Reverend Phil Douglas, 60, who works at Wolverhampton Eye Infirmary, is serving a curacy at the Church of the Epiphany in Oxley.

Mr Douglas, who lives in Wednesfield, explained he was following in the footsteps of other men of the cloth.

"The first nurses were monks who saw it as their religious duty to care for the sick," he said.

Emphasising the connections between his dual roles, he added: “Both involve caring as well as serving others."

The staff nurse works three days a week at New Cross Hospital's Eye Infirmary and performs parish duties on Wednesdays and Sundays.

He also carries out deacon duties at work, praying for colleagues in times of need.

He said his sermons were inspired by the mundane, including "the vending machine at work" and his cats.

“A deacon’s role is also about bridging the gap to the wider community - to take God’s love to the forgotten corners of society," he explained.

'Lifelong process'

Mr Douglas was ordained in the Church of England at Lichfield Cathedral after studying theology and ministry in Birmingham.

He described combining two years of studies with his NHS work as "tough".

“I studied the bible, doctrine, spirituality and worship and gained practical experience in leading worship and preaching," he said.

“The training is also about formation - you’re reformed by God into the person he’s called you to be. It’s a lifelong process.”

Mr Douglas has worked in Wolverhampton hospitals since he was 18

Currently he assists in leading worship, preaches and administers holy communion and is studying to be ordained as a priest in June.

Senior sister Abigail Francis from New Cross Hospital's Ophthalmology department said the team was "extremely proud" of Mr Douglas's achievements.

"He’s very approachable, caring and supportive of us, his work family,” she added.