Jim McManus and Fr Peter Scott, founding members of the Bishops’ Conference Healthcare Reference Group, have been awarded the Vatican’s highest medal for healthcare, ‘The Good Samaritan Medal’. Bishop Tom Williams, Chair of the Healthcare Reference Group said, “Jim has been outstanding in writing documents for us and for his guidance and advice as part of the Healthcare Reference Group, and I’m most grateful to Fr Peter for being my representative in London and for the work he has done not just at St Mary’s but also in the Diocese of Westminster”.
Mr McManus is Director of Public Health for Birmingham and has produced publications and resources on healthcare for the Church and healthcare workers. He worked on behalf of the Church with Central Government on health and healthcare issues.
Fr Peter Scott, Advisor for Healthcare Chaplaincy to Archbishop Vincent Nichols, has worked on healthcare chaplaincy and healthcare for some years, including producing publications and training and leading the creation of a degree in hospital chaplaincy at St Mary’s University College, Twickenham.
A document recently commissioned by the Healthcare Reference Group is A Practical Guide to the Spiritual Care of the Dying Person, “This is an excellent practical guide that should be available to all those working in end of life care and would be especially helpful for staff in care homes” – Phil Russell, lecturer practitioner, Bereavement service, The Rowans Hospice.
The medal was awarded at the end of a meeting at the Vatican’s Pontifical Health Care Workers by its President, Archbishop Zygmund Zimowski on the Feast of the Presentation, 2 February 2011.
The Good Samaritan Medal is awarded by the Vatican to “those who serve the sick and suffering in an exceptional way”. Previous recipients of the Good Samaritan Medal include Sir Alexander Fleming.
Only four people currently working in the UK have the medal, one of whom is Bishop Tom Williams, Chair of the Healthcare Reference Group, who worked in hospital care for many years.
The Healthcare Reference Group is part of the Department for Christian Responsibility and Citizenship of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales.
A Practical Guide to the Spiritual Care of the Dying Person, published by the Catholic Truth Society.
