Discussions are currently continuing on whether Bibles should continue to be placed in patient's bedside lockers at three Leicester hospitals, due to worries that the religious texts could offend people from other faith groups who are receiving treatment. In addition there are fears that Bibles may spread the MRSA infection, and as a result of the debate the NHS Trust in Leicester is struggling to escape a public relations disaster last night.

The Trust is expected to ask for religious materials to be made available to patients in a different way, providing them on request. This is so that appropriate action could be taken in case of infection caused by contact with the book. "We could control what religious material they had and know which patient had it," explained Anne McGregor, head of communications.

The Christian Medical Fellowship (CMF) has reacted to a ban on Gideon International Bibles, as Peter Saunders, CMF General Secretary expressed, that the MRSA risk is extremely low and if the hospitals want to be consistent, they would have to ban newspapers, library books and all papers from patients' bedsides as well.

The CMF also added that the ban shows a profound ignorance of the link between spirituality and health. Recent major studies in the British Medical Journal showed that religious faith, especially Christian faith, has had a positive impact on physical health.

It has been claimed that longer life, less illness, better physical and mental health, recovering from surgery and much more, is a natural by-product of religious faith, which health authorities should be keen to promote to improve treatment outcomes.

"It is deeply ironic that such a ban is being considered in a country were 70% of the national census still claim to be Christian and where members of other faiths have not been offended," concluded Mr. Saunders and added that the hospital chiefs are shooting themselves in the foot in respect to promoting health.