The Rev Edward Lewis, chief executive of the Hospital Chaplaincies Council, has been appointed as a chaplain to the Queen, Buckingham Palace announced on Friday.

In his 'day job', Fr Lewis supports the work of Anglican healthcare chaplains by co-ordinating training and information sharing between the network of 425 full-time and 3,000 part-time chaplains currently serving in the UK, most of whom are Anglican. He also serves as an honorary chief officer for the Multi-Faith Group for Healthcare Chaplaincy, and sits on the committee of the European Network for Healthcare Chaplaincy.

The honorary appointment will add Fr Lewis to the 36 members of the College of Chaplains, which forms part of the Queen's Ecclesiastical Household. Each of the chaplains preach once a year in the Chapel Royal, in St James' Palace, London, and also join a rota of chaplains who are available to the Queen at any time.

The Chair of the Hospital Chaplaincies Council and Bishop of Gloucester, the Rt Rev Michael Perham, said: "This is not only a great honour for Edward personally, but represents something of the value that people place on hospital and other healthcare chaplains. Edward is a tireless advocate for the immensely important work they do, night and day, across the country.

"While nobody enters ordained ministry for prestige, it must be said that healthcare chaplains can face particularly unglamorous tasks, and have recently been faced with the added challenge of fears of cuts to their funding. I know that I will speak for many such chaplains as I welcome this appointment in the knowledge that Edward's honour is an endorsement of his colleagues' work."

It is understood to be the first time for twenty-five years that a priest has been honoured in this way while working as a member of staff at the national Church institutions.

Fr Lewis - who also serves as a visiting lecturer at St Mary's University College, Twickenham, as a Priest Vicar at Westminster Abbey and a Justice of the Peace - is joined by two other ordained ministers in the Church of England who have recently been appointed as chaplains to the Queen.

They are the Rev Rose Hudson-Wilkin, Chair of the Church of England's Committee for Minority Ethnic Anglican Concerns and vicar of Holy Trinity, Dalston, East London, and Canon Andrew Clitherow, priest-in-charge of St Cuthbert's, Lytham, and an honorary canon of Blackburn Cathedral.

Welcoming Fr Lewis' honour, the Bishop of St Albans, the Rt Rev Christopher Herbert, commented: "As a priest who lives and regularly officiates in this diocese, Edward's appointment to this prestigious role is a source of great joy for all of us connected to the Church in Bedfordshire, Luton, Hertfordshire and Barnet."