Religious leaders at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust (UHB) have recognised the efforts of a doctor who has been volunteering as an Imam at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham (QEHB) for 20 years.

Dr Allah Detta, a clinical scientist specialising in brain cancer research, has been regularly leading Friday and other daily prayers for Muslim visitors, patients and colleagues at the hospital since 1996 as well as providing spiritual counselling and advice.

During that time he has helped to forge strong links between the UHB chaplaincy and Muslim community and seen the Muslim congregation at QEHB grow and develop hugely.

In recognition of his personal efforts and dedication a special presentation was made to Dr Detta by hospital chaplain Richard Wharton and his Muslim colleague Akm Kamruzzaman.

“It was very pleasing to learn that people were aware that I had been doing this voluntarily and that it was being appreciated so much,” said Dr Detta. “I was honoured to learn that something had been planned to show appreciation. I feel honoured to be able to help people.”

Dr Detta started his NHS career as a research scientist at the Midland Centre for Neurology and Neurosurgery (MCNN) in Smethwick.

In December 1995, the MCNN was closed and its services transferred the Old Queen Elizabeth Hospital where, at the time, there were no dedicated facilities for the needs of Muslim staff, patients and visitors.

“Prayers were occasionally being held in the chapel but they were very infrequent and haphazard so I volunteered to help out,” Dr Detta recalls. “We set up a rota system and, because of the type of job I do, the onus fell upon me to instil some sort of regularity. I was able to do that by sacrificing a bit of my lunchtime.”

Word spread and attendances soon started increasing, eventually outgrowing the hospital chapel, leading to the creation of a dedicated Muslim prayer room and later the appointment of official Muslim chaplains, with Dr Detta on the selection panel for a male chaplain.

“We have continued to grow steadily and now the service is so popular that we have to hold two Friday prayers,” Dr Detta added. “We even get people from the local community coming to pray as there is no mosque nearby.

“We get people coming to the hospital who have been to different parts of the country and they haven’t seen anything like this. Many say that this is the best service for the Muslim community in a hospital that they have come across in the UK.

“So it is good to see that our Trust is not only leading on health issues but on spiritual issues too. The hospital’s chaplaincy service as a whole is well used and it’s cohesive. We all work together and I think we are setting a great example in all aspects of hospital life.”