Abstract

EDITOR—Gatrad et al encourage the growth of understanding of the needs of minorities.1 We are all, of course, minorities in our own way. As they point out, each of us has a culture, and possibly a religious tradition, to come from and to fall back on, but as they also observe, each of us as an individual observes and follows these in our own way. Fundamental change in institutional arrangements, education, and the willingness of service providers (not just in health care) to embrace complexity and diversity is certainly required. The move towards teaching or training in "spirituality," so far advanced in an avowedly secular United States, is slowly being taken in the United Kingdom. Our centre was commissioned to review the research literature and evidence on spirituality in health by the Leicester health action zone, and much of the resultant material is recorded on our website (http://users.wbs.ac.uk/group/ceehd/home/end_of_life). The journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step, and that means the personal realisation by all healthcare professionals that their clients will have their own spirituality—however we, and they, may define that.