A humanist has been appointed as the first non-religious head chaplain in the NHS amid growing demand for pastoral support from patients with no faith.

Lindsay van Dijk, 28, has taken charge of a team of three priests at the Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust, the first time that Christian clerics have worked under a non-religious lead chaplain in the health service.

The trust’s chief nurse, Carolyn Morrice, said that Ms Van Dijk was chosen for her leadership skills but added that patients had asked for more “emotional and spiritual support” that was not necessarily linked to a faith. She said: “It wasn’t specifically about religious support, it was: ‘How can you support us when we’re feeling vulnerable?’ ”

Her appointment raised concerns from a Christian