Dewsbury and District Hospital, West Yorkshire, confirmed today that it had implemented the new system, which also requires that patients be provided with halal meal options and shower facilities.

Staff at the hospital are taking part in training sessions to teach them how to help patients uphold the Islamic faith on a daily basis.

A spokeswoman for the Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust said it had made the changes and introduced the training to better meet the needs of their Muslim patients.

This included staff positioning the beds of "very ill" Muslim patients to face the Qibla in Mecca if requested by the patient.

The training sessions were introduced after Catherine Briggs, matron at the hospital, spoke to Muslim patients about how staff could improve their service.

Mrs Briggs said: "We are committed to providing the highest possible standards of care to every one of our patients and we know that Dewsbury and District Hospital treats a high number of patients from the Muslim community.

"We always do our best to listen to our patients and are willing to adapt our nursing practices where possible to help patients uphold their cultural beliefs."

The matron added: "Some of our former Muslim patients suggested that a more informed understanding of the Islamic cultures would help staff to further improve their service.

"In response to these comments I have been working with Moulana Ilyas Dalal, our senior Muslim chaplain at the hospital, to develop a training package that will better inform staff of the different cultural and religious needs of patients."

Beverley Brook, who works on Ward Six at the hospital, was one of the first members of staff to enrol on the training course.

She said: "Although I already knew quite a lot about the Islamic faith, this gave me a greater understanding on how we can make small changes on a daily basis that will really make a difference to our Muslim patients."

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