In a rather unusual turn of events, an NHS trust found itself reaching out for supernatural assistance after reports of ghostly apparitions at a hospice in Norwich. Among the eerie encounters, staff described sightings of a mysterious ‘girl in a red dress’ at the facility.
These unsettling experiences took place at the Priscilla Bacon Lodge, a site with a history as a former children’s hospital. Employees were concerned that remnants of the past might still linger, manifesting as paranormal activities.
To address these fears, the NHS trust sought the expertise of deliverance ministers to perform a spiritual cleansing. This involved a religious ceremony using holy oil, aiming to restore peace and comfort to the staff.
Deliverance ministers, often referred to as exorcists, are part of the Church of England’s resources for dealing with suspected evil spirits. Their role became widely recognized in the 1970s with the release of the film “The Exorcist,” which dramatized the ordeal of a young girl possessed by a demon.
The Priscilla Bacon Lodge, located near Colman Hospital, currently serves as a center for specialist end-of-life care under the Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust. Yet it seems its storied past may have left spectral traces, sparking the need for an exorcist’s touch.
The spooky sightings occurred at Priscilla Bacon Lodge, near Colman Hospital, which has been used by Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust to provide specialist end-of-life care.
However, up until 1975 it was the site of Jenny Lind Children’s Hospital, with some staff believing it is still haunted by spirits.
Sources said there were concerns about ‘paranormal incidents’ at the hospice, with one person reportedly seeing the spectre of a ‘small child in a red dress’.
An NHS trust called in an exorcist after staff reported seeing ghosts including a ‘girl in a red dress’ at a hospice in Norwich. Pictured: Jenny Lind Children’s Hospital
Max Von Sydow plays a priest in the 1973 film The Exorcist
A young patient is pictured recovering at the Jenny Lind Hospital in Norwich in 1955
Emails seen by the Telegraph show that in 2023, the hospice chaplain contacted the Diocese of Norwich for ‘advice/support from the deliverance team’.
They said it had been a ‘difficult time’ at the site and requested ‘some holy oil’ from Norwich Cathedral.
The chaplain reportedly said this would be used to conduct a religious service for staff and patients who were concerned that the site was haunted.
A week later, another email was sent to the Diocese of Norwich, which is understood to have confirmed they were in ‘conversation with a member of the deliverance team’.
The trust confirmed that a ‘blessing of the building’ was carried out but denied that an exorcist ever visited the site in person.
They also refused to comment on what paranormal activity patients and staff claimed to have seen.
Priscilla Bacon Lodge moved into new premises in 2023, after the paranormal incidents were reported.
The building is now no longer in use, despite being briefly repurposed into a therapy unit.
Linda Blair portrays Regan MacNeil in the horror film The Exorcist
The reported paranormal sightings in Norwich shed light on the little-known relationship between the NHS and the Church of England’s deliverance ministry.
Traditionally, the clergy held a negative view on exorcisms until the 1960s and 1970s, when the practice surged, partly as a result of the popularity of the Hollywood horror film The Exorcist.
New rules were then introduced in 1974 that updated ‘deliverance ministry’ procedures.
These included a requirement that bishops had to give special permission for rites to be carried out.
Doctors also had to be consulted and there was a stipulation that exorcisms ‘should be done with the minimum of publicity’.
Further guidelines issued in 2019 said: ‘Deliverance is an area of ministry where particular caution needs to be exercised, especially when ministering to someone in a disturbed state.’
Clergy and Church officials were told to bring in child welfare specialists to help assess the situation or police if a crime is suspected.
A Church of England spokesman said: ‘Deliverance ministry is a specialist form of pastoral care … rooted in the church’s commitment to healing, wholeness and peace for those experiencing distress, whether physical, mental or spiritual.
‘It is offered in the context of prayer, sacrament and scripture, and is embedded within the wider ministry of healing.’
The Daily Mail has contacted Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust for further comment.
