Bradford is to host a major national conference on multiculture and faith in the health service.

The conference will examine ways of improving patients' experiences by raising the standard of multicultural and religious care.

The conference has been organised by Bradford Teaching Hospitals.

The Reverend Chris Johnson, manager of the multi-faith chaplaincy team at Bradford Teaching Hospitals and a Church of England chaplain, said: "The changing needs of today's multi-faith, multi-cultural NHS have put cultural and religious care under the spotlight more than ever before.

"We are delighted that Bradford is playing host to this conference, which will generate examples of good practice for the wider health community and act as a

catalyst for change and improvement."

Trust acting chief executive Rose Stephens said: "This is an important conference for the multi-faith, multicultural NHS of today and it is excellent exposure for Bradford and the track record it has in this field.

"The local NHS is determined to explore many different avenues as part of its work to improve patient care. Prom-oting greater awareness and understanding of faith and culture is just one of those."

Speakers at the event include Lord Philip Hunt, chairman of the National Patient Safety Agency, Dr Philip Lewis, lecturer in the Department of Peace Studies at the University of Bradford, and Ali Jan Haider, head of equality and diversity for Bradford PCTs.

The event is aimed at anyone with an interest in religious diversity, holistic care and equality in the NHS.

"There is so much misunderstanding around on the differences between religion and culture," said Mr Johnson. "This conference staged in Bradford, a rich centre of culture and faith, seeks to help all who work in healthcare across the NHS to care better for all patients."

A number of workshops will be held throughout the day.

It takes place at Bradford University in Laisteridge Lane, Bradford.

More than 130 delegates from across the country attended last year's event.

Mohammed Arshad, Muslim chaplain at Bradford Teaching Hospitals, will also be speaking at the event on Monday.

It takes place between 9am and 3pm.