If one traces the antecedence of nursing it is evident that the profession has a long association with
spiritually and religious belief and practice. Often referred to as its spiritual heritage, caring and
nursing were provided by religious communities whose primary responsibility was
tending to the temporal and spiritual needs of the sick, dying and destitute. This religious and
spiritual heritage was allegedly eroded with the inception of the National Health Service (NHS) and
welfare state when the state took over the responsibility for providing the majority of health
services.