Dr Anne Richards, who oversees the activities for the Church of England, said the number of inquiries for so-called 'deliverances' was on the rise.

She was speaking after a case at the Priscilla Bacon Lodge, in Norwich, hit the headlines last week when emails emerged in which the site’s NHS chaplain, Rev Helen Garrard, requested help from church colleagues.

The former site of the Priscilla Bacon Lodge (Image: Archant)

Revd Helen Garrard (left) was lead chaplain of the NHS trust at the time of the request (Image: Supplied)

The chaplain was concerned that staff at the Unthank Road site had been upset by a number of "paranormal incidents".

These reportedly included sightings of a girl in a red dress.

After discussions with a member of the church's team specialising in deliverance - the term it prefers to exorcism - the chaplain conducted a blessing at the hospice, which has since relocated to a purpose-built site near the N&N.

The Colman Hospital on Unthank Road (Image: Google)

The........

© Norwich Evening News