Armed Forces Champions launching on Armistice Day

9 Nov 2018, 3:30 p.m.

Useful links

The Armed Forces Covenant is a promise from the nation that those who serve or have served, and their families, are treated fairly.

The Trust is working to embed the Armed Forces Covenant by utilising local Armed Forces resources and support services to enable improved health outcomes for serving personnel, veterans and their families who are patients in our Trust.

We have many staff working in the Trust who have previously been a member of the Armed Forces or have a partner who has been or is still in the Armed Forces. Some of our staff also act as Reservists. These individuals are best placed to understand the difficulties that this cohort of patients and their families encounter and have experience of the challenges that can be faced in accessing and receiving health care services.

With this in mind, we have recruited six of our staff who have volunteered to become an Armed Forces Champion for the Trust. Their role is voluntary and they have all received support from their line managers to enable them to undertake this role.

We are launching our Armed Forces Champions on Armistice day, 11th November 2018. The role involves a host of things including:

Working to develop links with local Veteran Services in the area.
Offer support and information to colleagues regarding issues pertinent to Armed Forces serving personnel, their families and Veteran needs.
Promoting the needs of Armed Forces serving personnel, their families and Veterans.
Contributing to the initiation and implementation of change and improvement to service and care delivery for local Armed Forces serving personnel, their families and Veterans.

Deborah Lee, CEO said: "I am very proud to endorse Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust’s support for Britain’s Armed Forces Serving personnel, veterans and their families. Our Champions will play a crucial role in helping develop the services and care we provide and make links with existing local Armed Forces support networks. Each of our champions brings different experiences, knowledge and skills which will help shape the support and care we can offer to this important group of people as we move forward."

Useful information

The champions can be emailed: ghn-tr.armedforceschampions@nhs.net

More about being a reservist

Staff can learn more about the Armed Forces Covenant and how to care for and support serving personnel, veterans and their families who are patients in our Trust by visiting their eLearning pages.