The plaques, located in Bexley atrium at St James’s University Hospital, in the Jubilee entrance of ĢtvƵ General Infirmary, and in the main foyers of Seacroft and Chapel Allerton hospitals, are a visual representation of the Armed Forces Covenant, a pledge made by the government, charities, organisations and businesses to provide the same treatment to members of the Armed Forces community as any other citizen.
In the presence of both active and reserve representatives of the Armed Forces, Professor Phil Wood, Trust Chief Executive and Dame Linda Pollard, Trust Chair, unveiled a Veteran Aware plaque to mark Armed Forces Day. Guests included Trust employees who are former service members of the Royal Army Medical Corp, the Royal Military Police, the Royal Air Force, the Royal Navy and the Royal Marines, as well as the current Clinical Director for the 144 Parachute Medical Squadron.
Dame Linda Pollard, Trust Chair, said: “If there is any way that we can show our gratitude [to service members], I can’t think of anything better than healthcare—we need our service members to be well. They deserve our respect and support as well as fair treatment.”
The Covenant was first signed by the Trust in 2017 and was renewed in 2023 to ensure those who serve in the Armed forces and their families face no disadvantage compared with other citizens in the provision of health care. Earlier this year, the Trust also achieved a Defence Employer Recognition Scheme Gold award reflecting the pledge to demonstrate and advocate support to defence and the Armed forces community, which includes members of the British Armed Forces, veterans, reservists, or family members of someone who is serving or who has served.
Professor Phil Wood, Trust Chief Executive, said: “It’s really important to ensure that citizens who have served in the forces and have become patients of this organisation…that we’re aware of their circumstances and that we’re there to be able to support them with whatever treatment we might be able to offer.”
Benefits to service members and their families include tailored mental and physical health support, specialist healthcare support for those who are injured or bereaved and support for disabled veterans as well as signposting to Armed Forces community support services.
Support for staff includes having a dedicated Reservist Procedure and offering additional paid leave to Reservists, having Armed Forces Champions who help the Trust deliver the Covenant commitment, and marking Armed Forces Day.
The Trust’s commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant also supports the Trust’s values of being patient centred, fair, empowered, collaborative and accountable. As one of the Armed Forces Champions pointed out, it’s not always obvious on the surface that a person is a service member or reservist and it’s always worth asking the question — have you or a member of your family served?
It’s important to understand the needs of service members and their families; they play an important role in the Trust and in the wider community.
More information can be found on the Armed Forces Community Patients website page.