CLCH awarded Veteran Aware accreditation
We are pleased to announce that our Trust has been accredited as Veteran Aware, in time for Remembrance Day (Saturday 11 November - an opportunity for all to come together to remember those who have served and sacrificed to defend our freedoms and protect our way of life).
The Veteran Aware accreditation formally recognises our commitment to the armed forces community.
The accreditation was carried out by the Veterans Covenant Healthcare Alliance (VCHA) - a national NHS team. The VCHA’s aim is to make sure patients from the armed forces community are not disadvantaged in terms of access to and outcomes of healthcare, because of their military life in line with the principles of the Armed Forces Covenant. The Armed Forces Covenant is a promise by the nation ensuring that those who serve, or who have served, in the armed forces, and their families, are treated fairly.
Among the measures the Trust has undertaken to achieve its Veteran Aware status is establishing links to appropriate nearby veteran services including mental health and wellbeing, as well as with Defence Medical Welfare Service officers who provide support in securing funding for home improvements, hospital transport, wheelchairs, low wellbeing, financial support, employment, housing, benefits, and social isolation.
The Trust also has plans in place to improve our employment offer to military veterans and has more recently updated the Trust’s Special Leave Policy to now include specific details for staff who are members of the Territorial Army, or the Reserve or Cadet Forces.
James Benson, Chief Executive Officer at Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust, said: “I am delighted that the Trust has been successfully accredited as Veteran Aware. This is a significant achievement that recognises our commitment to providing high-quality care to veterans and their families.”
Anna- Marie Tipping, Veteran Aware Regional Lead, London and Southeast, said: ‘We are particularly impressed by the dedication of the Trust's Armed Forces Leads who have been working diligently on achieving the principles of the Armed Forces Covenant Duty, and the standards set by the VCHA. The consistency and conscientiousness to the high standards of work being produced monthly is a testament to not only those who participate, but how important the Trust understands this work to be.”
The Veteran Aware plaques will soon be displayed across many of our CLCH sites.
