St George’s proudly receives Veteran Aware accreditation
St George’s Hospital has been awarded with a Veteran Aware accreditation, this comes following the Trust’s commitment to providing the best standards of care to the armed forces community.
Kate Slemeck, Managing Director of St George’s Hospital, said: “It is only right that St George’s Hospital gives the best possible care to our local armed forces community ensuring that no one is at a disadvantage in the provision of care. I am proud that our Trust has been awarded for this commitment but recognise we have lots to do and progress to reach Gold accreditation which is what we aspire to”.
St George’s has been awarded this ‘Veteran Aware’ accreditation by the Veterans Covenant Healthcare Alliance (VCHA), a group of NHS healthcare providers in England committed to providing the best standards of care for the Armed Forces community, based on the principles of the Armed Forces Covenant.
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, as a result of their military life in line with the principles of the Armed Forces Covenant.
It does this by developing, sharing, and driving the implementation of best practice, while at the same time raising standards for everyone.
Caroline Knox is Deputy General Manager for Corporate Outpatient Services and has worked in the Trust for 19 years. She’s a Reserve Commissioned Officer (Captain) volunteering with the Army Cadet Force in the position of Company Training Officer and is also the wife and carer for a disabled Veteran.
Caroline said: “It’s fantastic news that we’ve achieved this. I don’t think we appreciate how many members of the armed forces and veterans we have in our local community, and this will make such a difference to them and their families.”
The Armed Forces Covenant – which recently passed into law – 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. The aim is to develop, share and drive the implementation of best practice that will improve armed forces veterans’ care, while at the same time raising standards for everyone across the NHS.
The NHS is committed to the Armed Forces Covenant, which is a promise to those who serve, or who have served in the UK Armed Forces, and their families, are treated fairly.
The Armed Forces Covenant has two key principles:
- No member of the Armed Forces community should face disadvantage in the provision of public and commercial services compared to any other citizen.
- In some circumstances special consideration may be appropriate, especially for the injured or the bereaved.
The Veteran Covenant Healthcare Alliance (VCHA) is committed to improving Armed Forces and Veteran care whilst raising standards for all. The VCHA aims to have all Trusts in England accredited. Find out more about their work here, and their work specifically on rehabilitation here.
