NHS

NHS bodies can support the Armed Forces community and implement the Covenant by:

West Suffolk Hospital NHS Trusts Matron team supporting Armed Forces Day.

Mitigating the impacts of military life on patients from the Armed Forces community

You might provide healthcare to:

Currently serving Regular or Reserve members of the UK Armed Forces
Family members of someone serving, or formerly serving, in the UK Armed Forces
Bereaved family members of someone who died on service in the UK Armed Forces
Service leavers and former members (‘veterans’) of the UK Armed Forces

Some of these patients might face disadvantages compared to the general population, arising from military life, when accessing your services. For example, a longer treatment programme due to a mobile lifestyle. You might be able to mitigate some of these disadvantages.

You might also have opportunities to offer special provision to those sacrificing the most, such as the injured and the bereaved.

Find out more about mitigating the impacts of military life and offering special provision.

Since November 2022, certain NHS bodies have been legally obliged to have due regard to the Covenant principles when carrying out certain functions. Find out more about the Covenant Legal Duty.

Sharing good practice between healthcare providers

In 2014, The Chavasse Report analysed care provided to the Armed Forces and veterans to find ways to improve care while raising NHS standards. One of its recommendations was to create a support network of hospitals. This led to the creation of the Veterans Covenant Healthcare Alliance and their Veteran Aware accreditation programme, and the eight manifesto standards that healthcare providers use to aim to improve the healthcare that veterans, and the wider Community, receive from the NHS. The Alliance works closely with NHS Improvement, NHS England, Service charities and the Ministry of Defence. The Alliance seeks to showcase high quality veterans’ healthcare, and support NHS Trusts to learn from each other by sharing good practice. This includes committing to the Armed Forces Covenant, raising awareness among staff of veterans’ healthcare needs, and establishing clear links with Service charities and local support providers.

Veteran-friendly accreditation for GP practices

In response to concerns identified by the Armed Forces Community and associated groups, the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) and the UK Government conducted research into ways to better equip GPs with the knowledge to serve the veteran community and their families in their local area. Research identified that it was difficult to identify and manage veterans and their families, which prevented them identifying health issues and signposting them to relevant support as required. It also identified that, in some cases, more awareness of the support services, both within the NHS and externally, was required. The RCGP and UK Government created the veteran-friendly accreditation. This is a voluntary initiative. Accreditation is currently open to GP practices in England, though the RCGP is working with the Devolved Administrations to extend the programme. Accreditation lasts for three years and requires GP practices to do the following.

Ask patients registering with the surgery if they have ever served in the British Armed Forces.
Code it on the GP computer system.
Have a clinical lead for veterans in the surgery, to undertake dedicated training, stay up-to-date with the latest research and innovations, ensure that the practice is meeting the health commitments of the Armed Forces Covenant, and provide advice to colleagues, as well as possibly seeing veterans themselves.
Practices should have a Care Quality Commission ‘good’ rating or higher.

Creating a toolkit for GPs to improve services for veterans

The Royal College of General Practitioners worked in partnership with NHS England and NHS Improvement, consulting the Ministry of Defence and other stakeholders, to conduct and collate research into the healthcare needs of veterans and their families. The RCGP published its findings in the form of a toolkit that could be used by GPs to help meet veterans’ healthcare needs. The toolkit includes the following:

- Information on the Armed Forces Covenant and NHS Constitution.
- A list of dedicated services for veterans and contact information, both inside and outside the NHS.
- Information on the nature of veteran-sustained physical and mental health injuries.
- Information on requesting a veteran’s medical records from the Armed Forces.
- Learning resources, such as webinars, podcasts, and videos.

Employing members of the Armed Forces community

As part of the NHS, you might employ:

Currently serving Reserve members of the UK Armed Forces
Family members of someone serving, or formerly serving, in the UK Armed Forces
Bereaved family members of someone who died on service in the UK Armed Forces
Service leavers and Veterans of the UK Armed Forces

You can be a Forces friendly employer of members of the Armed Forces community, receive awards that recognise your commitment to the Covenant, and get help and advice. Find out more about employing members of the Armed Forces community.

Show your support

Sign the Covenant, apply for Covenant funding, or use the Covenant branding. Find out more about showing your support.

Research documents for healthcare professionals

Understanding Military Culture: York St John University has published a report for staff in local authorities and medical services who have dealings with serving and veteran personnel.

The Local Government Association has written a report for local authorities and healthcare professionals on meeting the public health needs of the Armed Forces.