Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust
We, the undersigned, commit to honour the Armed Forces Covenant and support the Armed Forces Community. We recognise the value Serving Personnel, both Regular and Reservists, Veterans and military families contribute to our business and our country.
The Armed Forces Covenant
An enduring covenant between the people of the United Kingdom, Her Majesty’s Government and all those who serve or have served in the Armed Forces of the Crown and their families
The first duty of Government is the defence of the realm. Our Armed Forces fulfil that responsibility on behalf of the Government, sacrificing some civilian freedoms, facing danger and, sometimes, suffering serious injury or death as a result of their duty. Families also play a vital role in supporting the operational effectiveness of our Armed Forces. In return, the whole nation has a moral obligation to the members of the Naval Service, the Army and the Royal Air Force, together with their families. They deserve our respect and support, and fair treatment.
Those who serve in the Armed Forces, whether Regular or Reserve, those who have served in the past, and their families, should face no disadvantage compared to other citizens in the provision of public and commercial services. Special consideration is appropriate in some cases, especially for those who have given most such as the injured and the bereaved.
This obligation involves the whole of society: it includes voluntary and charitable bodies, private organisations, and the actions of individuals in supporting the Armed Forces. Recognising those who have performed military duty unites the country and demonstrates the value of their contribution. This has no greater expression than in upholding this Covenant.
Section 1: Principles of the Armed Forces Corporate Covenant
1.1 We Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust will endeavour in our business dealings to uphold the key principles of the Armed Forces Covenant, which are:
- no member of the Armed Forces Community should face disadvantage in the provision of public and commercial services compared to any other citizen;
- and in some circumstances that special treatment may be appropriate especially for the injured or bereaved.
Section 2: Demonstrating our commitment
2.1 Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust recognises the value serving personnel, reservists, veterans and military families bring to our business. We will seek to uphold the principles of the Armed Forces Covenant, by pledging to the following:
- Armed Forces Friendly
- UK Service Veterans And Leavers
- UK Service Spouses And Partners
- UK Reservists
- UK Cadets
- Armed Forces Day
- Armed Forces Charities
We also pledge the following:
Promoting the fact that we are an Armed Forces-friendly organisation, to our staff and service users; Providing a regional specialist mental health service to veterans and their families across Coventry & Warwickshire called Op Courage; Seeking to support the employment of veterans young and old and working with the Career Transition Partnership (CTP), to establish a tailored employment pathway for service leavers; o Offering the Step into Health initiative, promoting the NHS Trust locally and nationally at recruitment events. Guaranteed interview scheme as part of our recruitment process; o Striving to support the employment of service spouses and partners. On our online recruitment form, it is asked on application if you are a member of the Armed Forces community (including spouses) and as a Trust we have successfully recruited several family members of military personnel by asking this question and identifying their status. We recognise the benefits and experience that dependants and spouses can bring to our Trust; o Seeking to support our employees who choose to be members of the reserve forces including by accommodating their training and deployments where possible. Actively encouraging members of staff to become Reservists, the Trust has a dedicated policy for our Reservist employees explaining their specific terms of employment including an additional 10 days paid leave and supporting them in times of mobilisation; o Partnering with military specific charities The Ripple Pond and Walking with the Wounded we can access psychological and social/emotional support for our employees should they need it; Demonstrating our commitment to the MOD and the Armed Forces community, from day one of employment. All staff are educated on their Trust induction to the commitment that our Trust has made and the importance of the Armed Forces Covenant. As a Trust we are also a member of the Veterans Covenant Health Care Alliance (VCHA), meaning that we have been accredited and demonstrate our best practice to other NHS organisations and Trusts; o Working to ensure the smoothest transfers to civilian life for service personnel leaving HM Armed Forces. As a Trust, we facilitate regular mental health clinics held at local DCMH and provide support to other DCMH’s. We work closely with Pain Injury Clinics: Shropshire Orthapaedic Hospital, Birmingham Queen Elizabeth and King Edward, London and Defence Medical Services to ensure all the needs of our military personnel are considered. We link with local Police and Prison service veterans champions and share training together around veterans awareness. We are partners with York St John’s University and regularly invite staff and agencies to attend their NHSE Accredited Military Human Training Day facilitated by Nick Wood; o For veterans, service leavers and partners/spouses we offer the opportunity to complete a peer support program, allowing the opportunity to gain experience in a volunteering capacity; o Offering active liaison and joint working with our MOD units and local regional. National service charities; o Linking in with local reservist units; o Representing the NHS at regional AFCC meetings; o Providing representation of the military community on interview panels; Providing training opportunities for all staff to educate about military culture and the Armed Forces Covenant; o Veteran “champions” within services, providing support and education; o Provide support to and promote the GP Accreditation Scheme; Actively participate in Armed Forces Day events representing the Trust’s offer and commitment to the military community; o Supporting our employees who are volunteer leaders in military cadet organisations, encouraging attendance at annual training camps and courses; actively encouraging members of staff to become volunteer leaders in cadet organisations; supporting local military cadet units; recognising the benefits of employing cadets/ex-cadets within the workforce.
2.2 We will publicise these commitments through our literature and/or on our website, setting out how we will seek to honour them and inviting feedback from the Service community and our customers on how we are doing.