Emerald Health Clinic
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, His 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 Emerald Health Clinic 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 Emerald Health Clinic 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
- Armed Forces Day
- Reserve Forces Day
- Discounts
- Armed Forces Charities
We also pledge the following:
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Working with sector-led employment schemes aimed at the Armed Forces community, for example ‘A Great Place to Work’ and ‘Step Into Health’.
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Provide ways for our staff to learn about the Armed Forces community.
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Create a dedicated Armed Forces community section on our website.
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Appoint an Armed Forces lead within our organisation to coordinate support for the Armed Forces community.
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Deliver or promote external events for veterans and other members of the Armed Forces community.
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Waive cancellation fees for utility and other contracts for those posted overseas or to areas outside the service provision.
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Ensure the Armed Forces community has fair access to our services and is not put at a disadvantage due to their service, for example due to deployment or mobility.
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Take part in and/or promote awareness-raising schemes, such as veteran-friendly accreditation for GP practices and the Veterans Covenant Healthcare Alliance.
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Ensure available dedicated healthcare services for members of the Armed Forces community, such as Op COURAGE in England, are signposted and promoted.
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Emerald Health Clinic commits to supporting the Armed Forces community by promoting fair, respectful and stigma-free access to healthcare.
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We recognise that veterans and serving personnel may face unique physical and mental health challenges and that stigma can sometimes prevent individuals from seeking appropriate support or openly discussing all available treatment options.
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We pledge to: promote greater understanding and awareness of the healthcare needs of the Armed Forces community.
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Challenge stigma and misconceptions surrounding medical cannabis and other legitimate treatment options through responsible education and evidence-based information.
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Ensure veterans and members of the Armed Forces community are treated with dignity, compassion and without judgement; listen to and learn from the lived experiences of veterans when developing our services, education and patient support.
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Support appropriate signposting and collaboration with other healthcare and veteran support organisations where this is in the individual’s best interests; and use our platform to encourage informed conversations about health, wellbeing and access to appropriate treatment within the Armed Forces community.
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Through our Veteran Ambassador and wider team, Emerald Health Clinic will continue to advocate for greater awareness, understanding and inclusion, while ensuring that patient safety, clinical appropriateness and individual choice remain central to everything we do.
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.