King Edward VII?s Hospital
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 King Edward VII?s Hospital 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 King Edward VII?s Hospital 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:
Promoting the Armed Forces: promoting the fact that we are an Armed Forces-friendly organisation, to our staff, customers, suppliers, contractors and wider public. We are also pursuing accreditation as a Veteran Aware organisation. Veterans: King Edward VIIs Hospital was established in 1899 to provide care to service personnel and veterans of the UKs Armed Forces. In 2018 the Hospital reaffirmed its commitment to the veteran community by establishing the Centre for Veterans Health, which now coordinates all healthcare for service personnel, veterans, their spouses, widows and civil partners. Trough the Centre for Veterans Health, we provide the Pain Management Programme (PMP): our free, award-winning programme that has been recognised by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) as an outstanding practice. It exists to help veterans manage acute and chronic pain, helping them get back to living their lives to the fullest. We also provide Military Grants for free surgical care: The Centre for Veterans Health meanstested grants programme provides 100% grants to uninsured Service or ex-Service Personnel, (including reserves). This enables them to access the Hospital completely free of charge. National Events: supporting and promoting Armed Forces Day, Reserves Day, the Poppy Appeal Day and Remembrance activities. Armed Forces Charities: working with Armed Forces charities as a member of COBSEO to promote events, workshops and best practices and support the veteran community. Commercial Support: All Service or ex-Service personnel (including reserves) without medical insurance are offered a 20% discount on their hospital bill, regardless of rank or length of service. This also extends to their spouses/civil partners and includes widows or widowers
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.