St Mary’s Surgery
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 St Mary’s Surgery 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 St Mary’s Surgery 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
- Reserve Forces Day
- Armed Forces Charities
We also pledge the following:
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We will actively identify and support members of the Armed Forces Community within our patient population. We will ask patients whether they have served in the Armed Forces, or whether they are part of an Armed Forces family, including through registration processes, patient communications, targeted text messaging, waiting room information and reception or clinical conversations.
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Our social prescribing team will continue to develop strong links with local veterans, Armed Forces charities, community groups and support organisations. We will use these links to improve signposting, reduce isolation, and help veterans and Armed Forces families access appropriate welfare, social, housing, employment and healthcare support.
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We will promote our Armed Forces Covenant commitment internally and externally, including through our website, patient communications, staff briefings and visible information within the practice.
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We are an accredited Veteran Friendly GP Practice and will continue to maintain this accreditation. We will ensure that veterans are identified and correctly coded within the clinical system, and that staff understand the importance of asking about military service where it may be relevant to care.
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Around 10% of our workforce are Veteran Champions. They are led by Jake Fretwell, who is himself a veteran. This gives the organisation visible leadership, lived experience and a practical route for staff to seek advice when supporting veterans and Armed Forces families.
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We will continue to raise awareness of veteran-specific health needs and referral pathways, including services such as Op COURAGE, Op RESTORE and other relevant NHS, voluntary sector and community services. We will aim to ensure that veterans and Armed Forces families receive informed, respectful and appropriate care, and that their service history is considered where relevant to their health and wellbeing.
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We will actively encourage appropriate referrals and signposting for veterans and Armed Forces families who may be experiencing housing difficulty, homelessness, debt, social isolation, contact with the justice system, or wider welfare concerns.
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Where housing or homelessness is identified, we will signpost to appropriate dedicated services, including Op FORTITUDE for homeless veterans. Where a veteran is in contact with the justice system, or at risk of contact with the justice system, we will support referral or signposting to Op NOVA. Our social prescribing team will help coordinate this support where appropriate.
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We will encourage staff awareness of the Armed Forces Covenant and the needs of veterans, reservists, cadet force adult volunteers and military families. We will seek to build relationships with local Armed Forces charities, veterans’ groups, cadet organisations and community partners, and will use our position as a healthcare organisation to advocate for better recognition and support for the Armed Forces Community.
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We will consider opportunities to involve veterans and Armed Forces family members in patient participation, feedback, service improvement and community engagement work, so that our support is shaped by lived experience and remains meaningful rather than symbolic.
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.