Lord-Lieutenant of Staffordshire unveils Veteran Aware accreditation plaque

North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust were proud to receive the Lord-Lieutenant of Staffordshire at the Harplands Hospital site on Friday 24 March 2023. He was invited to unveil the Veteran Aware plaque which was awarded to the Trust following the successful accreditation work that has been taking place over the last 12 months.  The Trust were also pleased to host David Woods, the regional lead for the Veterans Covenant Healthcare Alliance (VCHA), as well as John Henderson, Chief Executive Officer of Staffordshire County Council, alongside several members of the Trust Board and various colleagues and veteran representatives.

L – R Nicky Griffiths (Deputy Director of Strategy & Partnerships), Anne Melville (Head of Facilities), Rachel Wooliscroft (Community Engagement Co-ordinator), John Henderson (Chief Executive Officer of Staffordshire County Council), Joan Walley (Non-Executive Director), Lee West (Service User), Lord-Lieutenant of Staffordshire, Ben Richards (Director of Operations), David Wood (VCHA Midlands and East of England Regional Lead), David Rogers (Chairman), Dr Buki Adeyemo (Chief Executive) and Jason Snape (Clinical Lead)

During the plaque unveiling, the Lord-Lieutenant expressed his thanks to Combined NHS Trust for all the work the Trust has undertaken to achieve the accreditation to ensure those serving in the armed forces, veterans and their families are supported as much as possible by the services which the Trust provides. The Veteran Aware plaque can now be seen in Harplands Hospital reception, alongside other commendations that the Trust have received related to their veteran work. You can watch a video of the unveiling below.

Following the unveiling, the Lord-Lieutenant and other attendees heard from Lee West, a veteran and service user of the Trust, who spoke about his own journey and the support that Combined have been able to provide to him. You can watch Lee’s Patient Story here that was shared previously at Trust Board.  The attendees were also able to hear from Lee about the developments he’s made  since the patient story video was filmed and his personal thanks for all the support he has received.

Ben Richards, Director of Operations, felt that the visit was an excellent celebration of all the veteran work so far:

“At Combined Healthcare we were delighted to receive the Lord Lieutenant for Staffordshire as the representative of HM The King to unveil the plaque following our Veterans Aware accreditation.”

“Over the next year I look forward to the next phase of our veterans work as we continue to improve the pathways and experience for those serving in the armed forces, veterans and their loved ones.”

You can read more about the VCHA accreditation work at Combined here and hear from VCHA Regional Lead David Wood below:

“Working with North Staffordshire Combined has been a real pleasure, as their collective commitment has been exceptional. I am so pleased that all their hard work has been recognised with accreditation.”

“With an estimated population of 150,000 of serving personnel, veterans and families living within the area with a connection to the UK’s armed forces, this is quite a sizable number, so the scale of the need is clear.”

It was an honour to receive the Lord-Lieutenant and the Trust will continue to support those in the armed forces, veterans and their families in the future going forward.