Combined are proud to be signed up to the Armed Forces Covenant and has received accreditation awarded by the Veterans Covenant Healthcare Alliance (VCHA) on the 6 February 2023.
The Veterans Covenant Healthcare Alliance (VCHA) is a group of NHS healthcare providers in England who are committed to providing the best standards of care for the armed forces, past, present and their families in England based on the principles of the Armed Forces Covenant.
The Armed Forces Covenant is a promise by the nation ensuring that those who serve, or who have served, in the armed forces, and their families, are treated fairly.
VCHA Regional Lead David Wood said:
“Working with North Staffordshire Combined has been a real pleasure as their collective commitment has been exceptional and 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.”
The VCHA aim is to develop, share and drive the implementation of best practice that will improve care for the military community, while at the same time raising standards for everyone.
In order to be Outstanding at Combined we have made a series of pledges around sharing and driving best practice in NHS care for people who currently serve or have served in the Armed Forces and their families.
We will continue to develop our clinical pathways with veterans and their families at the heart of what we do.
Ben Richards, Executive Director of Operations and the Trust Board lead for Veterans said:
” We want to ensure that veterans are able to access the healthcare that they need and so we’re delighted to have been given this special accreditation which is an acknowledgement to all of those members of the Combined team who have worked hard to ensure we are able to meet the specific needs of veterans and their families. Our work in continuing to support both staff and patients who’ve been members of the armed forces is the best way of saying ‘thank you’ to those who have those who have dedicated themselves to serving our country.”