Armed Forces Covenant

Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust (BHT) is proud to be a Veteran Aware healthcare provider.

Please let a member of staff know if you, or your spouse/partner, currently serve or have ever served in the UK armed forces so that we can best support your care needs.

Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust is a member of the Veterans Covenant Healthcare Alliance, sharing and driving best practice in NHS care for the Armed Forces Community.

The Armed Forces Covenant states that serving personnel, reservists, spouses and dependents should not face disadvantage compared to other citizens when accessing health services.

You and your family should not be at a disadvantage in accessing appropriate health services; for example, members of the Armed Forces Community in England and Wales who are patients on NHS waiting lists have the time already accrued taken into account when posted to a different location.

Veterans (anyone who has Served in HM Forces for 1 day or more, including National Service) may also be entitled to priority access to NHS care for health conditions associated with their time in service, subject to clinical need.

• Read Veteran aware information leaflet in full or download and print

• The Armed forces community should not face disadvantage compared to other citizens in the area where they live 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 bereaved.

In April 2022 the Trust received ‘Veteran Aware’ status, from the Veterans Covenant Healthcare Alliance (VCHA). VCHA is a group of NHS healthcare providers in England committed to providing the best standards of care for the armed forces community, based on the principles of the Armed Forces Covenant.

The Veteran Covenant Healthcare Alliance (VCHA) is committed to improving Armed Forces and Veteran care whilst raising standards for all. Over 100 NHS providers in England are now Veteran Aware accredited and the VCHA aims to have all Trusts in England accredited by March 2023 at the latest. Find out more about its work and about rehabilitation.

Gold Award

193 organisations have been awarded the Gold Award 2023 in June and within the South East region the Trust is one of just 19 organisations to receive the award.

As a Gold Award holder the Trust has undertaken the following commitments:

• signed the Armed Forces Covenant
• employers must have an existing relationship with their National Account Manager/REED/appropriate defence representative
• the employer must already be demonstrating support by holding a valid ERS Silver Award.
• the employer must proactively demonstrate their forces-friendly credentials as part of their recruiting and selection processes. Where possible, they should be engaged with Career Transition Partnership (CTP) in the recruitment of service leavers and have registered for the Forces Families Jobs (FFJ) portal
• the employer must actively ensure that their workforce is aware of their positive policies towards defence people issues. For example, an employer nominated for support to the Reserves must have an internally publicised and positive human resources policy on Reserves
• the employer must be an exemplar within their market sector, advocating support to defence people issues to partner organisations, suppliers and customers with tangible positive results
• within the context of Reserves the employer must have demonstrated support to mobilisations or have a framework in place. They must provide at least 10 days’ additional leave for training, fully paid, to the Reservist employee
• the employer must actively encourage a positive environment for Reservists by ensuring that positive policies in support of Reservists within the workforce are communicated to line managers

Silver Award

In June 2022 the Trust was awarded the Employer Recognition Scheme Silver Award for supporting the Armed Forces community.

The Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) encourages employers to support defence and inspire others to do the same. The scheme encompasses bronze, silver and gold awards for employer organisations that pledge, demonstrate or advocate support to defence and the armed forces community, and align their values with the Armed Forces Covenant.

As a Silver Award holder the Trust has undertaken the following commitments:

• signed the Armed Forces Covenant
• been awarded the ERS Bronze Award
• proactively demonstrate that service personnel/armed forces community are not unfairly disadvantaged as part of their recruiting and selection processes
• actively ensure that the workforce is aware of their positive policies towards defence people issues
• the Trust must have demonstrated support to mobilisations or have a framework in place for Reserves and must demonstrate support to training by providing at least 5 days’ additional unpaid/paid leave

Bronze Award

In February 2022 the Trust was awarded the Employer Recognition Scheme Bronze Award for supporting the Armed Forces community.

As a Bronze Award holder the Trust has undertaken the following commitments:

• Sign the Armed Forces Covenant
• Pledged to support the armed forces, including existing or prospective employees who are members of the community
• Promote being armed forces-friendly and are open to employing reservists, armed forces veterans (including the wounded, injured and sick), cadet instructors and military spouses/partners

Central Government

NHS Veterans Mental Health and Wellbeing Service

Op COURAGE: the Veterans Mental Health and Wellbeing Service

Op COURAGE is an NHS mental health specialist service designed to help serving personnel due to leave the military, reservists, armed forces veterans and their families.

• How Op COURAGE can help

South East Reserve Forces’ and Cadets’ Association (SERFCA)

Veterans Gateway

War Widows’ Association of Great Britain (WWA)