Congratulations to York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust for becoming the latest NHS provider to be accredited as Veteran Aware.

Accreditation status is overseen by the Veterans Covenant Healthcare Alliance (VCHA), whose brief is to drive improvements in the quality of care delivered by the NHS to the Armed Forces community.

The Trust has received a letter from the VCHA’s patron, General Lord Dannatt and its national lead, Prof Tim Briggs CBE saying:

“It is our pleasure to congratulate York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS FT on your accreditation as a Veteran Aware Trust.

“We thank you for your hard work demonstrating the NHS’s commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant.

“This accreditation recognises your work identifying and sharing best practice across the NHS as an exemplar of the best standards of care to the Armed Forces community.

“Thank you for your work to date, and for your continuing support to drive these improvements across the NHS.”

Accreditation means that it has been able to demonstrate its commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant principles and commitments in helping to drive the best practice in the treatment of members of the Armed Forces community across England.

The covenant is a promise by the nation to make sure that those who serve or who have served in the armed forces, and their families, are treated fairly.

Polly McMeekin, Director of Workforce and Organisational Development, York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “In 2020 we signed the Armed Forces Covenant where we committed to supporting the Armed Forces community, ensuring that veterans’ healthcare is exemplary.

“A significant number of staff in our workforce are ex-Armed Forces and we value their skills and experience. In addition we are proud to have a number of staff who are Reservists, serving the country as well as their local community.”