Showcasing our shared progress and impact in improving healthcare for the Armed Forces community
NHS VCHA Annual National Conference 2025
Theme: Raising The Bar Higher
Wednesday 17 September 10am - 4pm
Online
Welcome to the NHS VCHA Annual National Conference 2025, where we gather under the theme “Raising the Bar Higher.” This theme highlights the significant progress we’ve made in improving the quality of care for regular personnel, veterans, reservists, and their families.
Thanks to the dedication of my VCHA team and our healthcare colleagues across the NHS, we reached a significant milestone in May 2025. Every NHS trust in England has now joined the VCHA alliance, providing good evidence of not only understanding the needs of veterans but ensuring an enhanced care experience for the Armed Forces community. From innovative services to personalised care and support, we are committed to ensuring that those who have served our country, and their loved ones, receive the best care possible.
As we move forward, I want you to continue to push each other to do more, share our successes, and strive for even greater heights in the care we provide for this very special community. Together, we will continue to “raise the bar”.
Thank you for your continued dedication and support.
Prof Tim Briggs CBE
VCHA National Chair
Agenda
1000 – 1005
Welcome Address: Prof Tim Briggs CBE
1005 – 1010
Housekeeping: Lt Col (Retd) Guy Benson
1010 – 1020
Opening Address: General The Lord Dannatt GCB CBE MC DL
1020 – 1030
Spouse and family lived experience: Sarah Kirkby
1030 – 1040
Keynote Address: Minister Louise Sandher-Jones MP
1040 – 1100
NHS England Armed Forces Health Update: Kate Davies CBE
1100 – 1120
VCHA Update: Prof Tim Briggs CBE
1120 – 1150
Coffee Break
1150 – 1200
VCHA Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI): Major (Retd) David Wood
1200 – 1220
NHS National Armed Forces Healthcare Training and Education Programme: Lt Col (Retd) Guy Benson
1220 – 1235
Centre for Evidence for the Armed Forces Community: Dr Mary Keeling
1235 – 1250
Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust: Claire Rick
1250 – 1310
NHS England’s Armed Forces Patient and Public Voice Group: Nicky Murdoch MBE
1310 – 1345
Lunch Break
1345 – 1355
Female and mother veteran story: Lt Col (Retd) Ele Wilson
1355 – 1415
East London NHS Foundation Trust: Sharon Deans/Jane Kelly
1415 – 1430
Nuffield Health: Andrew Cowderoy
1430 – 1445
St Michaels Hospice (Hereford) Recorded Interview:
Matt Fellows / Hugo Goodbody / Helen Hurst (Moderator)
1445 – 1505
Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust: Kevin Garrod/Naz Ali
1505 – 1520
Military Veteran Journey: Josh Boggi
1520 – 1540
Panel Session: All Speakers
1540 – 1545
Closing address: Prof Tim Briggs CBE
Speakers
Kate Davies CBE
Kate is the Director of Health and Justice, Armed Forces, and Sexual Assault Services of NHS England.
Collaborative work with a range of partners, including the Ministry of Defence and Office for Veterans’ Affairs, as well as Armed Forces charities, has resulted in the launch of a suite of ‘Op’ services, spanning Op COURAGE: The Veterans Mental Health and Wellbeing Service, Op RESTORE: The Veterans Physical Health and Wellbeing Service, Op NOVA: Supporting Veterans in the Justice System, and Op NOVA: Armed Forces Community Support. She has also led the rollout of the Veteran Friendly GP accreditation programme, the launch of Healthcare for the Armed Forces community: a forward view, and the establishment of Armed Forces families support networks.
Kate’s strong leadership style and commitment to lived experience, co-production and addressing health inequalities, has led to her being awarded an OBE in 2009 for services for disadvantaged communities and a CBE in 2018, for her work to improve services for some of the most vulnerable groups. She is also an Honorary Doctor of Staffordshire University in recognition of her commitment to health and social equality.
Prof Tim Briggs CBE
Prof Tim Briggs is the National Director for Clinical Improvement and UEC/Recovery for NHS England, the National Chair for Getting It Right First Time and for the Veterans Covenant Healthcare Alliance, and an Honorary Colonel of 202 Midlands Multi-Role Medical Regiment.
He qualified from The Royal London Hospital in 1982 with honours in surgery and a number of prizes. After his senior registrar training he was appointed to the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital as Consultant in 1992. His specialist interests are in orthopaedic oncology as well as surgery to the hip and knee. He was Medical Director at the RNOH for 15 years, ensuring a re-build and was President of the British Orthopaedic Association in 2014.
He was appointed as National Director for Clinical Quality and Efficiency for the NHS in September 2015 and had been asked to lead and rollout his Getting It Right First Time methodology, developed in orthopaedics, across all surgical and medical specialties within the provider network.
Prof Briggs was made a Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2018 New Year’s Honours List for services to the surgical profession.
In January 2019, he was appointed as National Director for Clinical Improvement and UEC/Recovery for NHS England.
Nicky Murdoch MBE
Nicky is the Independent Chair for the Armed Forces Patient and Public Voice Group at NHS England.
Nicky enjoyed a 30-year career in the British Army where she served in a variety of appointments as diverse as specialist intelligence in Northern Ireland to military music. She was Chief Executive Officer at the St John and Red Cross Defence Medical Welfare Service for seven years which brought her in to contact with patients and their families from across the Armed Forces community as the charity delivered a support service to those in military hospitals in Germany and Cyprus and NHS Hospitals in the UK including the devolved administrations. This job was excellent preparation for chairing the NHS England Armed Forces Patient and Public Voice Group and representing the needs and challenges of the serving, reserves, veterans and their families to NHS England’s Armed Forces Healthcare Commissioning Team.
Nicky’s own lived experience came from when she was diagnosed with cancer in 2007, receiving NHS treatment for the physical and emotional impacts. Following this, Nicky was seconded to a youth education charity, SkillForce, where she designed, developed and delivered a recovery programme for wounded, injured and sick service personnel. This programme was the forerunner to the current Defence Recovery Capability. Nicky has lived experience of Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and depression and is a member of the LGBT+ community. Nicky is the daughter of an Army family.
She was a member of the Government’s Veteran’s Advisory Board for 3 years, a member of the Advisory Board to the Independent Review of LGBT Veterans and is a Trustee of the Veteran’s Foundation. She is a Chartered Manager and a Chartered Companion of the Chartered Management Institute and is a member of the “Our Dorset” Public Experience Group for the ICB.
Lt Col (Retd) Guy Benson
Guy is the National Team Leader of the Veterans Covenant Healthcare Alliance and NHS Armed Forces healthcare training and education programme.
He is a retired Soldier and Army Officer. His military career spans 40 years and has extensively travelled the world. He ended his regular army career as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Operations Directorate in the Ministry of Defence, London. He has deployed a number of times to Northern Ireland, Iraq and Afghanistan. He joined the Full Time Army Reserve (FTRS) in 2011 and was employed as the Army Head of Engagement in the North East, London and finally the South West.
In 2018, he left the UK Armed Forces, and was employed by Wiltshire Council as the Military Special Advisor to the Leader and Chief Executive of the Council. He joined the NHS in 2021 as the National Team Leader of the Veterans Covenant Healthcare Alliance. In early 2025 he took on the additional responsibility of leading the NHS National Armed Forces healthcare training and education programme for the NHS workforce.
Dr Mary Keeling
Dr Mary Keeling is a Chartered Psychologist and has worked in the field of military health research since 2010. She is Research Leader in Defence and Security at RAND Europe where her main role is as the Deputy Director of the Centre for Evidence for the Armed Forces Community, funded by FiMT. The Centre is run as a collaboration between RAND Europe and King’s College London (KCL).
Mary received her PhD. in Psychological Medicine, from KCL in 2014 for her research examining the romantic relationships of UK military personnel with a specific focus on the impact of deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. Since completing her PhD, and before joining RAND Europe, Mary held academic positions in the UK and USA. Mary continues to conduct research focused on understanding the psychosocial impact of serving on those who serve, have served, and their families.
Matt Fellows
Matt Fellows is Chief Executive of St Michael’s Hospice, based in a region with deep military roots where over 6% of adults are serving personnel or veterans. A medically retired Royal Artillery Officer, Matt brings personal experience and professional insight to veteran support.
His previous roles include Army Cadet and Cadet Forces Adult Volunteer, Cadet Executive Officer for Gloucestershire ACF, and subject matter expert on disability employment in the founding team of the Army Recovery Capability.
A published researcher on veterans’ employability, Matt is passionate about improving veteran transition and care. He now leads St Michael’s in its journey to becoming NHS Veteran Aware, ensuring hospice services fully recognise and respond to the needs of the Armed Forces community.
Hugo Goodbody
Hugo is a registered nurse at St. Michael’s Hospice, having been in nursing for a year and a half since graduating. Before qualifying, he worked as a healthcare assistant in mental health and learning disability settings for two years.
Prior to his career in healthcare, Hugo served in the Royal Marines for four and a half years, including time as a rifleman with 40 Commando and later as a clerk.
Although now working in a very different field, Hugo feels the insight and communication skills developed during his military service help him build stronger, more meaningful relationships with patients receiving palliative and end-of-life care.
Helen Hurst QN
Helen Hurst is a Registered General Nurse and Queen’s Nurse with over 36 years of experience in nursing. Qualifying in 1990 from West Middlesex University Hospital, Helen began her career in Cardiac and General Intensive Care before dedicating the past 20 years to General Practice Nursing. Her leadership journey includes completing the GPN Leadership Programme with NHS England, during which she was honoured with the Ted Fort Prize from the Charlie Waller Memorial Fund. This enabled her to implement an Emotional Health Check for military veterans at The Orchard Surgery, where she also served as Clinical Lead for the Veteran Friendly Practice programme.
In recognition of her commitment to high standards of patient care and continual improvement in nursing practice, Helen was awarded the title of Queen’s Nurse by the Queen’s Nursing Institute in 2020. Passionate about veteran care and advocacy, Helen actively supported the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) Veteran Friendly GP Accreditation scheme, using her own family’s military background as a foundation for her work. She is a Nursing Times Award finalist in the Dame Elizabeth Anionwu Award for Inclusivity in Nursing and Midwifery category 2025.
In January 2024, Helen joined the Veterans Covenant Healthcare Alliance (VCHA) as Project Officer for Independents, and Hospices. In this role, she is focused on expanding the reach of the VCHA accreditation to ensure inclusive, Armed Forces community-aware healthcare across a wider range of services.
Sharon Deans
Sharon is the Armed Forces Accreditation Lead at East London NHS Foundation Trust, bringing lived experience as an Army veteran’s wife and mother of five. Since joining ELFT in 2020, she has helped secure Veteran Aware accreditation and the Silver Defence Employer Recognition Award. With a background in youth and community work, Sharon champions the voices of Armed Forces families and works to strengthen support across services.
Claire Rick
Claire is Interim Director of Strategy at the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust, leading on policy, strategy, communications, research, and digital delivery. She began her career in journalism before moving into public sector communications, later leading campaigns for the Children’s Food Trust and public affairs at Assura plc. Claire has also worked in grant-making and impact at Cheshire Community Foundation and chaired a Manchester charity focused on theatre access.
Naz Ali
Naz Ali is an Anchor Project Manager at MSEFT within the Strategy Department, a position she has held since October 2023. In this role, she supports the delivery of the Anchor Programme, which aims to expand employment opportunities, remove barriers to education and work within health and care, and across its wider supply chain, while also addressing the climate emergency. Naz is passionate about the NHS’s role in fostering a culture of health and wellbeing and works closely with partners, stakeholders, and funders to ensure the programme achieves its goals and creates meaningful, lasting impact in communities.
Kevin Garrod
Kevin Garrod is a strategic leader with a strong background in public service innovation and cross-sector collaboration. As Head of the Anchor Programme and Local Value Lead at Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust, he leads initiatives that deliver social value through employment, sustainability, and community health.
With extensive experience in shaping policy and fostering impactful partnerships, Kevin is committed to embedding meaningful community engagement into service design and improving quality of life across the region.
Josh Boggi
Josh Boggi is the International Community Manager at the Invictus Games Foundation, where he supports the global Wounded, Injured and Sick (WIS) community through sports for recovery initiatives and by managing the We Are Invictus platform.
A former Royal Engineer, Josh was severely injured in Afghanistan in 2010, resulting in the loss of both legs and his right arm. In 2019, he survived a major cycling accident that led to further amputation, a shattered femur, and life-threatening sepsis.
Despite these challenges, Josh competed in the Invictus Games in 2014 and 2016. Today, he draws on his lived experience to connect, inspire, and empower WIS personnel and veterans worldwide.
Andrew Cowderoy
Andrew Cowderoy served in the Royal Air Force from 1990 to 2003 as a Weapons Engineer before retraining as an Airman Aircrew – Air Electronics Operator. He completed active service in both the Gulf (Iraq) and the Former Yugoslavia (Kosovo).
After leaving the RAF, Andrew retrained as a physiotherapist and has since held various roles in healthcare, progressing into management and operational leadership. He worked at Nuffield Health as Director of Operations and was the Armed Forces Lead at Parkside Hospital.
He is currently completing a doctorate focused on Transitional Depression in the British Army, combining lived experience with academic research to support the wellbeing of Armed Forces personnel.
Jane Kelly
Jane Kelly qualified as a psychiatric nurse in 1995 and has spent the majority of her career working in adult psychiatry, primarily within acute inpatient wards.
She currently works for East London Foundation Trust. After 12 years as Borough Lead Nurse for the City and Hackney, Jane moved into a corporate, trust-wide role leading on the implementation of recovery into practice. She has a strong passion for embedding recovery principles in mental health, with a particular focus on personalised care and a compassionate approach to service delivery.
Jane has extensive experience in establishing recovery-focused services, including recovery colleges, personal health budgets, and personalised care planning models and pathways. As a qualified Quality Improvement (QI) coach, she integrates QI methodology throughout her work to support meaningful and sustainable change.
Co-production is at the heart of Jane’s practice, ensuring that the voice of those with lived experience is central to the design, development, and delivery of training packages, service models, and improvement programmes.
In 2020, Jane was appointed Clinical Lead for the Armed Forces Community, a role she continues to hold alongside her position as Recovery Lead. Under her leadership, the Trust has successfully achieved both VCHA Accreditation and Gold ERS, driven by the Armed Forces Alliance – a co-produced group that applies QI methodology to implement change and measure progress.
In addition, Jane serves as Vice Chair and workplace representative for Unite the Union within the Trust, supporting staff engagement and advocacy.
Lt Col (Retd) Ele Wilson
Ele is a retired British Army officer (Royal Military Police) with a career spanning over two decades. She deployed operationally to Northern Ireland, Bosnia, and Iraq, and served non-operationally in Cyprus, Germany and the UK, gaining extensive experience in complex environments.
As Commanding Officer of a Royal Military Police Regiment, she led over 450 personnel across multiple locations, overseeing military police operations, investigations, and jurisdictional enforcement. She provided strategic advice to senior officers and enhanced professional development within the regiment.
Previously, she served as a Senior Staff Officer in Army Headquarters, driving capability development within the Military Police. She was also a Senior Instructor at the Land Warfare School, training junior officers in tactical awareness and military law.
Her operational roles included Deputy Commander of the Special Investigation Branch, leading serious incident investigations, and Policy Advisor with NATO Training Mission in Iraq, supporting the Iraqi Army Officer Academy. She was also Directing Staff at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, training future British Army leaders.
Since leaving the military, Ele set up her own company delivering workplace investigations and has led workplace investigations as Head of Investigation at CMP, managing a large team of investigators and ensuring the highest standards of fairness and integrity. She oversaw complex cases, quality assurance, and professional development programmes, maintaining CMP’s reputation for excellence in investigative services.
Ele holds a Bsc (Hons) in Environmental Science and joined the VCHA as the Regional Trainer for the South West of England in 2025. She resides in Wiltshire with her husband and two children.