Dorothy House is an NHS Veteran Aware accredited organisation, and this article is being published to mark Armed Forces Week, highlighting its ongoing commitment to supporting members of the Armed Forces community, including veterans, reservists, serving personnel and their families. Through a range of dedicated initiatives, partnerships and compassionate care services, Dorothy House continues to ensure that those who serve or have served receive personalised, respectful and holistic support, particularly during the last 1,000 days of life.
Dorothy House has implemented a range of initiatives to support members of the Armed Forces community, including veterans, reservists, serving personnel and their families. Its commitment is demonstrated through signing the Armed Forces Covenant in 2019 and continuing to embed its principles across the organisation.
Dorothy House provides specialist palliative and end-of-life care for people in the last days of life, ensuring that patients and their families receive compassionate, holistic support during this important stage. This care is delivered through a range of services including an inpatient unit, community specialist palliative care teams, a hospice at home service, therapies, family support services and a 24-hour advice line.
To ensure members of the Armed Forces community receive appropriate care, a Veterans Aware Steering Group has been established, made up of clinical and non-clinical champions who promote awareness, support patients, and strengthen links with Armed Forces organisations.
Systems have been introduced to identify patients and families with military backgrounds during holistic assessments, enabling care to be tailored and ensuring connection with appropriate services and support networks.
Staff champions have undertaken specialist Armed Forces Champion training and regularly raise awareness across clinical teams about recognising military service and its potential impact on health, wellbeing and family dynamics.
Dorothy House has also developed strong links with organisations supporting the Armed Forces community, including SSAFA, local veterans’ breakfast clubs and community initiatives such as Battle Buddies. These partnerships allow patients and families to be signposted to additional support when needed.
In addition to patient care initiatives, Dorothy House supports the Armed Forces community through its employment practices by being a Forces Friendly employer, supporting reservists and service families in its workforce. It also hosts events such as Armed Forces Day celebrations and Remembrance services to recognise and honour service.
Inspiration behind the work
The organisation’s work supporting the Armed Forces community developed from recognising that a significant number of people in the region have military connections. In Wiltshire alone, around 15% of the population has links to the Armed Forces community, making it an important group within the communities served.
As a hospice providing specialist palliative and end-of-life care for people in the last days of life, Dorothy House recognised that veterans and their families may have unique needs at this stage. These can include physical conditions linked to service, complex emotional experiences, and cultural aspects of military life that influence how individuals approach illness, care and bereavement.
Signing the Armed Forces Covenant in 2019 marked an important step in formalising this commitment. From there, a structured approach was developed to ensure that those who serve or have served receive fair and appropriate access to the care they deserve.
Challenges and lessons learned
One of the early challenges was ensuring that staff consistently identified patients with military backgrounds. Many veterans do not readily disclose their service history, particularly when accessing palliative or end-of-life care, and staff were not always confident in asking the question during routine assessments.
To address this, clearer processes and training were developed to help staff understand why identification matters and how it supports personalised care in the last stages of life. Embedding this question into holistic assessments has significantly improved the ability to recognise and support Armed Forces patients and their families.
Another challenge has been building awareness across a large organisation and ensuring consistent engagement. Establishing dedicated champions across departments has helped address this by creating advocates who promote awareness within their teams.
A key lesson has been the value of partnership working, ensuring that hospice care is complemented by specialist support available through Armed Forces organisations and networks.
Impact on patients and families
These initiatives have enabled Dorothy House to provide more personalised and culturally sensitive palliative and end-of-life care for members of the Armed Forces community.
By identifying patients’ military backgrounds, the organisation can better understand their life experiences and incorporate these into care planning, emotional support and conversations around end-of-life preferences.
For example, during a bereavement support session, one attendee shared difficulty engaging with traditional remembrance activities due to a complex family relationship involving military service. Through partnership with SSAFA, the individual was referred to a specialist bereavement support group for dependants of military personnel, allowing them to explore their experiences in a supportive environment.
Patients have also been supported to reconnect with veteran communities through local breakfast clubs, sometimes with staff accompanying them to reduce anxiety. These small but meaningful steps can reduce isolation and provide a sense of belonging during the final stages of life.
Benefits for staff and volunteers
Staff and volunteers have benefited from increased awareness and understanding of the Armed Forces community. Training and awareness sessions have helped teams recognise the potential impact of military service on health, wellbeing and family dynamics.
This has strengthened the delivery of holistic hospice care, enabling teams to better support patients in the last 1,000 days of life and recognise the importance of identity, service history and personal experiences when planning care.
Armed Forces Champion roles have also created opportunities for staff to engage in leadership, community outreach and partnership development, strengthening their connection to the communities served.
What Veteran Aware accreditation means
Veteran Aware accreditation recognises organisations that demonstrate a strong commitment to understanding and meeting the needs of the Armed Forces community.
For Dorothy House, this accreditation reflects its dedication to ensuring that veterans and their families receive compassionate and personalised palliative and end-of-life care during the last days of life.
It acknowledges the systems implemented to identify Armed Forces patients, the training provided to staff, and the partnerships developed with military support organisations.
Most importantly, it demonstrates a commitment to honouring the service of those who have served by ensuring they receive care with dignity, respect and understanding.
Progress since accreditation
Since achieving Veteran Aware accreditation, there has been increased awareness among staff about the importance of identifying and supporting members of the Armed Forces community within hospice and end-of-life care.
Improved data collection processes now allow a better understanding of how many patients and families supported have military connections. In 2025 alone, Dorothy House supported 178 patients with links to the Armed Forces community, including veterans, serving personnel and family members.
The accreditation has also strengthened community engagement and encouraged further collaboration with organisations that support veterans and their families.
Working in partnership
Partnership working plays an important role in supporting Armed Forces patients and families receiving palliative and end-of-life care.
Dorothy House works closely with organisations such as SSAFA, which provides practical, emotional and financial support to service personnel and veterans, and Battle Buddies, a Wiltshire-based initiative connecting serving or former military personnel with veterans living in care homes.
Engagement with local veterans’ breakfast clubs and Armed Forces networks also helps patients maintain social connections and access additional community support.
These partnerships ensure that hospice care is complemented by specialist support that understands the unique experiences of military life.
Looking ahead
Dorothy House is committed to continuing to develop its support for the Armed Forces community.
Future plans include hosting a larger Armed Forces Garden Party in June 2026, strengthening engagement with veterans and military families while celebrating the hospice’s 50th anniversary.
The organisation is also developing a SharePoint information hub to provide staff with easy access to information about organisations that support the Armed Forces community.
Further initiatives include expanding volunteer training to include awareness of veterans’ needs, strengthening community partnerships, and encouraging veterans to obtain Veteran Cards to more easily access services and support.
A message to the Armed Forces community
Dorothy House wants members of the Armed Forces community to know that their service is recognised, valued and respected.
Whether currently serving, a veteran, a reservist or a family member, individuals can access compassionate palliative and end-of-life care, emotional and bereavement support, and connections to organisations that understand military life.
The organisation aims to ensure that every individual and family receives care with dignity, respect and understanding, while also connecting them to communities that recognise the unique experiences of military life.
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To access information on support available to the Armed Forces community, click here.
If you have a story to share or any story suggestions, we’d love to hear from you – submit yours and be part of this growing collection of voices celebrating the Armed Forces community. Email us at rnoh.vcha@nhs.net.
