As the year draws to a close it seems fitting to take a moment to reflect on the achievements of the last year. In 2024 we accredited 33 NHS trusts and an additional 13 independent healthcare providers (including hospices). There are now only three NHS trusts left to accredit who are all working hard and on track to accredit by March 2025.
Many congratulations this month goes to the following organisations who have received Veteran Aware accreditation this month:
- Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- St John’s Hospice
Earlier this year we launched our new set of resources as part of the rehabilitation project, including a best practice model, an in-service training video, staff and patient guides, and posters. These can all be accessed on our website where you can also find details of how to nominate a therapies champion for your organisation (there are now 25 nominated therapies champions in NHS trusts) and how to get involved with our data collection project.
September was a busy month for the team as we supported NHS England to sign the Armed Forces Covenant, underlining the commitments made by NHS organisations across England. We also ran our most successful conference to date with approximately 300 attendees hearing from speakers across the NHS and third sector. In particular, our speakers with lived experience were very well received and a special thanks goes to Nicky, Emily, Ash and Greg for sharing their experiences so openly. You can re-watch presentations from the conference on our YouTube channel.
This year we began an evaluation of the programme and of Veteran Aware accreditation. Whilst initial findings are somewhat unsurprising, they enable us to concentrate our efforts in the ways which we support the organisations we work with, in an evidence based way and strengthen our governance framework. We also refreshed a number of our resources, including posters and our website, and introduced QR code tags for staff to attach to lanyards.
Looking forward to 2025
In addition to continuing to work with and accredit independent healthcare providers, the focus shifts towards continuous improvement across the NHS. This will include the development of training for the NHS workforce; training will support improved awareness and personalisation of healthcare for the Armed Forces community. Furthermore, we will be asking for support from NHS trusts as we begin to collect data on outcomes for the Armed Forces community; data collected will be used to support improvement in access to and delivery of care for the Armed Forces community by enabling trusts to implement and share best practice.
From the VCHA team, thank you for your unending efforts in support of the programme and in your care for the Armed Forces community. Lastly, thank you to everyone working over the festive period, we hope you have an opportunity to have some rest and recharge ahead of 2025.
