The Veterans Covenant Healthcare Alliance (VCHA) NHS Veteran Aware programme has been officially shortlisted for the Dame Elizabeth Anionwu Award for Inclusivity in Nursing and Midwifery at the Nursing Times Awards 2025, recognising its pioneering work to make healthcare more inclusive for the Armed Forces community. The VCHA is hosted by the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust.
The award recognises individuals who work with and care for diverse populations, communities and groups.
Instrumental in driving the hospice initiative element of VCHA is Helen Hurst, Projects Officer for the VCHA and a Queen’s Nurse. Helen, who hails from a proud Armed Forces family, brings a deep understanding of military culture and values to her role. Her entry, ‘Supporting NHS Veteran Aware Healthcare: Personalising holistic care for the Armed Forces community’, is a product of the hard work and dedication of the entire VCHA team. The initiative highlights the commitment to ensuring that Serving Personnel, Reservists, Veterans, and their families are recognised, supported, and treated with the dignity they deserve within all healthcare settings.
Helen’s clinical expertise as a Queen’s Nurse has been vital in shaping the NHS Veteran Aware programme, allowing her to apply compassionate, holistic nursing principles to the unique needs of the Armed Forces community. Her combined military insight and nursing experience have been central to supporting the programme’s mission of delivering culturally competent and equitable care nationwide.
The NHS Veteran Aware programme has achieved a major milestone: all NHS trusts in England are now accredited. Alongside this, a growing number of independent healthcare providers and hospices have also joined the movement, helping to deliver culturally competent, equitable care to the Armed Forces community.
At the core of this work is the integration of the simple yet powerful question, “Are you part of the Armed Forces community?” into patient assessments, enabling proper identification, coding, and access to tailored support pathways. Through the NHS Veteran Aware accreditation framework, healthcare organisations commit to eight standards including staff training, appointing veteran champions, and establishing links with military charities, thereby effectively turning awareness into meaningful action.
Helen Hurst said: “Being shortlisted is a real honour and reflects the importance of recognising veterans in all care settings. Every veteran deserves to be seen, heard, and supported with compassion. This work is about making sure no one from the Armed Forces community is left behind.”
The VCHA programme continues to expand its influence across the UK, reshaping how the NHS, independent healthcare providers and hospices deliver care to members of the Armed Forces community.
Professor Tim Briggs, VCHA Chair and National Lead, said: “This recognition reflects the growing impact of the Veterans Covenant Healthcare Alliance. Together, we are changing how healthcare sees and supports the Armed Forces community. It’s about delivering more inclusive, personalised care so that no member of the Armed Forces community is ever left unseen or unsupported.”
The Nursing Times Awards 2025 ceremony will take place in October 2025 in London, where finalists will be honoured for their work in driving excellence, inclusion, and compassion across UK healthcare.
To all finalists, congratulations!
