Supporting our Armed Forces Community
Dorset County Hospital signed the Armed Forces Covenant in 2016 and are accredited as a Veteran Aware organisation with the Veterans Covenant Healthcare alliance, (VCHA).
The Armed Forces Covenant
The Armed Forces Covenant is a promise that together we acknowledge and understand that those who serve or have served in the Armed Forces, and their families, including the bereaved, should be treated with fairness and respect in the communities, economy, and society they serve with their lives.
It is two principles are that, recognising the unique obligations of, and sacrifices made by, the Armed Forces:
- Those who serve in the Armed Forces, whether Regular or Reserve, those who have served in the past, and their families, should face no disadvantage compared to other citizens in the provision of public and commercial services.
- Special consideration is appropriate in some cases, especially for those who have given most such as the injured and the bereaved.
If you are a member of the UK Armed Forces (regular or reserve), a former member (a veteran), or a family member, including bereaved family members, the Covenant offers a wide variety of support to ensure you are treated fairly. More information is available on the Armed Forces Covenant website.
The Covenant Legal Duty
The Covenant Legal Duty is a legal obligation on certain public bodies (including local authorities, governing bodies of certain state schools, various NHS bodies, and other organisations) to have due regard to the principles of the Armed Forces Covenant when carrying out certain functions in healthcare, education and housing. It has been in force since November 2022.
More information about the Armed forces Covenant and our legal duties in health care is available on the Armed Forces Covenant website.
Veterans Covenant Healthcare Alliance
NHS Veteran Aware is an accreditation programme designed to support healthcare providers understand and meet the needs of the Armed Forces community.
Its purpose is to:
- improve understanding of the needs of and the services and initiatives available to the Armed Forces community to improve care underpinned by evidence and data; improving healthcare for the Armed Forces community while raising the standards for everyone accessing care within the NHS
- build trust and understanding amongst healthcare professionals
- engender support and action from key stakeholders and partners to support delivery of the commitments of the programme to improve the health and wellbeing of the Armed Forces community
- support the NHS to meet its statutory duties relating to the involvement of patients and the public and to ensure no disadvantage, or unwarranted variation, in accessing healthcare for the Armed Forces community, as per The Armed Forces Act, 2021.
You can find out more about the Veterans Covenant Health Care Alliance on the Veteran Aware website.
Support for you
Please let a member of staff know if you or your spouse/partner has ever served in the UK Armed Forces so that we can best support your care needs.
Recording you as veteran in your health care record will help to ensure you are able to access specific veteran’s health services, such as those for mental health and hearing loss.
It also means that where you have an illness, injury or medical condition that has been caused by your time in service you are not subject to any disadvantage from your service (compared to local people).
For more information on how we can support you at DCH please contact the Patient Experience Team:
Email: patientexperience@dchft.nhs.uk
Call: 0800 7838058
The Armed Forces Directory
The Office for Veteran Affairs directory provides a list of organisations which can offer support to the Armed Forces Community.
The directory can be found on the GOV.uk website.
You can also contact the veterans gateway and speak to an advisor to get support:
Phone 0808 802 1212 Monday to Sunday, 8am to 8pm.