Armed Forces Advocates are making a difference in acute hospital settings
Passion, adaptability and sheer determination shone through from our project representatives during our latest webinar: ‘The positive impact of Armed Forces advocates on veterans in acute hospital settings’.
We enjoyed 90 minutes of insightful, positive and sometimes poignant updates from projects across the UK that received funding through our Supporting Armed Forces in Acute Hospital Settings programme.
Developing the programme
We launched the programme as a joint pilot initiative with NHS England & NHS Improvement. It was designed to support a small number of pilot projects to identify better and innovative ways of supporting veterans and their families when they are in an acute hospital setting. A total of 17 grants were made.
Exploring the positive impact of the programme so far
During the webinar, we heard from the University of Chester, our evaluators, who shared some of the latest emerging data and trends from the programme, as well as their role in working with the Armed Forces Advocates (AFAs).
Professor Alan Finnegan, University of Chester, explained: “We’ve completed visits to the 17 grant holders, and we’re really taken by the positive support being offered. The hospital hierarchy we’ve met with – trustees, chief executives, clinical directors – are often veterans themselves, and there is undoubtedly a willingness to make this project work.”
The role of Armed Forces Advocates
We were honoured to be joined by four of our funded projects from across the UK.
Representing NHS Lothian, John McQuat from Defence Medical Welfare Service (DMWS) shared his experience of working with veterans who have dementia.
“There were a number of veterans with dementia and so we’re working with the dementia team – that is now quite a good partnership and a good pathway for referrals.
We also put together a memorabilia corner featuring old uniforms, photographs and various things. For the veterans, coming in contact with their military Service, it might just bring back that memory for them, which is really good, and improves wellbeing, which is great to see.”
He went on to share a poignant example of how the role of AFA can make a huge difference.
“One veteran, a 51-year-old with various, quite complex, needs. Sadly, one day we went, and he’d left a suicide note in his bed. We eventually found him and got him back to the ward. I spent hours just sitting, listening, getting to the root of the problem. PTSD was involved, but the ward staff never really knew how to approach that, or what maybe triggered it. This was an education element and they’re seeing the benefit in getting us involved in helping with that.”
Early identification vital
Representing Betsi Cadwalader Health Board in Wales, Zoe Roberts shared the progress they’ve made in identifying veterans on admission to hospital.
“The question is mandated at booking in: have you served in the Forces, or for the older generation, over 70, have you completed National Service?
That information is now logged on the system, and for those individuals who are admitted to the hospital setting, the question is asked again at ward level. We then place a poppy-sized magnet at the bedside to signify that individual’s part of the Armed Forces community. The nursing team is prompted to engage with the patient to understand what they might need, and prior to discharge, whether it’s an onward referral, or perhaps support in the community.”
Zoe shared that their biggest wins so far are collaborating with the voluntary sector organisations and local Armed Forces units; as well as coming together as a community to raise awareness of the Forces community and the disadvantages they may face.
Raising awareness internally
AFA for East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Trust, Tracy Pagent, talked about her work on raising awareness through internal comms including newsletters, Teams briefs and roadshows.
Tracy explains: “I’ve even delivered training in staff coffee rooms. A key benefit of that is obviously engagement with other staff members and giving them the opportunity, whilst in the clinical area, to observe me as the Armed Forces Advocate.”
One of the biggest challenges she has faced so far is the lack of electronic provision in relation to medical records. In her experience, the onus has been on the patient identifying themselves as part of the Forces community. So, Tracy began a ‘grassroots approach’, handing out flyers encouraging patients to come forward.
A different approach in NI
In Northern Ireland, all veteran matters are bound by the Belfast Agreement, whereby all Devolved matters require joint agreement from all the current political parties.
This has led to a different approach to providing the support needed. The Veterans Advice Line for Statutory Professionals (VASP) went live in June 2022 and has received 245 enquiries to date.
These enquiries range from mental health issues to pension queries to physical injury. 11% of calls have so far related to housing and homelessness – primarily homelessness.
Mark Ewing, Project Manager, shared information on his next steps for the project.
“I want to do further outreach work into prisons and with females, which are underrepresented with the Royal Air Force, and with one particular trust area.”
Collaboration is key
Chief Executive of the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust, Anna Wright, shared her thoughts on the updates heard during the webinar.
“There are some really important themes that have stood out for me. The adaptability of the Armed Forces Advocates – their commitment and sheer determination to make a difference is making this work. It’s absolutely come over in waves this morning.
I think collaboration and sharing knowledge is a really key theme, as is the importance of robust evaluation. This is a pilot programme, and it’s important that the NHS wanted to be in this pilot and contributed funding. If there are fantastic results from this programme, which we hope there will be, then we’ll be delighted to share this with the NHS for them to consider.”
Find out more
We’d like to thank everyone who joined us for our webinar. Couldn’t make it? Access our recording and get the full story.
You can also find out more about the Supporting Armed Forces in Acute Hospital Settings programme on our dedicated programme page.
We expect a final evaluation report for this programme in early 2024. In the meantime, look out for further updates on our website and social media.