Supporting Veterans in a hospital setting
North Wales Veterans Healthcare Collaborative
Funded through the Supporting Armed Forces in Acute Hospital Settings programme, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB) established the North Wales Veteran Healthcare Collaborative (NWVHC) to improve NHS care for the Armed Forces community across North Wales.
Jointly funded by the Covenant Fund (through the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust) and NHS England and NHS Improvement, the Supporting Armed Forces in Acute Hospital Settings programme supported a small number of pilot projects trying better ways of supporting veterans and their families when they are in a hospital setting.
Since the appointment of their dedicated Armed Forces Advocate, Zoe Roberts in April 2022, the project has achieved a number of successes.
Getting the right information and support to those who need it
BCUHB has established a dedicated information hub for all staff members outlining available support for the Armed Forces community to ensure they are not disadvantaged in terms of access to healthcare. They have also communicated a wealth of information to the patient population of North Wales about accessing appropriate Veteran healthcare services.
The Poppy Programme
Ahead of Remembrance day, BCUHB implemented a new process to identify patients from the Armed Forces community on admission. The Poppy Programme ensures that all patients are asked whether they have served in HM Forces and their Armed Forces status is recorded on the hospital’s electronic Patient Administration System. Those Armed Forces community patients who are admitted into hospital will have a palm-sized poppy magnet placed at their bedside to ensure they receive appropriate onward referral to external Veteran support services before they are discharged.
Having started with a pilot on the Surgical Assessment Unit (SAU), the Poppy Programme is now set to be implemented across all acute admission areas within the health board.
Becoming ‘Veteran Aware’
The health board’s three acute hospitals: Wrexham Maelor, Ysbyty Glan Clwyd and Ysbyty Gwynedd, recently received accreditation as ‘Veteran Aware’ hospitals from the Veteran Covenant Healthcare Alliance (VCHA). This accreditation recognises that they are raising Veteran awareness, identifying Veterans being referred for treatment, and striving to improve the recruitment and retention of Veterans across the health board’s workforce.
Zoe Roberts, said: “I am delighted to be the VCHA pathfinder for Wales. Leading the health board through the VCHA accreditation process and achieving ‘Veteran Aware’ status for our hospitals, makes me so proud.
“Knowing that the work we are doing within BCUHB and across North Wales is positively impacting the lives of the AFC members makes me truly happy. Becoming Veteran Aware accredited will ensure that those who serve, or who have served within our Armed Forces, including their families, will feel appropriately supported and allow us as a health board, to offer some much-deserved recognition for their Service to our country.”
