James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Funded through the Supporting Armed Forces in Acute Hospital Settings programme, James Paget University Hospitals (JPUH) NHS Foundation Trust recruited Chris Blyth as their dedicated Armed Forces Advocate. Their project focus was to support inpatients who are members of the Armed Service community, offering and sourcing additional support to those who need it on discharge. However, during development, they soon found the service could offer a lot more.
JPUH now identifies Veterans as part of the inpatient booking in process to ensure they receive appropriate care. Admission reports are generated daily and shared with the Armed Forces Advocate. In addition, posters encouraging patients to self-identify are displayed around the hospital and every ward has a copy of the Armed Forces Advocate’s contact details.
Providing the right support
More than 225 Armed Forces community patients have been identified so far and over 60 referrals have been made for further support to 20 different support organisations. More than 20 patients and family have been supported by Armed Forces Advocate, including follow up appointments after discharge.
The support the project offers has been wide ranging, from hosting coffee mornings to combat loneliness, to securing emergency funding on patients’ behalf and helping with housing problems. The project has reached out beyond the hospital patients into Armed Forces communities, with the hospital as the centre point.
JPUH have developed a website which forms a ‘one stop shop’ providing information about the support available. They hand out information and welfare packs and have trained over 750 staff members in supporting the Armed Forces community.
The programme has highlighted that support for Veterans in a hospital setting is much needed. The assumption is that people know where to go to access services, often this isn’t the case. A lot of support organisations now operate online only, many Veterans are elderly and struggle to access online only services.
Combatting loneliness
Isolation is one of the biggest issues they have identified. Many Veterans feel isolated and want opportunities to talk to like-minded people. The Armed Forces Advocate hosts regular coffee mornings at the hospital which help bring people together and combat loneliness. They also signpost to other local organisations who run befriending programmes.
The Armed Forces Advocate has developed good links with partner organisations and is able to signpost patients to the most useful services available to them, often advocating on the patients’ behalf and ensuring they receive the support they need quickly.
Chris is a member of all Royal British Legion branches in their area and has a direct line of contact with all their welfare officers. He can put patients in touch with the relevant welfare officer who can then provide much needed support. Chris also works closely with Walking With The Wounded, Red Cross and many local/ community support organisations.