February 6, 2023
Armed Forces Advocates are making a difference in acute hospital settings
Supporting Armed Forces in Acute Hospital Settings
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 supports a small number of pilot projects trying better ways of supporting veterans and their families when they are in a hospital setting.
Applications were open to hospitals that could show they had already worked with others to improve support for veterans who access their services. Almost £2 million was awarded to 17 projects across the UK – 12 NHS Trusts in England, two in Wales, two health boards in Scotland and one organisation in Northern Ireland – with hospitals creating a role of Armed Forces Advocate to provide additional support and coordinate services and organisations’ involvement.
From the pilot programme, it has emerged that the different projects around the UK focus on the needs specific to their regional areas, resulting in several different models being delivered.
During 2022/23, we held a well-received webinar focusing on the key progress made through the Acute Hospitals programme. The webinar provided an update on some of the latest emerging data and trends from the programme, as well an opportunity to hear from four of the funded projects. You can access the webinar recording on our website: www.covenantfund.org.uk
Programme news
A selection of case studies
The Somme Nursing Home
Funded through the Supporting Armed Forces in Acute Hospital Settings programme, The Somme Nursing Home were awarded £120,000 to establish an out-of-hours help and advice line for Veterans in NI.
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James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust focussed on supporting inpatients who are members of the Armed Service community, offering and sourcing additional support to those who need it on discharge.
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Supporting Veterans in a hospital setting
Funded through the Supporting Armed Forces in Acute Hospital Settings programme, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board established the North Wales Veteran Healthcare Collaborative to improve NHS care for the Armed Forces community across North Wales.
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