Thrive Together Northeast & Yorkshire

Portfolio lead: Defence Medical Welfare Service (DWMS)

DMWS is proud to expand their commitment to Veterans and their families in the North East and Yorkshire through the Thrive Together Programme. Following their well-supported consultation in Summer 2024, they’ve built new connections with both statutory and third sector organisations. The insights gathered will shape efforts to enhance the health, well-being, and support systems for Veterans, their families, and carers in the region.

Thrive Together Northeast & Yorkshire Strategic Plan

DMWS’s Strategic Plan, developed through their comprehensive consultation, reflects the real needs of the community. The process engaged Veterans, their families, carers, and regional stakeholders from both statutory and third sectors. Key elements of the consultation included:

• In-person focus groups, gathering insights from Veterans, families, and partner organisations.
• Online forums including polls, encouraged broad participation from stakeholders in the VCSFE sector.
• Targeted outreach to specific groups including Veterans, carers, and families, as well as third sector and statutory sector partners.
• External expertise for objective analysis.

Additionally, we collaborated with public health analysts who reviewed regional data, such as Census 2021 and public health reports, helping us identify key areas for support.

Strategic Priorities and Future Plans

The strategy is structured around four key components to ensure effective implementation:

• Core Delivery: Led by DMWS, ensuring oversight and direction.
• Key Workstreams: Focusing on communication, integrating Veterans’ voices, and developing measurable outcomes.
• Parcels of Work: Tailored solutions, delivered in collaboration with funded and non-funded partners to maximise impact.
• Localised Innovations: Unique, community-driven solutions that address regional challenges.

Guiding Principles

This strategy is informed by insights gathered from consultations with Veterans, their families, and carers. To ensure their approach remains grounded in the needs of those they serve, they have established the following core guiding principles:

• Raising Awareness: Promoting available services and support through clear, accessible channels.
• Clear, Simple Communication: Ensuring that our messaging is straightforward and reaches Veterans and their families through multiple platforms.
• Ongoing Engagement and Feedback: Establishing mechanisms for continuous feedback from Veterans, carers, and stakeholders to refine and improve our support services.
• Supporting Key Individuals: Recognising and strengthening the roles of key individuals in Veterans’ lives, including family members, carers, and community partners.

Looking Ahead

Following their consultation, DMWS are now focusing on developing a portfolio of projects that will address the key gaps identified, such as:

• A lack of awareness of existing services.
• Addressing the complex and vulnerable needs of Veterans.
• Expanding services to better support families.

Through this programme, they aim to encourage help-seeking, reduce stigma, and improve knowledge of and access to services. The goal is to create sustainable support networks that will continue to benefit Veterans and their families long after the Thrive Together Programme concludes.

Get in touch

For more information, visit their website or email vpppv2ney@dmws.org.uk.