We are proud to announce we have received the Veterans Aware accreditation from the well-respected Veterans Covenant Healthcare Alliance (VCHA). The VHCA work with NHS providers and commissioners and the independent healthcare sector, including hospices, care homes, and residential homes to improve care for the armed forces community through the awarding of Veterans Aware accreditation.
On Thursday 13th July, we were joined by Tony from the VCHA, along with President Air Commodore (Retired) Stu Stirrat, who presented us with the Veterans Aware Accreditation. We were also joined by Karen O'Hara-Styles MBE and Eve, a local 103-year-old and huge supporter of the Hospice, having raised money for each birthday since turning 100! It was an honour to host these incredible guests in our garden and celebrate being awarded the accreditation!
In gaining the Veteran Aware accreditation, one of the main things we have implemented is tick boxes and questions on new job applications, volunteer applications and also with new patients accessing our services. This means that our staff will have a better understanding of who we care for when they have a history of serving in the armed forces. This will then better personalise their care and allow us to signpost to other services that are available to patients and staff alike.
Nikki Scholey, Community Engagement Lead, was one of the leaders of the project and is excited to implement the new scheme to patients and staff, “Working with the VHCA has been a wonderful experience and we have all learned so much through our training days with them. Many of us in Overgate now call ourselves Veterans Aware Champions and I look forward to understanding our patients and staff better through this process. We are constantly striving to be a more open, inclusive, and understanding organisation, and achieving the Veterans Aware Accreditation is another amazing step towards this!”.
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