Staff were joined by Julie Spence OBE CStJ QPM, His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire, as well as other local organisations including veterans’ charities.
CUH has re-signed the Armed Forces Covenant as part of its commitment to service personnel, veterans and their families.
The Armed Forces Covenant is a promise by the nation to make sure that those who serve or have served in the Armed Forces and their families are treated fairly.
It says that veterans and serving personnel and their families should have the same access to services as the civilian community.
The trust has also been reaccredited as a Veteran Aware hospital by the Veterans Covenant Healthcare Alliance (VCHA), a national NHS team.
As part of being a Veteran Aware hospital, CUH identifies veterans and armed forces community patients to make sure they get appropriate care. Staff are trained and educated in the needs of veterans and the armed forces community. And the Trust has established links to local veteran and armed forces community services.
Maj (Retd) David Wood, VCHA regional lead, said: “CUH has a very strong and effective Veteran Aware programme that has been re-focused through its re-accreditation period and I’m delighted to have helped support them through it. It is clearly an exemplar trust in the region.”
CUH first signed the Armed Forces Covenant and achieved Veteran Aware hospital status in 2017.
Dr Mike More, Chair, CUH said: “CUH are proud to be reaccredited as a Veteran Aware hospital and reaffirm our support for the Armed Forces Covenant.
We value the contribution that those in the forces make to our country and are committed to doing everything we can to provide them with the best possible care.”
Chief Nurse, Lorraine Szeremeta, explained: “Armed Forces personnel and their families – past and present - can face health problems as a result of their service, or difficulties getting care because they move frequently, so it’s vital we make sure they are not disadvantaged.”
We also recognise the value military families bring to our organisation and employ a large number of veterans and reservists, across a range of roles within CUH. Renewing our commitment to the covenant is also a way of recognising the contributions they make to the trust.”
Find out more about CUH’s commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant and our support for military families on our website.
