Severn Hospice believes in treating everyone with dignity, respect, and compassion and, as part of this, has now signed the Armed Forces covenant.

The signing took place at the Telford Holiday Inn on November 29 and was attended by senior members of the Armed Forces.

The covenant was signed by Becky Richardson, our director of care and Colonel Clare Dutton MBE for the Ministry of Defence.

Commitment

Signing the covenant shows Severn Hospice’s commitment to ensure that those who served or who have served in the armed forces and their families will be treated fairly, whether they are an employee or someone who is accessing our care.

Becky said: “We are extremely proud to have signed the Armed Forces Covenant.

“As a hospice we are determined to ensure our services are inclusive and accessible to all our communities, and this means not only for our patients but our staff too.

Enhanced

“Every contact we make with our community matters to us and we want to be sure that our services and the care we give is enhanced through the pledge we have made to the Armed Forces community. By forging these links, we can be inclusive to everyone who wishes to access our care, or who is employed by us.

A veteran is described by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) as anyone who has served for a day in HM Forces.

There are approximately two million veterans in the UK.

The Census 2021 shows there are 14,800 people residents in Shropshire aged 16 and over who had previously served in the UK Armed Forces and in Telford & Wrekin the number was 7,000.

Support

Over half of veterans (52%) have a long-term illness or disability, but many face different health challenges to the general population and may be reluctant to ask for help especially if they think they may not be understood. Severn Hospice recognises the need to support staff to ask patients or members of their immediate family if they have served in the armed forces so they can be signposted to specific services and support if needed.

The Armed Forces Covenant sets out the relationship between the nation, the government, and the Armed Forces. It recognises that the whole nation has a moral obligation to members of the Armed Forces and their families, and it establishes how they should expect to be treated.

Specialist

This year, Severn Hospice created a specialist role to forge links with under-represented groups in Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin and Mid Wales.

Deb Wallace, who took on the role of community engagement lead said: “As part of my role, I have reached out to local communities to investigate and understand any barriers associated with low engagement with hospice care and co-develop strategies to overcome these barriers with local partners.

“I would like to thank Sarah Kerr, Shropshire Armed Forces’ Outreach Support Coordinator and Phil Sinclair, Regional Employer Engagement Director for their support and help in enabling us to sign the covenant. Michelle Muir, deputy chief exec and the team at St Catherine’s Hospice in North Yorkshire also helped us start our journey and shared their learning, expertise and best practice with us.

Huge step

“Signing the Armed Forces covenant is a huge step forwards for us to illustrate how our care is inclusive to all sectors of our local community. We care without prejudice or judgment and by working with under-represented groups and by signing the Armed Forces covenant this shows our commitment to this principle.”