Tavistock and Portman receives award and nomination for work supporting Armed Forces community
The Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust has been nominated for the Public Service Award for the 2024 Celebrating Forces Families awards.
The award celebrates public service employers who actively support the employment or training of families of those who serve or have served within the Armed Forces. Finalists will be announced at the end of January.
This nomination comes a few months after the Tavistock and Portman received the Bronze Award from the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme, for its work supporting those who serve or have served in the Armed Forces, and their families. The scheme, which is run by the Ministry of Defence, comprises bronze, silver and gold awards, and the Trust is now actively working towards the Silver Award.
The Trust is accredited Veteran Aware, after it signed the Armed Forces Covenant last March, in a promise to provide the best standards of care for the Armed Forces community.
It also runs the NCL Waiting Room website, which features a dedicated section for the Armed Forces community to access specific care for children, young people and families of the Armed Forces community.
Dr Rachel James, Clinical Services Director at the Trust said:
“We’re delighted to be recognised twice in two months for our work supporting the armed forces community. We’d like to thank Anna-Marie Tipping and the Veterans Covenant Healthcare Alliance for supporting us in this work from the very start.
“We have been working consistently with our partners to make sure our services provide the best possible support those in the Armed Forces community, whether they’ve served, are serving, or are related to someone who has. In addition to our clinical services, our Trust has the unique potential to support the armed forces community in training and development opportunities through our Directorate of Education and Training. We are working very hard to ensure veterans are aware and have access to the care and support they need.”
There are about 2.4 million veterans living in the UK, but many find it difficult to speak about their mental health.
The Trust works closely with the Op COURAGE service which provides dedicated mental health services for veterans.