Armed Forces Support Service
Our Armed Forces Support Service aims to provide support to patients who have served and ensure that our hospital is a friendly and welcoming place for staff, patient and visitor veterans and serving personnel.
Kath Hutton (pictured above left) is our Armed Forces Support Officer, and she has a background of 21 years in the Royal Navy and 10 years in the veteran’s welfare sector.
We have a number of Armed Forces Champions across the Trust - many of them who have also served in our Armed Forces.
The Trust will identify veterans or serving personnel that come into the hospital who can then be referred to Kath by staff for additional support. She can engage with local communities, support organisations and military and other charities. Our focus is to find those that need support in our community and to empower them to access the help that they need.
Kath will be running a number of social engagement groups and working closely with military charities and organisations, both local and national, that can help in a range of different areas.
The Trust is accredited by Veterans Aware, holds the Gold Award from the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme and is signed up to Step into Health, which supports veterans to work in the NHS.
Anyone who has served can identify themselves as a veteran and/ or ask to be contacted by our Armed Forces support service.
A veteran is anyone that has served at least one day in the armed forces both regular and reservist.
You can help staff by identifying yourself as a veteran when you book in or are admitted.
As a veteran you may be entitled to priority treatment if your medical condition is related to your time in service. If you wish to speak to the Armed Forces Support Officer about additional support then please let a member of staff know.
You can contact Kath directly by emailing veterans@jpaget.nhs.uk
Find out more about local meetings, support groups and events for veterans by clicking the button below.
