Hospital announces ‘Veteran Aware’ Accreditation ahead of Armed Forces Day

Practice Plus Group Surgical Centre, St Mary’s, Portsmouth, has been recognised by the Veterans Covenant Healthcare Alliance (VCHA) for its commitment to delivering safe, informed and personalised care to veterans, serving personnel, and their families. Its neighbouring hospital in Southampton has also been recognised, culminating efforts from staff across the two sites to support Veterans and their families in Hampshire.

Led by two former Royal Navy healthcare professionals - Natalie Gray in Portsmouth and Natalie Rickaby in Southampton - the sites have worked hard to build inclusive, veteran-aware environments that go beyond the accreditation standard.

At the heart of the initiative is a network of Service Champions - staff members from a range of backgrounds, not just veterans, who have undertaken free national training to better understand and support the Armed Forces community. The training is open to anyone connected to or interested in helping veterans, serving personnel, and their families, and has been described by staff as “eye-opening” and “emotional but empowering.” Champions receive a badge and lanyard to make themselves easily identifiable to patients and colleagues who may need support or signposting.

“We’ve been overwhelmed by staff interest,” said Natalie Rickaby. “Every department wants to be involved. Some of our champions have no prior connection to the Forces - they just want to understand and help. That’s what makes this so special.”

Natalie Gray adds: “It’s about building appreciation and understanding. Veterans bring another perspective to the roles from previous lived experiences. This programme helps our wider workforce understand where we’re coming from, what we’ve been through, and why we may respond the way we do. That awareness makes a huge difference.”

Recent stories from patients include a young Royal Navy serviceman fast-tracked for surgery to enable overseas deployment, and a lonely veteran who found support through a simple conversation with a trained Service Champion. Posters, veteran-awareness prompts and alerts in clinical systems now help identify Armed Forces patients early, opening up quicker access to national services like Op COURAGE (mental health) and Op RESTORE (physical rehabilitation).

The teams are also building strong ties with local and national Armed Forces organisations. From Royal British Legion partnershipsto citizens advice outreachand upcomingbusiness networking events during Armed Forces Week, Practice Plus Group is embedding a support system that extends beyond hospital walls.

“This is just the beginning,” said Natalie Gray. “We’re working on Armed Forces-friendly work placements, developing pathways for those leaving service, and promoting the healthcare career opportunities we offer. We want veterans and serving families to know: you are welcome here, and we get it.”

This week the teams celebrated their accreditation with dedicated Armed Forces Week events, including networking, bunting, and bake sales.

VCHA is a clinically-led improvement programme delivered in partnership with the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust and NHS Improvement. Tony Armstrong from the VCHA has supported us on our VA journey from the start, beginning with Practice Plus Group Hospital, Plymouth, who announced their Veteran Aware recognition in June 2023.

Tony said: “The Veterans Covenant Healthcare Alliance (VCHA) is part of the Armed Forces Team but its scope was widened in recent years to include independent organisations such as Practice Plus Group. It is a pleasure to work with such dedicated teams and to see such an enthusiastic response from every site. I look forward to supporting other sites achieve their accreditation.”

Samantha Doubleday, Hospital Director at the new Practice Plus Group Hospital, Birmingham, is driving Secondary Care’s VA programme forward having undertaken a 16-year career in the Royal Air Force as a Nursing Officer.

Samantha said: “I’m incredibly proud of the work taking place across our hospitals to achieve Veteran Aware accreditation. It’s fantastic to see how passionately our teams in Portsmouth and Southampton have embraced this work, and how it’s already making a meaningful impact on patient experience. We’re now building on this momentum, sharing best practice and embedding veteran-aware care across all our hospitals and surgical centres .”

Practice Plus Group Hospital, Southampton treats private and NHS patients and has shorter than average waiting times for a range of conditions including hip and knee surgery, hernia, cataracts, endoscopy, urology and colorectal surgery.

Patients who choose to go private with Wellsoon from Practice Plus Group can access surgery in as few as 4-6 weeks of seeing a consultant. NHS patients can also ask their GP for a referral to the hospital. Visit www.practiceplusgroup.com for more information.

Practice Plus Group Hospital, St Mary’s, Portsmouth - which celebrates its 20th Anniversary this year - offers a comprehensive range of treatments for both NHS and private patients who choose to be treated with its Wellsoon private healthcare service including endoscopy tests, eye surgery, urology, orthopaedics such as foot and ankle or hand and wrist surgery, colorectal and general surgery including hernias. Current waiting times are just two weeks for cataract surgery, two weeks for general surgery, four weeks for endoscopy, and eight to nine weeks for orthopaedic surgery and urology surgery. It also offers patients access to urgent and emergency (minor injuries and minor illness) care in its modern, purpose-built Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC).

The centre has significantly lower waiting times for NHS surgery than other healthcare providers in the area. Many NHS patients in England don’t realise that they have a right to choose which healthcare facility they are treated at under NHS ‘patient choice’ – even if it’s not their nearest hospital.

For more information about services or referrals, visit: www.practiceplusgroup.com