The Armed Forces Covenant

The first duty of Government is the defence of the realm. Our Armed Forces fulfil that responsibility on behalf of the Government, sacrificing some civilian freedoms, facing danger and, sometimes, suffering serious injury or death as a result of their duty. Families also play a vital role in supporting the operational effectiveness of our Armed Forces.

In return, the whole nation has a moral obligation to the members of the Naval Service, the Army and the Royal Air Force, together with their families. They deserve our respect and support, and fair treatment.

Those who serve in the Armed Forces, whether Regular or Reserve, those who have served in the past, and their families, should face no disadvantage compared to other citizens in the provision of public and commercial services. Special consideration is appropriate in some cases, especially for those who have given most such as the injured and the bereaved.

This obligation involves the whole of society: it includes voluntary and charitable bodies, private organisations, and the actions of individuals in supporting the Armed Forces. Recognising those who have performed military duty unites the country and demonstrates the value of their contribution. This has no greater expression than in upholding this Covenant.

Section 1: Principles Of The Armed Forces Covenant

Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust will endeavour in our business dealings to uphold the key principles of the Armed Forces Covenant, which are:

• no member of the Armed Forces Community should face disadvantage in the provision of public and commercial services compared to any other citizen;
• in some circumstances special treatment may be appropriate especially for the injured or bereaved.

Section 2: Demonstrating our Commitment

Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust recognises the value serving personnel, reservists, veterans and military families bring to our business. We will seek to uphold the principles of the Armed Forces Covenant, by:

• promoting the fact that we are an armed forces-friendly organisation;
• via NHS Employers, working in partnership with the Career Transition Partnership (CTP) to support the employment of veterans young and old;
• endeavouring to offer a degree of flexibility in granting leave for Service spouses and partners before, during and after a partner's deployment;
• seeking to support our employees who choose to be members of the Reserve forces, including by accommodating their training and deployment where possible;
• supporting those members of staff who would like to participate in Armed Forces Day; by offering flexibility on shift rotas and flexibility of annual leave, if arranged in advance (8 weeks' notice).

Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust will publicise these commitments through our website setting out how we will seek to honour them, and inviting feedback from the Service community and our customers on how we are doing.

Email: feedback@ouh.nhs.uk

Veterans' mental health support

Mental illness is common and can affect anyone, including serving and ex-members of the Armed Forces and their families.

While some people cope with support from their family and friends, or by getting help with other issues in their lives, others need clinical care and treatment, which could be from the NHS, support groups or charities.

The leaflet at the link below provides information on how to obtain support:

NHS mental health care for veterans - assets.nhs.uk (pdf)