Thursday 21 November 2024
The Veterans Covenant Healthcare Alliance (VCHA) is a group of NHS providers, that have agreed to be exemplars of the best possible healthcare for, and support to the Armed Forces Community.
Salisbury District Hospital is proud to have been one the first acute hospitals in the UK awarded the Veteran Aware accreditation which recognises the high standard to care provided. The hospital has also recently been successfully re-accredited. We work closely with partners like GP practices and community healthcare providers to identify veterans and their families to ensure appropriate consideration is given when planning and prioritising their treatment and care needs.
Introducing our Armed Forces Advocate
We’d like to introduce you to our Armed Forces Advocate and Veteran Neil Lewis, who is part of our Armed Forces Leadership team at Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust, working to ensure that our hospital is a friendly and welcoming place for staff, patients and visitors who belong to the Armed Forces Community.
Neil joined the British Army in 1995 as a military professional logistician, completing a 23.5 year career in the Royal Logistic Corps, which included seven operational tours and saw him working in countries including Bosnia, Croatia, Kosovo, Iraq, Afghanistan, Canada, Brunei and Cyprus.
In 2014 he was promoted to Warrant Officer Class One and posted locally to Tidworth for his final assignment, finishing his military service in 2018. Neil joined Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust in May 2021, working as a Transformation Portfolio & Programme Lead and also holds the position as Chair of our Armed Forces Network.
Together, we acknowledge and understand that those who service or have served in the Armed Forces Community, and their families, should be treated with fairness and respect in the hospital and within our communities.
If you are a patient at Salisbury District Hospital or in the community, or a member of your family is and you have served in the Armed Forces, please let a member of staff know. You should also inform your GP.
Our staff at Salisbury District Hospital have long been well regarded for the quality of care and treatment they provide for our patients and for their innovation, commitment and professionalism. This has been recognised in a wide range of achievements and it is reflected in our award of NHS Foundation Trust status. This is afforded to hospitals that provide the highest standards of care.
