Veterans Covenant Hospital Alliance (VCHA)
North Bristol NHS Trust is an accredited member of the Veterans Covenant Hospital Alliance.
VCHA members are committed to the twin underlying principles of the Armed Forces Covenant. The Armed Forces Covenant covers the whole UK armed forces community, including those in the Armed Forces, whether regular or reserve, those who have served in the past, and their families. The two underlying principles are:
- The Armed Forces community should not face 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.
Please let a member of staff know if you or your spouse/partner has ever served in the UK Armed Forces so that we can best support your care needs.
Recording you as a veteran in your health care record will help to ensure you are able to access specific veteran’s health services, such as those for mental health and hearing loss.
It also means that where you have an illness, injury or medical condition that has been caused by your time in service you are not subject to any disadvantage from your service (compared to local people).
Veterans and Families’ Directory of Services (VFDS)
The Veterans and Families Directory of Services (VFDS), also known as the Veteran Gateway helps you to locate services that are available in their area. These have been grouped into categories such as Education and Training, Employment, Finances, etc.