Making UHS the employer of choice for the armed forces community in our area
It was in September 2021 that University Hospital Southampton (UHS) signed the Armed Forces Covenant, the first tentative step on a journey of acknowledging that those who serve or who have served in the armed forces, and their families, should be treated with fairness and respect in our community. That coincided with the Trust gaining ‘Veteran Aware’ accreditation by joining the Veterans Covenant Healthcare Alliance. These first steps were led by Emma Squires, our head of patient and family support, and they formed the solid foundations that have led to the creation of an Armed Forces Network.
The network consists of UHS staff who are veterans, reservists, forces families and allies that are committed to revitalising and advancing the desire to become a national exemplar Armed Forces Partner NHS trust. We want UHS to be the employer of choice for the armed forces community in Southampton and the surrounding area.
22 May 2023 was an important and exciting day for the armed forces community within University Hospital Southampton, and that of our local population. Our chief people officer, Steve Harris, signed our pledge to champion the 'Step into Health' programme and value the contribution made by military service leavers and their families. Step into Health is a military / NHS Employers initiative that supports members of the armed forces community to connect to NHS organisations and set up training opportunities, clinical and general work placements, insight days and receive application support. The programme provides a dedicated pathway into a career in the NHS.
With support from the UHS recruitment team we will be actively seeking to employ members of the armed forces community.
Our first ‘insight day’ will take place later in the year, job placements are currently being scoped and members of the Armed Forces Network will take on mentor roles to support job applications.
It has been my experience that there are many similarities between the Army and the NHS. The environment is very different but somehow familiar. The challenges of working in the public sector are identical and the skills that I was taught during my time in the Army are extremely transferable. By being deliberate about our aspirations and setting ourselves ambitious targets, I am sure that we can significantly increase the number of veterans and reservists that we welcome into the Trust as valued members of staff and collectively we will see the benefits of their professional and personal skills gained during a military career. In January 24 the Trust will be applying for the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme Silver Award and we are confident that by 2025 UHS will achieve gold.