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

South East Coast Ambulance Service 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

We 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;
• Display the Armed Forces Covenant and Employer Recognition Scheme logos on our website, and where appropriate on our recruitment and other promotional material
• Seek to support the employment of veterans young and old and working with the Career Transition Partnership (CTP), in order to establish a tailored employment pathway for Service Leavers
• Striving to support the employment of Service spouses and partners;
• Endeavour to offer a degree of flexibility in granting leave for Service spouses and partners before, during and after a partner’s deployment;
• Seek to support our employees who choose to be members of the Reserve forces, including by accommodating their training and deployment where possible;
• Offering support to our local cadet units, either in our local community or in local schools, where possible;
• Aim to actively participate in Armed Forces Day;
•  Actively participate in Armed Forces Day and Reserves Day and show our support on social media.
• Develop relationships with our local Armed Forces community so as to better identify and understand its needs and ascertain how we can provide services which its members value

You can view our signed covenant here