Sussex Partnership Foundation Trust is an avid supporter of the Armed Forces. We aim to do everything we can to make sure that we can support the Armed Forces community, both in their mental health in addition to opportunities to work with us and ensure that we deliver the best care possible.
Firstly, Sussex Partnership is an active member of the Step into Health programme, which offers members of the armed forces community a path into a new career with the NHS. Step into Heath aims to use the transferable skills they have learned from serving into the trust, while also raising awareness of the barriers to employment that members of the armed forces community may face. Careers with Sussex Partnership are not limited to frontline roles. We also hire in the background work including; administration, finance, estates and facilities, digital, communications and management. While working at SPFT you are not required to be a former serving member, as we hire members of the armed forces to work flexibly between deployment.
While members of the armed forces are working with us we want to make sure they are cared for. That's why we are a founding sliver award member of the Sussex Armed Forces Network. The Armed Forces Network started in Sussex in 2011 and is a multi-organisational group that includes members from the charities and organisations from across Sussex including but not limed to NHS, Armed Forces Reservists, Mental and Physical Health Clinicians, the Royal British Legion.
In addition to this, Sussex Partnership is one of the first mental health trusts in the country to receive Veteran Aware accreditation from the Veterans Covenant Healthcare Alliance. The Veteran Aware mark highlights NHS trusts that have made a series of pledges, such as ensuring members of the armed forces community are never disadvantaged when receiving care, training staff on veteran-specific needs, and supporting the armed forces as an employer. We want to give the best care to everyone who walks through our doors regardless of background.
At the moment we have more than 70 Armed Forces Champions working across the Trust; who have been trained to support veterans and families, as well as offering advice to colleagues who are supporting veterans.