AFC0058

Written evidence submitted by NHS Employers.

About us

NHS Employers is hosted by the NHS Confederation and supports NHS organisations in England to develop a sustainable workforce, improve staff experience and be the best employers they can be.

1. NHS Employers works in partnership with NHS England, Walking with the Wounded and The Royal Foundation to support NHS organisations in England and Wales to diversity their workforce and offer guidance on how to be more inclusive recruiters for the Armed Forces community as part of the Step into Health programme. The programme connects candidates from across the Armed Forces community with employers and new opportunities in the NHS.[1]

2. The programme encourages employer organisations to take the Step into Health pledge – making a public commitment to support the recruitment of members of the Armed Forces community into the NHS. The give pledges are:

1)      Reviewing recruitment practices and removing any barriers to recruiting members of the Armed Forces community.

2)      Sharing dedicated Step into Health contact details.

3)      Building a relationship with the Career Transition Partnership (CTP).

4)      Using the Step into Health branding to promote consistent messages about the programme.

5)      Using the Step into Health candidate system to record interactions with potential candidates and to refer between NHS organisations as required.[2]

3. NHS Employers also provides a range of supporting resources to employers who have taken the Step into Health pledge, to support them to uphold it. [3]

4. This includes producing a toolkit on employing Armed Forces reservists, which launched in March 2024,[4] and running an annual virtual conference to recognise and showcase NHS organisations who are striving to support Armed Forces Reservists and the wider Armed Forces community within the health and care workforce.[5] 

5. NHS Employers also encourages employing organisations across the NHS to sign the Armed Forces Covenant. 

In what areas is the Armed Forces Covenant working well?

6. As of December 2024, NHS Employers’ records show that 100% of NHS trusts in England (211 out of 211) and 38% (16 out of 42) of Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) have signed the Armed Forces Covenant.

7. The discrepancy between the proportion of trusts and ICBs being signed up can be accounted for by the relative infancy of ICBs, which have only existed as statutory bodies since July 2022.

8. 99.5% of NHS trusts in England (210 out of 211) have been awarded an Employer Recognition Scheme Award, with 49 receiving bronze, 68 receiving silver, and 93 receiving gold. 

9. 33% of ICBs in England (14 out of 42) have also been awarded an Employer Recognition Scheme Award, with 7 receiving bronze, 4 receiving silver, and 3 receiving gold. 

10. 85% of NHS trusts in England (179 out of 211) have implemented a specific policy that allows reservists additional time off for training to reflect their commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant.

11. NHS organisations tell us that the Armed Forces Covenant is easy to understand and access, and that they value the opportunity as employers to create consistency in support for Armed Forces personnel, Reservists, Veterans and their family members working in the NHS.

12. In particular, employing organisations in the NHS value the public nature of signing the Armed Forces Covenant which they believe helps to improve recruitment and retention of the Armed Forced community through the foundation of Armed Forces Staff Networks, special leave policies for Armed Forces Reservists and other initiatives.

13. United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust (ULHT) recognised that they needed to do more to integrate members of the Armed Forces community into their workforce. ULHT sought to increase awareness among its broader workforce of the challenges and unique perspectives faced by military personnel. The aim was to ensure that Armed Forces staff were not only supported through policy but also through an inclusive culture that recognised their contributions across the whole workforce. ULHT developed stronger ties to local military units and expanded support services for military-connected staff and patients. The trust also plans to increase the availability of Armed Forces champion training, allowing more staff to become advocates for their military colleagues and patients.[6]

14. Employers in the NHS also report that signing the Armed Forces Covenant has improved patient care.

15. For example, at East Lancashire Hospitals NHS trust, research uncovered that approximately five per cent or 35,000 of the patients that the trust sees each year are Veterans, it became evident that this group were not well supported. After appointing an Armed Forces Veterans senior lead, a plan was presented to the trust’s executives to develop dedicated services for the Armed Forces community. This led to securing funding from the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust to appoint an armed forces veteran advocate in April 2022, expanding the armed forces team to better support the Armed Forces community as staff members and patients. They have also collaborated with local veteran groups and charities to assist over 4,000 military-connected patients. This including offering services such as mental health support, financial guidance, and securing housing for homeless veterans.[7]

16. In Sandbach in Cheshire, Ashfields GP practice undertook an outreach campaign targeting every over-16 in the local area to ask if they had served in the Armed Forces. This initiative generated over 500 responses, enabling the practice to identify and support Reservists and Veterans. Ashfields also began attending events like Armed Forces Day and Sandbach Pride to foster connections. The practice then introduced a drop-in service, enabling members of the Armed Forces community to access immediate guidance and support tailored to their needs at the surgery. This has also improved trust of the Armed Forces community in healthcare services locally.[8]

17. NHS Employers have not received any feedback from employing organisations working in the NHS with regard to the wider scope of the inquiry.
     

24th January 2025