Armed Forces Day - Saturday 25 June
Saturday 25 June is Armed Forces Day, where we celebrate and support people from the Armed Forces community and thank them for their service. Last year, GMMH successfully applied for the Veteran Aware Award, which highlights our commitment to improving care for the Armed Forces community.
Our Armed Forces Champions
Over the last year after receiving our accreditation, our Improving Access to Psychological Therapy (IAPT) teams have worked to identify Armed Forces (AFV) Champions in each area covered by GMMH. There are Armed Forces Champions situated in each locality, comprised of allies and a Veterans from the Armed Forces in North, Central, and South Manchester, Trafford, Salford, Wigan and Bolton.
Having Armed Forces Champions in each area allows a presence in each team who can bring updates to team meetings, making it easier for staff to reach out with questions about individual service user cases. AFV Champions meet regularly to plan and share ideas and also provide information and support for staff.
In recent months, IAPT teams across GMMH have been offered training to find out more about available services for the Veteran community. This is in addition to providing training around common issues such as military culture, adjustment and stigma; unique clinical concerns such as moral injury and traumatic grief; tailored interventions such as Adaptive Disclosure; as well as an overview about the new Op Courage model of tiered services for veterans.
Throughout IAPT services, they also encourage staff to ask the question, “have you served?” so they can ensure care and support is adapted to the individual. The teams also promote informed choices in a range of priority treatment, towards supporting the Armed Forces Covenant, “that those who serve or have served, and their families, are treated fairly” and “that those who have served in the armed forces should face no disadvantage compared to other citizens in the provision of public & commercial services.”
Our AFV Campions are also currently developing further links with other services, staff drop-in and service user involvement sessions, as well as promotional materials to provide support.
