As of November 2022, all PICS General Practice surgeries are formally accredited as Veteran-friendly by the Royal College of General Practitioners and NHS England.
In Mid Nottinghamshire, we run Meden in Warsop, Mansfield, and in South Nottinghamshire we run Hama in Kimberly, Peacock in Carlton and Whyburn in Hucknall. Supported by PICS Veteran Champion, Emma Alder, the teams have been working hard to meet the standards of the accreditation which involves:
- Having a clinical lead for veteran health who is supported by the whole practice and organisation to improve veteran health services;
- Asking patients ‘Have you served in the Armed Forces?’ to help identify veteran patients and code them on our system;
- Supporting veteran patients to access dedicated health services; and
- Undertaking regular training and development to meet the health commitments of the Armed Forces Covenant and better understand the needs of veteran patients.
If you’re a veteran patient of our Practices, or of PICS, please let us know that you have served so that we can make sure that we understand your health needs.
PICS is a signatory of the Armed Forces Covenant, which is a commitment to recognise and support those who have or are serving and their families. We are also working towards Veteran-friendly employer status with the Ministry of Defence’s NHS scheme.
A University of Chester study revealed that the Veteran Friendly Accreditation programme leads to better healthcare. To find out more about the veteran-friendly practice accreditation scheme, visit www.rcgp.org.uk/veterans
The news of all four practices attaining accreditation was shared with all staff on Friday 11 November to mark Remembrance Day and raise awareness of the health and wellbeing needs of our Armed Forces communities.
