Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (EPUT) has pledged its support to armed forces personnel and their families by signing the Armed Forces Covenant.
Chief Executive, Sally Morris, and Director of People and Culture, Sean Leahy, signed the covenant honouring regular and reservist serving personnel, veterans and their families last month.
The covenant recognises EPUT as an armed forces-friendly organisation that aims to treat all members of the armed forces community with fairness and respect and, where appropriate, offer tailored treatment for those who have been injured or bereaved.
EPUT runs the Transition, Intervention and Liaison Service (TILS) for military veterans across East Anglia, a service that helps ex-service men and women with mental health needs.
TILS aims to re-integrate service users into everyday life by helping them access therapy for anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.
The covenant also recognises EPUT’s work with the Career Transition Partnership to support service leavers and veterans into employment and Step into Health, a dedicated pathway for the armed forces community to access career opportunities within the NHS.
The Trust also seeks to support employees who are reserve members of the forces or volunteers at local cadet units.
Former soldier David Powell is now the regional lead for TILS based at The Lakes in Colchester. He said:
“EPUT is one of a handful of mental health NHS trusts to have signed the covenant in recognition of the courage and commitment of our armed forces personnel.
“Serious trauma can have a devastating effect on the lives of service men and women and I am proud of the support the Trust offers those who find themselves discharged during service or who experience mental health problems later in life.
“Signing the covenant is our way of showing our commitment to offering the best possible service to the armed forces community. They have, after all, given everything for us.”