Portsmouth treatment centre pledges to be inclusive

Care UK, which runs St Mary’s Treatment Centre in Milton, Portsmouth, has become a Disability Confident Committed employer.

This ensures its recruitment process is inclusive and that it provides reasonable adjustments to support any existing employee who has a disability or long-term health condition to enable them to remain in work.

Former Royal Navy Warrant Officer Peter White, who joined the centre in 2014, has already benefitted from Care UK’s commitment to disability equality.

He said: ‘I spent 34 years in the Royal Navy working as a sonar operator. Unfortunately, I experienced noise-related hearing loss.

‘The navy was supportive and I received treatment and help. However, it was old technology and added to that my hearing was continuing to deteriorate.’

On retirement Peter received treatment at Queen Alexandra Hospital and the hearing loss has plateaued.

He applied for a job at St Mary’s treatment centre as a patient service administrator.

Peter added: ‘The management at the centre have been wonderful.

‘Care UK has paid for and helped me use a system on my desk that uses Bluetooth technology to process, rather than amplify, the sound from the phone to my earpiece. The sound is very clear and I haven’t heard so well for years.’