South Central Ambulance Service reaffirms support for Armed Forces community

SCAS was the first ambulance trust in the country to sign up to the covenant – which includes reservists and veterans - in 2014.

A formal re-signing took place at the Trust's North Harbour Resource Centre in Portsmouth.

Signatories to this latest commitment were Dr John Black, medical director for SCAS and retired lieutenant colonel, and Surgeon Commodore Stuart Collett CBE KHP.

By signing the covenant, organisations give a formal commitment to ensure that members of the armed forces community are never disadvantaged through service life.

Serving personnel, veterans and their families can sometimes be affected by the frequent house moves, separation from loved ones and support networks, and unfamiliarity with civilian life.

That can result in finding themselves on the back foot when accessing public goods and services, such as healthcare.

Dr Black said: ‘It was a privilege to once again sign the Armed Forces Covenant on behalf of SCAS as a demonstration of our support to serving personnel, veterans, reservists and their families.

‘As well as taking into account the needs of the armed forces community in the development of our services and policies, I am also delighted that we continue to offer veterans and reservists a range of employment opportunities within SCAS.’

The covenant was signed at the end of a recruitment event hosted by SCAS and the Career Transition Partnership (CTP).

The CTP has been the official provider of resettlement support for leavers from the Armed Forces for over 20 years.

At the event, SCAS opened its doors to serving members of the armed forces community as well as recent leavers, who were able to hear about the career opportunities in the emergency, NHS 111, patient transport and support services that SCAS provides.

They were also able to speak to a number of military veterans who had already made the transition into SCAS and were enjoying rewarding second careers.

Laura Farrow, recruitment manager and military champion at SCAS, said: ‘From the conversations I had with attendees, people left with a deeper understanding about the services we provide and were excited about the opportunities we can offer them after they have finished their military service.

‘SCAS has over 150 veterans, reservists and military champions working in the organisation, some of whom enjoyed spending time showing visitors around our vehicles and equipment, and talking to them about their own real life experiences.

‘I am sure this event and the formal re-signing of the Armed Forces Covenant will continue to keep SCAS at the front of many people's minds when considering a career after leaving the armed forces.’

SCAS serves a population of seven million people across six counties, including Hampshire, and employs more than 4,600 staff who, together with over 1,000 volunteer community and co-responders, enabled the organisation to attend more than 508,000 incidents via 999, handle 1.3 million calls to NHS 111 and make 970,000 patient transport service journeys in 2022/23.