News

On 16 September at St Pancras Hospital, we signed the Armed Forces Covenant, marking our ongoing commitment to the armed forces community.

Our Deputy Chief Executive, Natalie Fox, and Chief Medical Officer, Vincent Kirchner, gathered with guests from the armed forces community, including service users, staff, and members of the Trust in North London. They came together to celebrate our commitment to supporting this community by signing the Armed Forces Covenant. The covenant was signed by our Deputy Chief Executive, Natalie Fox and the Armed Forces Commanding Officer, Lt Col Jo Cooke.

Consultant Clinical Psychologist Sue Ferrier, Joint Head of Op Courage Veterans' Mental Health and Wellbeing Service and the Armed Forces Clinical Lead, participated in the welcoming event alongside Steve Cooke, Managing Director of specialist services and Armed Forces Managerial Lead.

We were pleased to have our Trust governor, Jackie Noon and Deputy Lead Governor Olga Cecilia Farach in attendance, which added to the significance of the occasion.

During the event, NLFT was recognised for its achievements, particularly in leading specialist veteran services across London, the Veterans' network, fostering a network of Armed Forces champions, the monthly Armed Forces drop-in and a new outreach scheme for cadet groups.
 
The discussion highlighted the essential support that Trust services provide to the armed forces community, which has a significant impact on the lives of veterans and their families.

The covenant recognises the work we already do, such as:

• leading veteran services across London

• running the Veterans’ Network and Armed Forces champions

• holding monthly Armed Forces drop-ins

• starting outreach schemes for cadet groups

Debbie Boughtflower, director of The Poppy Factory spoke about our role in supporting veterans into work and showcased their work leading the Thrive Together program, a portfolio of charities seeking to reduce social isolation.

Veteran and former Royal Marine, Anthony Muckell, shared his story. He talked about barriers to getting help, his part in shaping Op COURAGE, and the positive difference our services made to him, encouraging other veterans to seek help. He also highlighted the significant positive impact of the support he received from NLFT through the OpCourage service and encouraged other veterans to seek help.

Other individuals were in attendance representing various organisations including Walking with the Wounded, the Department of Work and Pensions, the Armed Forces and Veterans Breakfast Clubs, the Metropolitan police amongst others, offering a significant opportunity for an active networking environment.

Find out more about the service we provide for veterans.