Published on: 20 October 2023
Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust has received the highest badge of honour employers can receive from The Ministry of Defence.
The gold award recognises the Trust’s ongoing commitment and advocacy for our armed forces community, as an employer.
The Trust was recognised for its proactive approach to recruit and support veterans, reservists, cadet force adult volunteers and military family members.
The award was presented in the Officers Mess at the Prince William of Gloucester Barracks in Grantham last night (Thursday 19 October 2023).
The Defence Employer Recognition Awards have been launched by the Government to encourage employers to support defence and the armed forces, and inspire others to do the same. The scheme includes bronze, silver and gold awards for employer organisations that pledge, demonstrate or advocate support to defence and the armed forces community, and align their values with the Armed Forces Covenant.
Derbyshire Healthcare was recognised for advocating support to the armed forces community. The key points of our gold campaign included:
- Signing the Armed Forces Covenant first in 2018 and again in July 2023
- An established staff forum or network focused on the armed personal
- Having previously obtained the silver award last year
- Proactively demonstrating that service personnel/armed forces community are represented fairly as part of the Trust’s recruitment and selection process
- Providing up to 15 days paid leave for Reservists and Adult Cadet Force Volunteers to accommodate and support training and mobilisation
- Working with the local Reserve centre, and continuing to offer mutual support
- Hosting a Reserves Day event for staff working in the armed forces space from across the Midlands
- Actively ensuring the Trust’s workforce is aware of their positive policies towards defence people. For example, through internally publicised positive HR policies
- Continuing to collaborate and network with partner organisations and providers across Derbyshire to improve support for the armed forces family
Justine Fitzjohn, Trust Secretary at Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and Executive Sponsor for the Trust’s Armed Forces Staff Network, said: “What an achievement this is! Thank you to our armed forces network, particularly our chairs who have worked tirelessly to get the Trust ready to achieve gold status with The Defence Employer Recognition Scheme.
“I want to pledge our ongoing commitment to The Armed Forces community as we won’t be stopping here. We want to continue growing our community of supporters and raising the armed forces and veteran profile to show our support.
“I look forward to exploring ways we can achieve even more as a Trust for this community.”
Gemma Saunders, Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapist and Network Chair of the Trust’s Armed Forces Staff Network, attended the award ceremony with Dr Bex Bennett, a veteran, armed forces champion and Trust colleague, and Tony Edwards, Deputy Trust Chair to receive the gold award on behalf of the Armed Forces Network and the Trust.
Gemma said: “I was incredibly proud to accept the gold award as this means a lot to me and our network members. This award has given us the motivation to keep going and achieve far more.
“We are constantly seeking to offer more but I am confident that we will get there, and we have achieved so much in preparing for this award.
“Thank you for all the support we have received in achieving this gold award, it has been a collective effort across the trust, and for that I am immeasurably grateful to everyone who has contributed.”
