Armed forces and former servicemen and women in Harborough win a new pledge of support

The armed forces and former servicemen and women in Harborough have won a new pledge of support from regional health chiefs.

The team which heads up health and social care across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland (LLR) is vowing to back the “armed forces community” by signing the Armed Forces Covenant.

The LLR Integrated Care System (LLR ICS) brings together the area’s clinical commissioning groups, local authorities and providers of NHS services.

They are one of the first partnerships to sign the Armed Forces Covenant.

This shows their “commitment to ensuring that armed forces personnel and their families should enjoy the same standard of, and access to, healthcare as other citizens” locally.

The Covenant also ensures special consideration will be given in “appropriate individual circumstances”, especially for those who have given most, such as the injured and families of the bereaved.

The Covenant was signed yesterday (Monday) at the Victoria Building, Leicester Royal Infirmary.

The signatories were David Sissling, chair of the LLR ICS, and Lt Col Mike Robinson, Commanding Officer of the Defence Animal Training Regiment, representing the Ministry of Defence.

They were joined by armed forces reservists employed by the partner organisations making up the LLR ICS.

David Sissling said: "We are absolutely committed to supporting our armed forces community, including their families.

“We are delighted to be able to formally demonstrate this commitment by signing the Covenant today.

“We employ a number of staff within our organisations who have served in the armed forces - and we value their contribution enormously.”

He added: “I would especially like to thank our armed forces colleagues for all their support in responding to the pandemic.

“Just one example of this is the invaluable part they played in helping us to deliver the covid vaccine programme across LLR.”

As employers each LLR ICS organisation will seek to support the employment of veterans, their spouses and partners as well as members of Reserve Forces.

The ICS Board will include an Armed Forces Champion to make sure the ICS delivers on its commitment.

Lt Col Mike Robinson said: “I'd like to thank everyone involved at the LLR ICS for being supportive of the armed forces community and, in particular, the pledges you have made.” Bruce Spencer, the Director of Employer Engagement for the East Midlands Reserve Forces and Cadets Association, said: "By signing the Covenant, you recognise the value that serving personnel, reservists, veterans and military families bring to your organisation, and to our country.

“This is an important moment and echoes the resilience brought to the nation by the armed forces across the pandemic.”