NHS Trust reaccredited as Veteran Aware

Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust has been reaccredited as Veteran Aware.

The Trust is reaccredited for its ongoing commitment to supporting the armed forces community.

The accreditation from the Veterans Covenant Healthcare Alliance shows that the Trust understands and responds to the unique experiences and needs of the armed forces community. It shows that no matter where or when someone has served, they can access NHS services that respect and recognise their background. 

Accreditation means NHS trusts are publicly committed to improving healthcare access and outcomes not only for veterans, but also for serving personnel, reservists, and their families.

This aligns with the core principles of the Armed Forces Covenant. It pledges that no member of the armed forces community should face disadvantage in accessing public services. In some cases, armed forces persons may receive additional support due to the sacrifices they or their families have made. 

Sue Greenwood, Matron and Debbie Richards, Chief Executive standing below the Veteran Aware plaque at Camborne Redruth Community Hospital

Neill Wilson is a progress coordinator and armed forces community staff network chair for the Trust: 

"Having veteran aware accreditation helps to ensure that members of the armed forces community and their families receive the recognition, understanding, and support they deserve when accessing our services."

This reaccreditation recognises work in demonstrating the NHS’s commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant. It identifies and shares best practice of care for the armed forces community across the NHS. 

Annie Kenton is the Trust's equality, diversity, and engagement co-ordinator. Annie was instrumental to the reaccreditation process by collecting evidence of resources in place to support the armed forces community:

"Several of our hospital sites are now proud to display their veteran aware plaques. They serve as a reminder to staff, patients, and families that we take the Armed Forces Covenant duties seriously.

"Recording a patient’s status as a member of the armed forces community can bring positive outcomes for their care and ongoing support when leaving our services.

"We now have 40 accredited service champions across the Trust who raise awareness and make links with organisations. The service champions can help us to meet the needs of these patients more effectively."

 You can find out more about our reaccreditation by watching Annie’s interview here: Veteran Aware reaccreditation

A veteran’s send off  

The Trust has shown continuous support for local veterans and for those who use its services.

An example of this is when John* was transferred to Helston Community Hospital for end-of-life care.

John was seen by a member of staff who was wearing an armed forces champion badge. John mentioned that he had completed his national service with the RAF. Unfortunately, he lost consciousness before any staff members could find out more about his service.

When John passed away, the team at Helston tried to reach out to his next of kin. It soon transpired that John had no family or friends. He had no known final wishes. The team at Helston were left to organise a Public Health funeral.

A Public Health funeral is a basic funeral arranged and paid for by the local authority. Public Health funerals happen when no other arrangements have been made for a person who has died, or when the family is unable or unwilling to pay. 

When John left the hospital for the funeral directors, he was wrapped in the RAF Ensign, received a salute and there were nurses lining the corridors. But Neill Wilson, Armed Forces Champion felt there was more that could be done:

"When I found out that John had passed away, I contacted Colin Matthews, who are the local funeral directors and to let them know John would be coming to them. I wanted to find out if we could have a veteran attend the funeral as there was nobody to mourn him.

"Initially we agreed to have John wrapped in the RAF Ensign. But then the idea of giving this gentleman the forces send-off he deserved started to spiral."

Initially Neill worked with the funeral directors to have someone from the RAF and armed forces community to mourn John at the funeral. Soon, more of the armed forces community heard about John and wanted to pay their respects. Neill added:

"I was at a local veteran’s breakfast morning and chatting to another veteran. I mentioned John and how we were trying to get him the send-off he deserved. To my surprise, he said he would attend and organise the RAF Association standard. Suddenly, we had the Royal British Legion and the Royal Naval Association saying that they would send a representative to the funeral."

The funeral soon rolled around. Neill had organised for veterans and standard bearers from different armed forces charities to walk in front of John’s hearse and salute him. A serving RAF flight sergeant was in attendance in ceremonial uniform.

"It is so sad that we did not know much about John. It felt there was no one to grieve for this gentleman. I wanted to show that even in death, the armed forces community stands by our comrades and that he is going out with formal military honours.

“Without the armed forces champion capturing John’s service none of this would have happened. This gentleman would have gone through the system as people who do not have anybody often do. It a shame that he would never know the send-off that he had, but I felt proud that we were able to do something special for him."

You can watch Neill's interview here: A veteran’s send off

3 community hospitals have already received their Veteran Aware plaques for going the extra mile to support the armed forces community. Helston and Camborne Redruth received their plaques last year. Launceston received its plaque in a special ceremony in September 2025. 4 other sites are due to follow suit in the coming months.