Mental health trust honours veterans ahead of Armistice Day | News and events

Mental health trust honours veterans ahead of Armistice Day

Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) is launching a global network to further improve the mental health and other support available to veterans and their families.

The Trust will launch the Global Veterans and Families Network on 8 November 2022, ahead of Armistice Day on 11 November. This will bring together experts from across the world to share innovation, research, service developments and share best practice.

NSFT currently provides two award-winning services to meet a range of needs, including mental health, drug and alcohol and welfare. These are the Veterans Integrated Service (VIS) and Veterans High Intensity Service (HIS). Support is provided directly and by working with military charity partners, such as Walking With The Wounded and Outside the Wire.

Veterans support groups are available every week across Norfolk and Suffolk. The Trust also hosts engagement days, which recently included a walk in the Peak District and a barbecue at Thetford Forrest.

Diane Palmer, NSFT’s Associate Director of Nursing and Corporate Lead for VIS and HIS, said: “I’d like to thank all those who have served in HM Armed Forces and all those who continue to do so.

"I’d like to pay special attention to all those who are, or have been wounded, injured and sick as a result of their military service.

"I’d also like to acknowledge all those who have died in battle, or died of their injuries, including those who tragically took their lives as a result of military-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

“Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday are times for reflection and gratitude. It is understandable that at this time of year many veterans and their families may suffer with difficult thoughts, feelings, memories or emotions being triggered that may require professional support.”

The Trust also works closely with Fighting with Pride to offer tailored support for LGBTQ+ veterans. It also has a dedicated BME engagement lead who helps to explore ways to improve access for Foreign and Commonwealth veterans.

NSFT signed the Armed Forces Covenant in 2020, became a ‘Veteran Aware’ Trust in 2021 and has grown a network of veterans champions across the Trust. NSFT was awarded the Bronze Award in 2021 and will be applying for the Silver Award in January 2023. Diane was awarded the British Journal of Nursing ‘National Nurse of the Year 2022’ for her work over the past 18 years with veterans.

The veterans co-production group has helped to develop and shape the Trust’s specialist services. Meanwhile, dedicated staff work tirelessly to educate and train others about the needs of veterans. A specialist working group has also been set up by the team’s clinical nurse specialist to develop a bespoke ‘Moral Injury’ training package.

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Picture: Diane Palmer, NSFT’s Associate Director of Nursing and Corporate Lead for Veterans Integrated Service and Veterans High Intensity Service

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