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The College of Paramedics yesterday signed the Armed Forces Covenant at the Military Paramedics Symposium, held at Defence Medical Services (DMS) Whittington, Staffordshire.
The event was attended by guests including Lewis Andrews, Chief Operating Officer for the College of Paramedics; Sarah Hayward, Paramedic Defence Specialist Advisor on behalf of the Armed Forces; and Ben Lyon who instigated the signing in his role as the College’s Member Representative for Military and Overseas.
The Armed Forces Covenant embodies a promise to uphold fairness and respect for those who have served in the Armed Forces, as well as their families, in all aspects of society.
It focuses on helping members of the Armed Forces community have the same support as any other citizen, spanning education, housing, careers, access to healthcare, financial assistance and more.
By taking the significant step of signing the Covenant, the College of Paramedics has made a commitment to providing fair treatment for veterans, serving personnel, reservists and their families and to ensure that they are treated with fairness and respect in their communities, workplace and society for which they serve with their lives.
The Covenant’s core principles recognise the unique obligations and sacrifices made by the Armed Forces.
Lewis Andrews, Chief Operating Officer for the College of Paramedics, said, “We are immensely proud to have signed the Armed Forces Covenant today. As an organisation, the College recognises the sacrifices made by those in the Armed Forces and the immeasurable value military personnel, reservists, veterans, and their families bring to the healthcare profession and to the wider country. It’s the reason we are committed to ensuring their needs are recognised and met when it comes to healthcare, mental health support, employment opportunities, education and representation. We will always strive to do everything we can for our Armed Forces community, knowing this is what they do for us”.
Since 2011, when the concept was enshrined into law, the Covenant has reinforced the moral obligation between nation, government and the Armed Forces and seen more than 12,000 UK businesses and organisations commit to improving the lives of service personnel and their families.
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