Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust (CNTW) have signed the Armed Forces Covenant and pledged their support to the Armed Forces Community.

CNTW provide mental health and disability services across the North of England.

For most of the Armed Forces community, the Covenant is about removing disadvantage; so that they get the same access to services as the civilian community.

Deputy Chief Executive at CNTW, James Duncan, said: "We are honoured to sign the covenant and are proud to support our Armed Forces Community.

"As well as upholding our pledges within the covenant, we will now work with our staff who are Reservists, Cadet Force Adult Volunteers, Veterans and Military spouses/partners to set up a network so we can understand more about the needs of the armed forces community."

Mr Duncan and Victoria Bullerwell, Head of Workforce and Organisational Development at NTWS, signed the covenant at a virtual ceremony on Wednesday 24 February.

Ms Bullerwell said: "We are honoured, and it is a real privilege to be at the event today. We are fully committed and are really excited to start our journey."

The Covenant’s two principles are that:

  • the Armed Forces community should not face disadvantage compared to other citizens in the provision of public and commercial services in the area where they live;
  • special consideration is appropriate in some cases, especially for those who have given most such as the injured and the bereaved.

Both organisations have pledged to promote that they are armed forces-friendly and will support the employment of veterans, recognising military skills and qualifications in the recruitment and selection process and work with the Career Transition Partnership (CTP) to support the employment of service leavers.