Sunny Meed Surgery
Source: gov.uk (2025-11-10)

We, the undersigned, commit to honour the Armed Forces Covenant and support the Armed Forces Community. We recognise the value Serving Personnel, both Regular and Reservists, Veterans and military families contribute to our business and our country.

The Armed Forces Covenant

An enduring covenant between the people of the United Kingdom, Her Majesty’s Government and all those who serve or have served in the Armed Forces of the Crown and their families

The first duty of Government is the defence of the realm. Our Armed Forces fulfil that responsibility on behalf of the Government, sacrificing some civilian freedoms, facing danger and, sometimes, suffering serious injury or death as a result of their duty. Families also play a vital role in supporting the operational effectiveness of our Armed Forces. In return, the whole nation has a moral obligation to the members of the Naval Service, the Army and the Royal Air Force, together with their families. They deserve our respect and support, and fair treatment.

Those who serve in the Armed Forces, whether Regular or Reserve, those who have served in the past, and their families, should face no disadvantage compared to other citizens in the provision of public and commercial services. Special consideration is appropriate in some cases, especially for those who have given most such as the injured and the bereaved.

This obligation involves the whole of society: it includes voluntary and charitable bodies, private organisations, and the actions of individuals in supporting the Armed Forces. Recognising those who have performed military duty unites the country and demonstrates the value of their contribution. This has no greater expression than in upholding this Covenant.

Section 1: Principles of the Armed Forces Corporate Covenant

1.1 We Sunny Meed Surgery will endeavour in our business dealings to uphold the key principles of the Armed Forces Covenant, which are:
- no member of the Armed Forces Community should face disadvantage in the provision of public and commercial services compared to any other citizen;
- and in some circumstances that special treatment may be appropriate especially for the injured or bereaved.
Section 2: Demonstrating our commitment

2.1 Sunny Meed Surgery recognises the value serving personnel, reservists, veterans and military families bring to our business. We will seek to uphold the principles of the Armed Forces Covenant, by pledging to the following:
- Armed Forces Friendly
- UK Service Veterans And Leavers
- UK Service Spouses And Partners
- Flexible Leave For Spouses
- UK Reservists
- UK Cadets
- Armed Forces Day
- Discounts
We also pledge the following:

promoting the fact that we are an armed forces-friendly organisation to all our registered patients and new patients in: our registration form, surgery newsletter, on our website, information screen in the waiting room and using posters. seeking to support the employment of veterans young and old and working with the Career Transition Partnership (CTP), in order to establish a tailored employment pathway for Service Leavers by signing up for the Bronze Award Employers Recognition Scheme where opportunities to work in the clinical and administrative side of the practice arise. striving to support the employment of Service spouses and partners both in the clinical and administrative side of the practice. endeavouring to offer a degree of flexibility in granting leave for Service spouses and partners before, during and after a partners deployment by engaging with all staff at the practice to support a culture of flexibility in their working practice. seeking to support our employees who choose to be members of the Reserve forces, including by accommodating their training and deployment where possible by engaging with all staff at the practice to support a culture of flexibility in their working practice. offering support to our local cadet units, either in our local community or in local schools, where possible to provide training and education in medical areas relating to their specific needs. aiming to actively participate in Armed Forces Day by using promotion material at the surgery and on our website to increase awareness in all our patients. offering a discount to members of the Armed Forces Community for example with private travel vaccines and medical forms and letters that are not covered by the NHS. ensuring that serving personnel, reservists, veterans and military families are highlighted as such in referral letters to specialists. reducing any barriers to accessing healthcare by offering a flexible, accessible Primary Care Service to registered patients. training all staff on a regular basis in the principles of the Armed Forces Covenant to ensure that they continue to implement Sunny Meeds commitment to patients and colleagues have served in the Armed Forces of the Crown and their families nominating Dr Sara Gil Rivas as Covenant Lead.

2.2 We will publicise these commitments through our literature and/or on our website, setting out how we will seek to honour them and inviting feedback from the Service community and our customers on how we are doing.