Northern Care Alliance NHS Group
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 Northern Care Alliance NHS Group 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 Northern Care Alliance NHS Group 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:
- UK Service Veterans And Leavers
- UK Service Spouses And Partners
- Flexible Leave For Spouses
- UK Reservists
- UK Cadets
- Armed Forces Day
- Reserve Forces Day
- Discounts
- Armed Forces Charities
We also pledge the following:

Support Reservists by offering them additional days of annual leave (paid/unpaid) in order to carry out their duties. Offer work placements, insight days, mentoring schemes and/or guaranteed interview schemes to Veterans seeking employment. Support the employment of Service spouses, partners and dependants, for example by: signing up to Forces Families Jobs; offering short-notice leave to those whose partners are sent on deployment; and working with the tri-Service Families Federations. Promote employment schemes aimed at the Armed Forces Community, such as ‘A Great Place to Work’ and ‘Step Into Health Offer additional (paid/unpaid) annual leave to Cadet Force Adult Volunteers to help them carry out their training requirement. Offer insight days to older Cadets looking for apprenticeships and further education oppor-tunities. Engage with the Career Transition Partnership. Work with relevant charities and the Career Transition Partnership to offer work opportu-nities to the Wounded, Injured and Sick. Consider ways in which remote-working solutions might benefit the mobile Armed Forces Community, especially partners and spouses. Provide and I or promote training, for staff on the Armed Forces community. Promote the Armed Forces Covenant, the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme and de-liver our support for the Armed Forces Community to our staff, customers/service users, supply chains and the wider public. Support and promote Armed Forces events, such as Armed Forces Day/Week, Reserves Day, the Poppy Appeal and Remembrance activities. Utilise the Covenant and Employer Recognition Scheme logos in our communications and marketing. Continue to develop and improve our dedicated Armed Forces page on our website. Continue to develop our internal Armed Forces Network within our organisation, to enable staff members with an Armed Forces connection to meet and support one another and provide feedback. Maintain an Armed Forces Champion within our organisation to act as a focal point for organising and promoting support for the Armed Forces Community. Engage with and support local Armed Forces charities. Signpost members of the Armed Forces Community to available support, for example from Cobseo, the Veterans’ Gateway or statutory services in our area. Promote support networks (such as coffee mornings, breakfast clubs) for veterans and other members of the Armed Forces Community. Engage with all local Armed Forces presence -including local Army units, reservist units, RAF stations and naval bases. Develop relationships and work collaboratively with other organisations supporting the Covenant and the Armed Forces Community within all our localities. Offer and promote commercial discounts for members of the Armed Forces Community via the Defence Discount Service. Ensure the Armed Forces Community has fair access to our services and is not put at a disadvantage by their service as a result of their high mobility. Take part in and promote awareness-raising schemes, such as veteran-friendly accredita-tion for GP practices and the Veterans Covenant Healthcare Alliance. Ensure available dedicated healthcare services for members of the Armed Forces Commu-nity, such as Op COURAGE in England, are signposted and promoted. Prioritise Veterans with in-service injuries at our speciality units whenever possible.

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.