North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) Awarded A Gold Employer Award In Recognition Of Its Support To Armed Forces Personnel

North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) has been awarded a Gold employer award in recognition of its support to Armed Forces personnel.

Having signed up to the Armed Forces Covenant in late 2020, NEAS has been working its way through the Defense Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) accreditation process ever since, and has now been successful in being awarded a Gold employer award.

Gold award for North East Ambulance Service (NEAS)

The gold award comes in recognition of North East Ambulance Service (NEAS):

• Being one of 64 NHS trusts and organizations to be named a Veterans Aware employer;
• Reviewing its reservist policy, in order to ensure that current serving military staff can meet their training requirements and can take fully paid leave to meet military obligations, including longer postings;
• Providing access to in-house occupational health specialist services, as well as access to Veteran Champion Training;
• Streamlining recruitment processes for veterans and currently serving military staff, including offering guaranteed shortlisting and interview schemes;
• Partnering with the Defence Medical Services (DMS), in order to provide placements for military paramedics, to build up their paramedic skills and competencies;
• Supporting specific leave to accommodate partners being granted leave, to coincide with actively serving partners;
• Providing a staff military network, a dedicated group where staff can support each other;
• Being an active member of regional and national military and defense networks, looking at how they can collaboratively improve patient and staff experience.

More than 400 NEAS colleagues are veterans or are currently serving as reservists. Of these, more than 30 were employed over the last year. The service also employs more than 100 military spouses or partners, and four employees are Cadet Force Adult Volunteers.

Armed Forces Covenant

The Armed Forces Covenant is a promise from the nation to those who serve or who have served, and their families, which says we will do all we can to ensure they are treated fairly and are not disadvantaged in their day-to-day lives.

The ERS awards is run by the UK Ministry of Defense and encourage employers across the United Kingdom to recognize the value that members of the Armed Forces community bring to their respective workforces.

three levels of commitment - bronze, silver and gold

The scheme recognizes three levels of commitment; bronze, silver and gold

The scheme recognizes three levels of commitment; bronze, silver and gold, and guides employers to become advocates and inspire others to acknowledge and support members of the Armed Forces community.

A total of 156 organizations have been recognized this year, the ninth year of the awards scheme. The gold award will be officially awarded to the North East Ambulance Service (NEAS), at a ceremony in York, United Kingdom, in November.

NEAS receives Gold accreditation

Karen Gardner, the Assistant Director of People Development at North East Ambulance Service (NEAS), said “We are truly honored to receive Gold accreditation in such a short space of time, which I hope demonstrates the commitment we have made to supporting our employees, who are veterans, as well as those who continue to serve our country, while serving the public in their roles within NEAS.”

Karen Gardner adds, “As an organization, we fully recognize both their service and also the fantastic skills that are completely transferable into our frontline and support roles. They are rightly very proud of the service they have given, and often continue to give, to their country, and we are equally proud of them and the valuable contribution they continue to make through working for us.”