We are a VFF Accredited Care Home Group
The Veteran Friendly Framework
As a group, we are incredibly proud to offer tailored support to our Veteran Residents, having achieved the VFF ‘Veteran Friendly Care Home’ accreditation.
The aim of the VFF is to better support the practical, emotional and social needs of the Armed Forces community in care homes across England, by providing training and resources to assess and improve the care they offer. It helps to tackle loneliness and has the scope to deliver improved health and wellbeing outcomes for the 25,000 veterans living in care homes in England.
To achieve our Veteran Friendly status, we were required to meet eight standards. These included: noting Armed Forces status within care plans; addressing social isolation; and signposting to support services, such as our local Royal British Legion branch, and other charities that provide support for veterans or partners of veterans.
The VFF is a collaboration between Armed Forces charities Royal Star & Garter and Royal British Legion, and NHS Veterans’ Covenant Healthcare Alliance (VCHA), with funding support from the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust.
Kathryn Glass is the VFF Project Lead at Royal Star & Garter and responsible for supporting and assessing care homes going through the scheme. She said: “The applications submitted by all four of the Spellman Care homes were of an exceptionally high standard and a testament to the dedication, passion, and commitment the group has for providing high-quality person-centred care for residents and colleagues alike.
I would like to thank all Spellman Care colleagues within the organisation for their hard work and commitment to undertaking this framework and for being so welcoming to the VFF Team.
This programme will benefit both current and future residents, along with current and future staff, who are able to access enhanced training and guidance to better engage with the unique military experiences that their residents and partners have lived through.
Having all the homes within the organisation receive VFF status is a testament to the commitment from Spellman Care to the Armed Forces Community both as residents and as employers.”
The 8 standards
The Veteran Friendly Framework is made up of eight standards, each of which we have worked hard to complete.
Standard One
“Your Care Home understands and has signed the Armed Forces Covenant”
As a group, we have signed the Armed Forces Covenant to show our support for members of the Armed Forces Community.
Standard Two
“Your Care Home has a designated Armed Forces Community Champion to support and deliver the framework”
Each of our homes have a designated Armed Forces Community Champion. These are as follows…
Craven Nursing Home
- Katie
- Maria
Ghyll Royd Care Home
- Kim
- Amy
- Chloe
Springbank Care Home
- Nichola
Steeton Court Nursing Home
- Kirsty
Nichola Cromwell
Katie Williscroft
Maria Amer
Chloe Kay
Amy Cafferky
Kim Knaggs
Kirstie Beard
Standard Three
“Your Care Home ensures that Armed Forces Community status is included in people’s care plans”
All our Veteran Residents have their Armed Forces Community status included in their care plans.
Before any new resident moves in to a Spellman Care home, we ask them if they are a veteran to enable us to go into detail about their service. This could be to enable us to host relevant activities, or so we know to avoid any sensitive topics.
Standard Four
“Your Care Home shares a person’s Armed Forces Community status with clinical services to ensure they receive appropriate care”
Whenever a resident goes in to hospital, we now include details of a residents Armed Forces Community status within their care plan. This is sent inside a ‘red bag’ so hospitals know where to look when the resident arrives.
Standard Five
“Your staff at the care home are trained and educated in the needs of the Armed Forces Community”
When a new staff member joins the Spellman Care Team, they complete an in-depth induction which now includes a section on the Veteran Friendly Framework. This section of the induction is included for all positions, to ensure that all colleagues are invited to share their Armed Forces Community status. This allows us to continually offer support to new Veteran colleagues.
Within our induction packs we have included a description of the VFF project along with details of the 8 standards. We have also included various links for colleagues to read and watch, in order to familiarise themselves with the Armed Forces Community.
Standard Six
“Your care home has established links to appropriate nearby Armed Forces community clinical commissioned services (OP Courage, Primary/Secondary Care) and other local services for veterans.”
All four Spellman Care homes have reached out to their local Primary and Secondary care providers to invite them to sign the Armed Forces Covenant.
We continue to work closely with local clinical services and services for Veterans to provide beneficial activities and meet-ups for Residents.
Standard Seven
“The Care Home supports the UK Armed Forces as an employer”
As part of our commitment to the Armed Forces Community, we have pledged to support veterans both as residents and as an employer.
We are proud to have achieved our Bronze Award in the Armed Forces Covenant Employer Recognition Scheme.
Standard Eight
“Your Care Home raises awareness of the Armed Forces Community”
We are happy to raise awareness of the Armed Forces Community throughout the year at various events. If you would like to join us for these, please keep an eye on our Social Media Pages and our Weekly Newsletter for details.
