Who belongs to the Armed Forces Community?

One of the key elements which help Salisbury Hospital comply with its duties is the accurate and effective identification of members of our Armed Forces Community. The Armed Forces community includes:

• Regular personnel – any current serving members of the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, British Army or Royal Air Force.
• Volunteer and regular reservists – Royal Naval Reserve, Royal Marine Reserve, Royal Auxiliary Air Force, Royal Fleet Reserve, Army Reserve and Air Force Reserve, Royal Fleet Auxiliary and Merchant Navy (where individuals served on a civilian vessel whilst supporting the Armed Forces).
• Veterans – anyone who has served for at least a day in the Armed Forces as either a regular or a reservist, or Merchant Mariners who have seen duty on legally defined military operations.
• Families of regular personnel, reservist and veterans – spouses, civil partners and children, and where appropriate can include parents, unmarried partners and other family members.
• Bereaved – the family members of Service personnel and veterans who have died, whether that death is connected to their Service or not.

What do we want you to do?

Help us to identify you

At the point of your GP referring you for tests or treatment at Salisbury Hospital, we will ask them to share your status as a member of the Armed Forces Community, if known. This is to ensure that the hospital complies with its duty under The Armed Forces Covenant and so that any relevant information can be considered when prioritising your care. Similarly, when you come into hospital, it is likely that a member of the hospital team will ask you whether you or a member of your family are or have served in the UK Armed Forces.

This information will also be shared with other NHS organisations should your care need to be transferred to another provider. This makes sure that the receiving provider can also take this into account where appropriate.

Help you to understand your role

If you are a member of the Armed Forces Community we would encourage you to inform our reception staff and the clinical team in charge of your care or treatment, including your GP. This will ensure that where appropriate this status is considered when planning and prioritising your care. This can also be very helpful when planning discharges from hospital as there may be additional resources available to support you after you leave hospital.