On this page
Information and support for the Armed Forces and Veterans community.
Non-urgent advice: If you are in crisis
Your Armed Forces Champion
The NHS Orkney Armed Forces Champion is Lynn Adam. She is your dedicated point of contact for:
- guidance on how to use the Armed Forces Covenant when accessing services
- complaints about our services linked to the use of the Armed Forces Covenant
- feedback about our progress as an Armed Forces and Veterans-aware organisation
Lynn can be contacted at: ork.afvchampion@nhs.scot
Our commitment
NHS Orkney are very proud to have signed up to:
- the Armed Forces Covenant
- the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS)
- the Pride in Veterans Standard
We are committed to becoming Armed Forces and Veterans-aware for all our veterans, reservists and their families. We aim to understand the challenges of service life and to remove the barriers to successfully accessing healthcare and employment.
We have been awarded ERS Gold and will continue to work hard to support our employees from the Armed Forces and Veterans community.
We are at the beginning of our journey with the Pride in Veterans Standard (PiVS). The Pride in Veterans Standard is a programme developed by Fighting with Pride, a trusted and respected LGBT+ military charity. We aim to understand the needs of LGBT+ veterans and tailor support to meet their specific needs.
NHS Orkney would like to thank the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust for their support. Their funding has been pivotal to the AF&V project, and has helped them to develop and deliver training and resources to support both our staff and our patients as we strive to become more Armed Forces and Veterans-aware. The Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust is a charity and a Non-Departmental Public Body that awards grants to programmes and projects that support the Armed Forces community.
Our community
The Armed Forces and Veterans (AF&V) community includes all those, who are currently serving in either the regular or reserve forces, veterans, the family of service personnel or veterans, or bereaved family members.
Veterans are defined as anyone, who has served for at least one day in HM Armed Forces (Regular or Reserve) or Merchant Naval Seafarers, who have deployed as part of a military operation.
Let us know if you are part of the AF&V community. You are entitled to priority access to NHS care for conditions associated with time serving in or supporting the Armed Forces (service-related).
Priority access is always subject to clinical need and doesn’t entitle you to jump ahead of someone with a higher clinical need – but if we don’t know that you are part of the AF&V community, we can’t make it happen!
Myth busters
- You are a veteran even if you “only did National Service”
- You are a veteran even if you “didn’t go anywhere”
It doesn’t matter when, how or where you served. It doesn’t matter how you left the services. If you served, you served.
- But we’re divorced
You are part of the AF&V community if your partner served, even if you separated or divorced later.
One person joins but the whole family serves.
The Armed Forces Covenant
What is the Armed Forces Covenant?
It is also a legislative duty for public sector organisations that deliver education, health and housing. The duty states that when a specified body exercises a relevant function, it must pay due regard to:
the unique obligations of, and sacrifices made by, the Armed Forces
the principle that it is desirable to remove disadvantages arising for Service people from membership, or former membership, of the Armed Forces
the principle that special provision for Service people may be justified by the effects on such people of membership, or former membership, of the Armed Forces.
What does this mean in terms of healthcare?
It may mean that if you are re-assigned and move from one NHS Board or Trust area to NHS Orkney, then you retain your place on the new waiting list and don’t have to start again.
Where can I find out more about the Armed Forces Covenant Duty?
