A historic milestone in social care has been reached on Merseyside as a local authority became the first in the United Kingdom to secure official veteran-friendly accreditation across its entire internal residential portfolio.
Halton Borough Council’s council-run care homes, Millbrow, St Luke’s, St Patrick’s and Madeline McKenna have all achieved the standards required for the Veteran Friendly Framework (VFF).
Halton Borough Council is the first council in the country to support veterans in this way.
The residential care homes have shown exceptional support for the Armed Forces community, with former members of the Armed Forces and all residents benefiting from the meaningful activities.
As well as the enhanced person-centred support, and a greater understanding of the unique experiences, challenges, and needs faced by veterans in care.
The Veteran Friendly Framework (VFF) is funded by the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust, Royal British Legion and Royal Star & Garter.
It is in place to better support the practical, emotional and social needs of the Armed Forces community, in residential care homes across England, by providing training and resources to assess and improve the care they offer.
It will help tackle loneliness and has the scope to deliver improved health and wellbeing outcomes for the 25,000 veterans living in care homes in England.
Local Authority Implements Comprehensive Training Standards for Military Veterans
To achieve their Veteran Friendly status, care homes 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 their local Royal British Legion branch, Blind Veterans UK, Halton Veterans Legion and other charities that provide support for veterans or partners of veterans.
This structural shift ensures that specific psychological and social histories are integrated directly into daily care management.
The regional leadership noted that the implementation of these specialised benchmarks has significantly upgraded the workplace toolkit for frontline caregivers.
Cllr Andrea Wall, Halton Borough Council’s Member Armed Forces Champion, said:
“At Halton Borough Council, we pride ourselves on supporting the many veterans living within our care homes.
“We are committed to delivering person-centred care, and the feedback from both residents and staff has been extremely positive.
“We are thrilled to be the first borough council care homes in the country to achieve this status.
“It is a great honour for Halton and for the hard-working staff who dedicate themselves to providing the highest quality support for the residents.”
National Armed Forces Charities Validate Regional Social Care Infrastructure
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.
The cross-sector alliance seeks to standardise this specialised veteran care pathway across both public and private residential facilities nationwide.
The verification process required rigorous independent auditing to ensure that the staff could actively identify and support the nuances of post-military life.
Kathryn Glass is the VFF Project Lead at Royal Star & Garter and is responsible for supporting and assessing care homes going through the scheme. She said:
“We’re delighted that Halton Borough Council has achieved VFF status in 4 care homes.
“This is a great commitment to their continuous improvement in the delivery of person-centred care for veteran residents and their partners.
“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.
“Being a VFF care home means that there is an increased understanding and recognition for the veteran community.”
Any care homes interested in receiving more information about the VFF can visit the official Royal Star & Garter website here.
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