When the Covenant can’t help

The Armed Forces Covenant has been a game changer since its official inception in 2006 to its publication in 2000 through to its reinvigoration through the 2010 Taskforce. But there are times when it doesn’t matter what is written in support; if the facilities are not there then can we, the military community, be perceived as ‘queue jumping?’

As far back 1593 support from the nation, for all those who serve in the military, has been a priority for the monarch and government. Queen Elizabeth I set a parish tax so that those returning from war, veterans, could be cared for.

This was in recognition of the service and difficult lifestyle that families had to endure.

Today access to NHS facilities is extraordinarily difficult. It is oftentimes so frustrating to know that you are paying into a service that more often than not you cannot access. All 3 of the Family Federations continue to wrestle with this as the root cause is something they simply cannot affect.

Historically, instead of expecting us to relocate and find education and health provision, we were supported in order to maintain the cohesion of the whole force. Today we don’t have that provision in the UK, although it does still exist in some large garrisons in overseas postings.

Half of the battle is not the moving but the actual number of medical professionals able to support a national system that is now doing so much more than it was ever designed to do. In many cases civilians are in the same boat as us regarding access to dental treatment, for example in Devon/Cornwall there is a 3-4 year waiting list for an NHS dentist.

A few years ago I did bring up a question at an Army Families Federation Conference and also to some visiting senior officers: why can’t the MoD employ qualified military spouses? This would not only maintain their professional status but also support the military medical personnel who are so often inundated with the routine and preparations for deployments.

The answer was all to do with civilian medical professionals working through an agency. It was quite incredible actually; I was looking into it for some physiotherapists who were wanting to job share - all military spouses and highly qualified. They had prepared a solution that would have met the needs of the service in Germany.

They could not be employed, as many of the other spouses were, through the local military employment agency but rather had to register with a locum agency in the UK, apply through them & another contractor for interview. The costs for the MOD must have mounted up not least if they selected an equally qualified person to move to Germany; they would have all the transition costs + the welfare/benefits package, including housing. A military spouse is already there.

Why not have a programme where space in a medical facility can be allocated to military spouses who have the qualifications or, indeed, local professionals and the priority given to military families?

A 200-year turn of the wheel where we go back to thanking military families for their support by supporting the lifestyle.

I am not so naive as to think that this would be either welcome or a solution that could be managed. So many people see walls instead of speed bumps, problems instead of challenges. How many challenges would you dissipate with a policy such as this? - spousal employment; conditions of service; moral component of the fighting forces; support to the whole force strategy…the list goes on.

I am not here to get into any political debate about what is happening but rather highlighting that there are challenges unique to military families and some that are more widespread.

Recently I had cause to enter into a discussion with an orthodontist about NHS provision. My daughter needs treatment which is being provided on the NHS because of the nature of it. I was then told she would need to have a baby tooth removed (she’s in her late teens!) and then 4 additional extractions - all of which could happen on the NHS.

“It could”, I said, “if I had an NHS dentist.

“You’re entitled to one. That’s the point of the NHS”, she replied.

As I then entered a rather heated discussion about our life in the military, how I would have to pay for the extractions privately in order to meet the deadline before she would no longer be seen as a child etc, I could see my daughter’s face give me the ‘not now Mum’ look.

I was very happy to complete the short survey for Kirsty Atkins, Royal Army Medical Corps, who is looking into the accessibility of NHS Dental care for service families. Not one to just answer with the options provided, I continually pressed ‘other’ to open up the free text space.

Whilst the Armed Forces Covenant is there to support us we must not forget that these challenges are happening ot our wider communities across the nation, I know that Kirsty will be brining this into her final paper too.

Whilst I feel we are continually being asked to complete surveys for someone’s research this is one that all military families should be completing. The time it takes to complete depends on whether you choose ‘other’ too!

Further Reading:

The Armed Forces Covenant