Today is Remembrance Day, a memorial day observed annually as a mark of honour for those in the armed forces who died in service and to think of all of those who served to defend our democratic freedoms.

At 11am the nation will join together to observe a two-minute silence. We invite all colleagues to take part in this moment of reflection.

At the end of the First World War, the allied nations chose this day and time for the commemoration of those who they lost. At 11am on 11 November 1918, the guns on the Western Front fell silent after more than four years of continuous warfare.

To this day, we continue this tradition of commemorating military and civilian service, not only to remember those lost in the First World War, but also to remember those who served in modern conflicts, from veterans of the Falklands War and WW2 to those who continue to play a vital role in service to Britain today.

Supporting the mental health and wellbeing of those who have served in the armed forces, and ensuring they have equal access to our services, is a key commitment at LPT. As a Trust we pledged our support to the armed forces community by signing the Armed Forces Covenant in 2021 alongside other health and social care partners in the Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Integrated Care System (LLR ICS).

In the video she talks about some of the key achievements in our work to support the armed forces community from the past year:

  • Just last week (Wednesday 2 November 2022) we unveiled our new veterans’ allotment, which will see veterans working together to grow fruits, vegetables, herbs and flowers on a specially renovated and accessible plot, in order to help their mental health and wellbeing.
  • In July this year we were re-accredited as a Veteran Aware Trust, following a formal review by the Veterans Covenant Healthcare Alliance (VCHA), reaffirming our commitment to improve armed forces veterans’ care.
  • LPT’s Armed Forces Staff Network have led work to implement an armed forces indicator on SystmOne, to ensure this information is captured on the electronic patient record so that clinicians are aware of this information and can signpost to further support if needed. They continue to work to empower staff and push for better care and support for veterans and their families in LLR.
  • We have continued to offer veterans the opportunity to take part in innovative therapies such as a swimming with rescue dogs experience and Buddy2Buddy virtual cafes drop-in sessions, where veterans can connect, support and empower each other.

If you have visited, or are planning to visit, some of our sites you will see that they have been lit up in red as an act of remembrance.