Published on: 14 June 2018
Army veteran, Andrew Armstrong, is starting a new career in healthcare at City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust thanks to a national programme helping to provide a pathway from the armed forces to the NHS.
Andrew, 30 who lives in Gateshead, served for 11 years as a Corporal in The Rifles, an infantry regiment in the British Army. As he approached the end of his career, he attended a ‘Step into Health’ event hosted by the Trust aimed at helping ex-service men and women and their spouses and dependents find employment within the NHS.
After applying through the Careers Transition Partnership, Andrew was offered a role as a Health Care Assistant at Sunderland Royal Hospital working on an elderly care ward specialising in dementia and delirium.
Andrew said: “One of the best things about the army is the dynamic and the way you constantly have to adapt to different situations. When it came to changing career, I knew I wanted to work with people and having completed an NVQ Level 3 in Emergency Care Assistance and volunteering with St John’s Ambulance, the NHS seemed a logical choice.
“Being in the armed forces gives you a lot of transferable skills that are valuable in healthcare, including professionalism, discipline, punctuality and commitment. In the military you have to be prepared for anything and situations can change very quickly meaning that you have to keep a cool head. This is also similar in the NHS and I am looking forward to developing my role with City Hospitals Sunderland in the future.”
City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust pledged its support to the Step into Health Programme earlier this year following its Gold Award from the Ministry of Defence for being an armed forces friendly employer. The trust has around 15 reservists working across a range of disciplines and actively encourages its staff to get involved in initiatives that support the military.
HRH Prince William, Duke of Cambridge officially launched the national rollout of the Step into Health Programme in January at a ceremony in London attended by Trust Chief Executive, Ken Bremner and Director of HR and Organisational Development, Kath Griffin.
Kath, who is also Armed Forces Champion for the Trust, said: “We are very proud to be an armed forces friendly organisation and to support the men and women who serve and protect our country. We have a number of staff who are also reservists and they make a valuable contribution to the Trust in terms of the diverse knowledge and experience they bring to their role. Through the Step into Health Programme, we are able to support ex-service men and women and their families into employment, which gives them the opportunity to develop a new career and make use of their fantastic skill sets and aptitude to working in fast paced and changing environments. We are delighted to have Andrew on board and hope that he is the first of many service leavers to join us at Sunderland and South Tyneside NHS Foundation Trusts in the future.”
The Step into Health Programme was created because the NHS recognises the transferable skills and cultural values that Armed Forces personnel develop when serving, and how they are compatible with those required within NHS roles. Careers are not limited to just frontline roles, they also include maintenance, administration, finance, HR and management. The Trust also offers opportunities for work placements for service leavers. To find out more about the Step into Health Programme email work.experience@stft.nhs.uk.
