WCC Access to health services and support for female veterans

The Council is looking to procure a service to deliver the female veteran transformation programme at a local level with a specific focus on the health of female veterans. In this context 'health' is recognised as physical, mental and the wider determinants of health such as housing, employment, finances etc. Specific female veteran issues of bullying, harassment, discrimination and sexually inappropriate behaviour plus issues of LGBTQ and the ban in Service life are recognised as related to mental health.

The service is to support local organisations (statutory and VCSE) in implementing the FVTP toolkit and the use of the FVTP Self-assessment tool. Outcomes of this would be to: • Raise awareness of the needs and issues of female veterans in health settings or a health context • Improve ability of organisations to 'Ask the question' and record the answer thus increasing the identification of and support to female veterans • Provide a means by which the health needs and issues of women veterans may be evidenced to the local Integrated Care Board and relevant commissioners/deliverers of services to women • Through promotion of this work identify and support female veterans to engage within their organisation and/or this project to input and co-produce any resources, training, awareness raising etc. • The number of organisations taking up this opportunity and the changes/impact on the behaviours, systems, procedures and processes within the organisation • Increase collaboration and referrals of female veterans amongst organisations participating, in particular those who are part of the Coventry, Solihull and Warwickshire Armed Forces Covenant Partnership.

This service is not expected to case manage women veterans who are identified as a part of this work but would be expected to appropriately refer to any relevant agency, including supporting the veteran through this process if the need arises. As there is limited funding for this work it is recognised that there will be a limit to the number of organisations who could be supported.

Where over-subscribed the focus should be on organisations who will have the biggest impact on women veterans' health and/or services delivered in areas of high deprivation. Most areas of deprivation are in the north of the county.

Ideally, the Service Provider will have an element of 'lived experience' of female veterans in the delivery of this project. This could be a collaboration of one or more agencies working together.