AFFIRM - Planning for the Unplanned

Work with unplanned Public Sector services across Scotland - including A&E departments, the fire service and the police - to improve understanding of the Veteran community. They will evaluate interventions, enhance partnership working and promote training about the Covenant and the support and care available to Veterans. AFFIRM will ensure that key responders record when someone has served and facilitate connection to the appropriate support systems available.

The project will improve understanding, evaluate intervention, enhance partnership working, promote training about the Covenant and the support and care available to veterans to unplanned Public Sector Services across Scotland. AFFIRM will ensure that key responders record when someone has served and facilitate connection to the appropriate support systems available. 

The study will be conducted in three individual but integrated phases. 

Phase 1-Scoping and Mapping Exercise 

To inform phase 2 Awareness Raising we need to comprehend and map the current landscape in which veterans present in crisis for unscheduled care. This will involve conducting a comprehensive review of the existing literature relating to veterans use of the emergency services and ongoing care provision and an examination of the effectiveness of current data gathering, monitoring, and assessment tools used by the unplanned public sector services, including an exploration of engagement techniques and activities to understand current practices. A mixed method phased approach to data collection and analysis will be employed to allow for scoping, exploration, and explanation achieved using questionnaires, interviews, and focus groups of Veterans, Service Providers and Family members. unplanned Services includes Scottish Ambulance Service, Police Scotland (focusing on custody suites); A & E Departments and Minor Injury Units; Fire Service. 

Phase 2 -Awareness Raising and Education 

We will then map the current care pathways offered to understand baseline and to identify key partnerships and gaps review current training initiatives and update, develop, and implement a programme of training for identified personnel and conduct an evaluation of its effectiveness. Our awareness raising module will explain the context for why this question is important and how we capture this information. We will work with the relevant unscheduled care partners to ensure that information recording systems include the question ‘are you or have you ever served as a member of his Majesty’s Armed Forces is addressed in assessment stages and we will work with Public Services Information recording system to ensure the question and response is added to the electronic record. Monitoring and assessment of the developments will be measured Data will be gathered and evaluated in relation to different interventions. Responses will be used to examine perceptions of the various interventions offered. Findings will address areas of ‘gaps,’ positive opportunities to develop and embed interventions and themes related to perceptions and expectations. Recommendations will be provided as to how the key outcomes can be developed into a plan to mainstream and sustain the interventions.

Phase 3 -Verification and Dissemination of Key Findings

Across the UK through Advisory Board membership, appreciative inquiry workshops with key stakeholders, co-creation workshops with veterans and their families, and other key informants. Conference presentations and journal articles will ensure international dissemination.

Veterans
Veterans Under 25 (Early Service Leavers) (Veterans)
Veterans 25 - 40 (Veterans)
Veterans 40-65 (Veterans)
Veterans 65+ (Veterans)