HEE working to support staff who are reservists

A reservist is a person who is a member of a military reserve force. They are otherwise civilians, and in peacetime have careers outside the military, with a large number of these careers in the NHS.

As you may have read in the Mandate, HEE has a role to play in working closely with the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and LETBs to implement Future Reserves 2020. HEE will work with employers, LETBs and other stakeholders to support reservists to have time off for training and possible deployment. HEE are also developing guidance on how it will support reservists working within the organisation. We will also be working with LETBs and their members to support wider volunteering activity and to maximise the learning benefits from all such activity.

Our Chairman, Sir Keith Pearson, is very passionate about the forces through his own personal links and roles outside HEE. You can read more about Keith’s links and his ambitions for reservists in the following article written for NHS Employers.

In this article Keith commented:

The NHS employs a significant number of staff who are volunteers in the Reserve Forces, giving up their time to train and serve alongside the Regular Forces. These exceptionally committed individuals bring a wealth of highly transferable skills to the NHS including decision making, communication, leadership and team building, and the ability to work under the utmost pressure. These are people we should truly value.