Lara looks back on her proudest achievement after win at the Annual Awards
Medical Directors Office Manager, Lara Raworth, has reflected on the “pinnacle” of her achievements in being presented with the Behind the Scenes Award at our Annual Making a Difference Awards for her work with the UHDB’s Armed Forces Network (AFN) back in October.
UHDB’s AFN was founded in 2020 with the aim of supporting colleagues and patients from the defence community and ensure that their voices are heard.
Lara joined the network in March 2021 and has gone on to become a key member of their team and a driving force behind some key achievements, including UHDB being accredited as Veteran Aware by the Veterans Covenant Healthcare Alliance (VCHA) in November 2021 and being awarded the Gold Award in the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme in 2022. In addition, Lara has also delivered speeches at national events showcasing the work of the AFN and is working with other NHS trusts to build a wider network of support groups for military personnel.
Recap on UHDB’s veteran aware status here >
Learn more about UHDB’s Gold Award by Ministry of Defence >
Lara said: “I would say for me winning the Behind the Scenes Award is my proudest achievement. The nomination was lovely and seeing the cross section of people that have been on the journey with us all come together, for me, was the pinnacle of it all, as it pulled together all the hard work that goes into the Network. It was everybody’s thoughts and comments [in the nomination] that got me that award, so it’s hard not to be proud of that!”
The Network meets monthly and to promote best practice and support to all aspects relating to the Armed Forces and healthcare and has more recently expanded its offering to encompass supporting patients as well as UHDB colleagues through the Veteran’s Patient Focus Group.
Lara explained: “We have a very powerful video of a patient who was a veteran and didn’t have a great experience and he’s now part of our Network and comes to some of the meetings, which is brilliant as it brings home the issues and barriers veterans face and helps us to see where we can make changes.”
A new ‘Guaranteed Interview Scheme’ has also been implemented at UHDB, meaning veterans who meet the criteria when applying for vacancies, they are guaranteed an interview or assessment.
Lara added: “Veterans have lots of transferrable skills so it’s about making that transition and the advocacy for them.
“The Network has been fantastic at being able to support one another and I think that’s what I’ve seen as the biggest benefit for staff.”
Despite having already achieved so much, Lara and the AFN have big plans for the future. Plans are afoot to implement an education strategy to support patients and staff from the defence community, and are hoping to appoint an Armed Forces Covenant Lead on a permanent basis, which Lara believes gives the AFN much reason for excitement in the coming months: “There’s so much more we can do as an organisation for our armed forces so it's a really exciting time for the Network.”
VCHA chairman, Prof Tim Briggs CBE, added his congratulations and praised Lara’s selfless work and commitment to the Network. He said: “Lara really deserves this award. Her work has definitely helped in bringing along improvements in care for the armed forces community, while at the same time ensuring they are treated fairly and are not disadvantaged in the care they receive for the service they have delivered to the nation.”