
Elena Lewis – Sunday 6th July 2025 – 1100am.
West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS) is proud to announce that we have been reinstated with a Gold Award for the prestigious Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS).
WMAS first gained the Gold Award for supporting the Armed Forces in 2019 and after a reapplication by WMAS last year, the scheme which highlights organisations that go above and beyond to support veterans, reservists and Cadet Force Adult Volunteers in the workplace, has reaccredited our status for another five years.
Not only does WMAS take pride in dedicated Trust policies protecting reservists and cadet volunteers, we also actively recruit ex-service personnel whose attributes often allows them to thrive in the working environment the ambulance service provides.
However, our dedication to veterans does not end with employees. We also actively collaborate with other NHS England organisations to identify patients who are veterans and may need access to support services.
The recognition for the work WMAS does for veterans does not stop there, as last year we were also awarded Veteran Aware accreditation, recognising the work the Trust undertakes to support veterans.
Trust Armed Forces Champion, Tim Atherton said: “I’m immensely proud of the Trust. Often it can be a hard for ex-services personnel to make the transition from serving to civilian life.
“We have done so much work to provide staff with support, including putting veteran champions on all our Hubs, engaging with charitable partners, actively engaging with the armed forces to build relationships and providing protected leave for reservists and cadet leaders.
“While getting this award reinstated is a huge accomplishment, the work is far from done. We’re currently in the process of hosting more engagement events with charities and working with our recruitment and HR teams.
“We’re also dedicated to provide support to our patients who are veterans and we’re working with other organisations within the NHS to provide support.”
Notes to editors:
We have at least 170 reservists, veterans, Cadet Adult Volunteers and Military spouses in the Trust
Less than 8% of organisations in the ERS is credited with a Gold Award.
Ends