Birmingham
Early June saw us in Birmingham where our consultation and co-production phase was kick started by some powerful and insightful conversations.
We were very happy to welcome both women veterans and the service providers who support them to the initial sessions, providing interesting discussion and important diversity in perspectives.
We were thankful to Op Courage Midlands for hosting us as we enjoyed a relaxed session, with coffee and cake, starting with a gentle ice-breaker – inviting women to embrace their creative side to convey ‘what matters most?’ when it comes to support service branding (budding Picassos and stick men were equally embraced).
Service branding and imagery stood out as an important area of discussion for women at both focus group sessions. Whilst recognising the challenges for services to ensure all women feel like they are represented, including ‘hidden veterans’, the importance of services acknowledging this within their efforts was crucial.
A recurring theme throughout discussions was
the important of choice, flexibility and offering a tailored service
for women, reinforcing that whilst women veterans have distinct
needs, they are not a one-size-fits-all group.
Women also expressed their frustrations at the assumptions
people often make about their service history and talked about
the importance of gender-specific health provision, such as
understanding women’s caring responsibilities.
Some unexpected highlights included hearing about examples of
best practice, such as healthcare settings with a really good
understanding of military culture, and how this could be
achieved through organisational training.
We are very grateful to the participants who attended the first sessions who’s meaningful feedback has not only contributed to the toolkit development, but also helped us shape the remaining focus group sessions, across the country in the coming weeks.
It’s vital that all women veterans feel their opinions are valid and welcomed in forming the toolkit so we welcomed the opportunity for women to let us know which topics were most important for us to cover.
In addition to the in-person groups across the country, we have online sessions for those who may prefer to contribute virtually.
If you are a female veteran or have worked with women veterans we would love to hear about your views and experiences, to find out what matters to you, in shaping future services. We look forward to seeing you.
Our thanks to Lisa Barrington for writing this blogpost having kindly volunteered to support our focus group in Birmingham and being a super addition to our team, bringing her experience as an Alcohol Specialist Nurse, currently preparing a PhD proposal about female veteran identity and the impact upon alcohol care.