Royal Star & Garter has announced bold plans to transform how it supports the Armed Forces community over the next decade, extending its reach across the country.
Building on its history of specialist residential care for veterans, the charity’s long-term ambitions involve substantial investment in national support programmes with the intention of increasing its impact tenfold.
In ‘Transforming care: our strategy from 2026’, Royal Star & Garter has drawn on its expertise in nursing and dementia care, flexing its approach to provide veterans and their families with help appropriate to their needs. Community-based services will reach people at home or in local hubs, including home-based support, rehabilitation therapies, end-of-life care and help in navigating the care sector.
The charity will share its expertise more widely within the sector by building relationships with partners to enable a more effective and efficient offer to the Armed Forces community. Significantly, it will invest in research into veterans’ care and health needs to better inform the sector and to raise standards of care nationally.
Chief Executive Andy Cole OBE explained the motivation behind this new approach:
“Our strategy is about more than expanding our reach, it’s about leading change. We want many more veterans and their families to be able to live well, with the care and support they deserve, now and in the future.
“We asked veterans and their families what matters to them. They tell us they want early support, they want to stay independent for longer, they want to access the right information, and they want to receive care that reflects their lives. We have listened and our strategy is built around these emerging needs, keeping veterans at the heart of everything we do.”
The new strategy also outlines plans to further develop the charity’s residential provision and expand existing services, such as Day Care, Lunch Clubs and a national Telephone Friendship Service, which already support people in their communities. The charity is already working with the Royal British Legion on the Veteran Friendly Framework (VFF), which helps care homes across England provide person-centred care for veterans and their partners, with almost 3,000 people living in care homes already supported. The charity will expand all these services to benefit more members of the Armed Forces community.
Royal Star & Garter Chair Richard Williams MC said:
“We know that many veterans are proud, capable and often fiercely independent members of communities up and down the country. But that sometimes means that when they face challenges – whether that’s loneliness, declining health, or difficulty living independently – they often don’t access the right support when they need it. Our new strategy is about getting out into communities and recognising the commitment our Armed Forces have made to this country by ensuring our specialist care is there on their doorstep and before they need to come into one of our amazing Homes. By investing in these new services and growing our reach, Royal Star & Garter can ensure more veterans live healthier, more connected and more fulfilling lives long after their service has ended.”
Michael served in the RAF and lives at a Royal Star & Garter Home. He said:
“As a veteran, I know how easy it can be to not ask for help. Royal Star & Garter understands that. By reaching more veterans and their partners at home and in the local community, more people will get support before they reach crisis point. That’s good for veterans, good for families and good for the whole Armed Forces community.”
Margaret’s father served in the RAF but sadly died leaving her mother alone who then moved into a Royal Star & Garter Home after being diagnosed with dementia. Speaking about the new strategy, Margaret said:
“When you look at the size of the Armed Forces community, there will be a considerable number of people that don’t know where to go to get the support they need. The new services being proposed by Royal Star & Garter are something Dad would’ve tapped into as a veteran, especially after Mum developed dementia. He would have appreciated having someone there who could offer help and answer practical questions. I think it will be great to see the kind of care and support that my Mum now receives being made available to veterans and their partners who are not lucky enough to live near a Royal Star & Garter Home.”
And the relative of a veteran also praised the ground-breaking strategy, saying:
“Having choices – something that helps you stay independent for longer – would make all the difference.”
For more information on Royal Star & Garter’s new strategy, go to www.starandgarter.org/strategy
