Welcome to our Practice

Howden Medical Centre is proud to be an Armed Forces veteran friendly accredited GP practice. As part of the Armed Forces Covenant, we have a clinical lead for veteran health. They have a comprehensive understanding of the Armed Forces, health conditions linked to service and will provide dedicated support for veterans.

Across England, there are over 1000 veteran friendly accredited GP Practices to help ensure that patients who are ex Armed Forces get the best possible care. The NHS has a duty to support the health commitments of the Armed Forces Covenant. This means that veterans will get priority treatment for any medical condition which has been caused by service, subject to clinical need.

A veteran is someone who has served in the British Armed Forces (Regular or Reserve) for at least one day. Veterans also include any member of the Merchant Marine who has served in a war zone. This includes crew from convoys in World War 2 and more recently in the Falklands conflict and Gulf Wars.

The Practice supports the government's 'Zero Tolerance' campaign for Health Service Staff. This states that GPs and their staff have a right to care for others without fear of being attacked or abused. To successfully provide these services a mutual respect between all staff and patients must be in place. Our staff aim to be polite, helpful, and sensitive to all patients’ individual needs and circumstances. 

They would respectfully remind patients that very often staff could be confronted with a multitude of varying and sometimes difficult tasks and situations, all at the same time. Staff understand that ill patients do not always behave in a rational manner and take this into consideration when dealing with a misunderstanding or complaint.