BRITISH Army officers and soldiers have volunteered to mentor NHS leaders to help them respond to the pressures of the Covid-19 pandemic.

More than 130 members of NHS England staff have been mentored by Army personnel with advice on leadership, dealing with uncertainty, decision making and planning under pressure.

The mentoring support began in June 2020 and has continued throughout the pandemic.

The Army mentors all have recent experience of military deployments or commanding troops and are able to draw on their experiences serving on evolving operations and in crisis situations to support NHS staff.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said: “The Armed Forces have worked relentlessly in support of the NHS throughout the pandemic, from distributing PPE and carrying out tests to administering vaccine doses.

"The British Army’s NHS mentoring programme shows the sheer breadth of expertise the Armed Forces can offer to help their country respond to all manner of threats.”

Lieutenant Colonel Joanna Munce, an Army officer at Sandhurst and the programme designer and coordinator, said: “It’s been such a privilege to assist NHS leaders and share the Army’s expertise with them.

“The NHS is at the front line in this crisis and it’s an honour to be able to offer its staff some support.

"Serving as an Army officer has given me experience in responding to crises and coping with unfolding situations, and I’m really pleased I’ve been able to develop a programme which shares the Army’s knowledge and experience with the NHS.”

The NHS has leaders in every area of its operations, from medical professionals to logisticians.

The Army has been able to help them develop their self-awareness, confidence and team working skills to allow their focus to remain on their primary roles.

NHS England approached the British Army for mentoring support after being inspired by the book Stand Up Straight: 10 Life Lessons from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.

Major General Paul Nanson (retired), the author of the book and former commandant of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, said: “The British Army offers world-class training and leadership to its troops and I’m so proud it was able to share this expertise with the NHS at a time of unprecedented pressure.

"The NHS mentoring programme is just one of many ways the Army can help the UK respond to crises such as these.”

Major General Duncan Capps CBE, commandant of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, said: “I am delighted the British Army has been able to work so closely with NHS England during this crisis.

"There is a huge amount we can learn from each other as leaders, and this mentoring scheme continues to be of great benefit to mentors and mentees alike.”

The Army trained 160 volunteers from across the service to mentor their colleagues in the NHS. The NHS also worked with the Army to adapt some of its training material to include Army expertise.

These two world-class institutions have worked together throughout the pandemic to meet the unprecedented challenges caused by the coronavirus.

The Armed Forces have shared their expertise in logistics, planning and distribution and medical care to support the NHS response right across the country.