It maintains four recovery centres which were run by Help for Heroes Recovery, a linked charity funded by Help for Heroes.
Serious concerns were covered in the national media, and investigated by the Charity Commission, about the services provided at one of the recovery centres. These ranged from governance concerns over safeguarding and complaints policies, to allegations of confidential data breaches, to accusations of bullying and pay-offs to former employees.
The report concluded that while there were safeguarding and other policies in place, these were not routinely used. However, the trustees had already started on a full review programme, with help from third party experts.
A merger was also already underway to create better oversight of operations. The Commission monitored the restructuring and on 1 April 2016 the charities merged to become Help for Heroes.
The trustees had the data breach complaint investigated using an external third party and an appeal upheld the decision in the charity's favour. The trustees had followed the correct procedures, including filing a serious incident report to the Commission.
There were a significant settlement payments made to former employees. However, the trustees demonstrated that all settlements were made having followed the correct procedures and were in the interests of the charity.
The high-profile case is an example of trustees working well with the Commission and demonstrating a willingness to improve their charity's governance. The case report highlights: