Meeting the Needs Research Announcement: Greenwich Hospital and the Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund

Greenwich Hospital and the Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund are undertaking a joint and large-scale research project to understand the scope of support required to meet the needs of serving and former Royal Navy and Royal Air Force personnel and their families.

The research will deliver an up-to-date assessment of the size, shape and demographic profiles of both Services, with an equal focus on the serving and former serving populations to ensure future funding is directed towards anticipating and meeting their needs effectively up to 2040.

While the MOD publishes bi-annual statistics on the age, gender and ethnicity of each Service, there are challenges in understanding how this impacts the size, shape and demographics of both the RN and RAF families and former serving personnel.

The evidence collected will help unlock the needs of serving and non-serving partners to understand their individual requirements and examine the impact of socio-economic trends on the family unit. It will also investigate the effect of the changing nature of warfare on personnel and the specific needs of an increasingly diverse population.

An Advisory Board is operational and comprises RN and RAF welfare, family support and research staff able to guide the direction and development of the project and provide specialist advice and opinion regarding the conduct and delivery of the research.

Rand Europe is appointed to undertake and deliver the research over an 18-month time frame, and Greenwich Hospital and the Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund are jointly funding the project. A final report will be available in early 2025.

Further information is available here: Meeting the Needs of the RAF and RN Family | RAND