Military Veterans

Armed Forces veteran friendly accredited GP practice logo

Armed Forces Veteran Support and Information

We are proud to be an Armed Forces veteran friendly accredited practice.  The Patient Charter highlights our commitment to you as a veteran of the UK Armed Forces and is available here:

You may find the Veteran Top Tips Leaflet useful.

Services

Mental health support for veterans, service leavers and reservists (including Op COURAGE).

For further information, please visit NHS: Mental health support for veterans, service leavers and reservists.

Togetherall

Our veteran patients have free access to Togetherall, which is a safe anonymous online community where members can share what’s on their mind, take comfort reading the thoughts of others or browse the many resources available.

Togetherall provides:

  • A supportive online community – moderated by professionals at all times (BACP members or equivalent)
  • An anonymous space, free from stigma or judgement.
  • A safe place to talk at any time of the day or night.
  • A library of self-help materials, including structured online courses on topics such as managing depression, improving sleep and a ‘managing PTSD’ course, which has been specifically designed to support the Armed Forces.

The Togetherall service is free for veterans and can be accessed immediately through a computer or mobile device at www.togetherall.com

Personalised Care for Veterans

Veterans who have a complex and life-long health condition may be eligible for the veterans personalised care programme, which seeks to give individuals more choice and control over how their care is planned and delivered.

Veterans will have a personalised care plan based on what matters to them and which they help to develop. They may also be eligible for a personal budget to pay for some of the care and support they need.

Access to this programme of care, means that veterans should also get more support in the community and access to a range of help, such as emotional and practical support from people who have similar health conditions or disabilities. This is in addition to being supported to access dedicated services, such as Op COURAGE and the VTN. Applications should be made to the person’s local integrated care system.

For more information, please visit NHS England: Personalised care for veterans.

Please also see the Personalised Care for Veterans in England Leaflet.

Prosthetics

The Veterans’ Prosthetics Panel (VPP) was established in 2012 as a way of ensuring that veterans can access high quality prosthetics regardless of which Disablement Service Centre (DSC) they attend. This additional funding is available only to veterans who have lost a limb whilst in military service.

A veteran who has left the Armed Forces, but whose limb loss is attributable to an injury sustained whilst in service, also qualifies. Veterans who lose limbs after they leave the military or suffer limb loss whilst in the military, but not in a service attributable incident, such as in a civilian road traffic accident, will continue to access services as usual through their local DSC.

The additional funding for eligible veterans is for treatment that would not typically be provided by the NHS, for example higher specification prostheses than are normally available on the NHS. Funding is approved on a case-by-case basis, with DSCs making individual funding applications to the VPP, which set out the expected requirement and benefit if the request is supported. More information is available at NHS: Veterans, service leavers, and non-mobilised reservists.

Eligible veterans are also able to access the Complex Prosthetics Assessment Clinic (CPAC), which is run by Defence Medical Rehabilitation services. CPAC supports veterans with particularly complex prosthetic socket needs who have previously been seen at the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre at Headley Court.

Veterans Covenant Health Alliance (VCHA)

The VCHA aims to improve NHS care for the Armed Forces community by supporting trusts, health boards and other providers to identify, develop and showcase the best standards of care.

Over 70 trusts have already been accredited as ‘Veteran Aware’, having demonstrated their commitment to eight core manifesto standards, including signing the Armed Forces Covenant, raising awareness of veterans’ healthcare needs among staff, and establishing links with local support providers.

The VCHA is working with many more trusts to achieve accreditation. For
further information, visit the Veteran Aware website.

Veterans Gateway

24/7 phone-line for welfare needs including housing, finances, employment, physical and mental wellbeing.

The Veterans’ Gateway is made up of a consortium of organisations and Armed Forces charities, including The Royal British Legion, SSAFA, Combat Stress and Connect Assist. It is a main point of contact for veterans seeking support, putting them and their families in touch with the organisations best placed to help with the information, advice and support they need – from healthcare and housing to employability, finances, personal relationships and more. For more
information, visit the Veterans’ Gateway website.

Veterans Trauma Network (VTN)

The VTN is for veterans who have physical health problems which have been caused from their time in the Armed Forces. Located in a number of major trauma centres across England, the VTN works closely with DMS, Op COURAGE: The Veterans Mental Health and Wellbeing Service, as well as military charities, to provide specialist care and treatment. Access is via GP referral.

More information regarding NHS services for veterans can be found at NHS: Healthcare for the armed forces community.

Other Services Available

Hearing Loss and Tinnitus Services

In-service (MOD DMS) and veteran (NHS) provided hearing devices are provided to meet a clinical need. Veterans requiring hearing devices and tests should access via their GP and local provision, where NHS providers will be able to take account of service-related hearing issues. Private providers may, at personal cost, be able to provide non-standard equipment and devices.

For more information, please visit NHS: Hearing aids and implants.

Mobility Equipment Support

The Royal British Legion has a Veterans’ Mobility Fund, which provides specialist wheelchairs, orthotic equipment and other mobility related items for veterans who have a service-related serious physical injury and whose needs cannot be met through statutory services. Eligibility for the fund requires the condition to be attributable to service and typically applicants will be in receipt of a War Pension or relevant award under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme. To find out more, visit the Veterans Mobility Fund section on The Royal British Legion website.

Contact

Contact is a group of charitable, support and state organisations that have joined forces to enhance mental health support available to the Armed Forces community. The partnership consists of Big White Wall, Cobseo, Combat Stress, Help for Heroes, The Royal British Legion, Walking With The Wounded, the NHS, the MOD, the UK Psychological Trauma Society and King’s College London. Contact aims to improve collaborative care management, increase instances of help-seeking behaviour, improve service provision, encourage best practice across the sector and improve public knowledge of what support is available and how best to access it. For more information, visit the Contact website.

Cobseo

Cobseo, as the Confederation of Service Charities, offers membership to charities who promote and further the welfare and general interests of the Armed Forces community, subject to fulfilling the membership criteria. Comprising 255 members, Cobseo provides a single point of contact for interaction with the Armed Forces community. For more information, visit the Cobseo website.

Help for Heroes

Help for Heroes provides direct, practical support for wounded, injured and sick service personnel, veterans and their loved ones from any conflict. They have four recovery centres in the UK offering medical care, guidance, support and advice. Patients can self-refer or be referred by a professional. Once referred, an initial assessment will take place within one to two weeks and there is no waiting list for treatment. For further information, visit the Help for Heroes website.

Combat Stress

Combat Stress is the UK’s leading mental health charity for veterans. It provides free specialised clinical treatment and support to ex-servicemen and women across the UK with mental health conditions. Combat Stress has a strategic partnership with the MOD and the Department of Health and Social Care. This enables the charity to work with NHS mental health to develop services suitable for military veterans. For further information, visit the Combat Stress website.

Blesma

Blesma supports limbless veterans to lead independent and fulfilling lives. Blesma is dedicated to assisting serving and ex-service men and women who have suffered life-changing limb loss or the use of a limb, an eye or loss of sight. They support these men and women in their communities throughout the UK and provide centralised assistance to those living overseas.

Blesma works closely with the NHS to ensure the latest advances in the relevant medical fields are converted into practical solutions that can benefit all of their members. They do not provide members prosthetics, but they do help prosthetists develop their skills at undergraduate and PhD level. For further information, visit the Blesma website.

Support for military veterans

Please see below services dedicated to supporting military veterans:

SSAFA provides lifelong support for veterans and their families. If you have ever served in the Army, RAF or Royal Navy, they are here for you and your family when you need help – for life. That is for both regulars and reserves.

Trained volunteers can provide practical and emotional support if and when you need it, so help and advice are close at hand.

It is often the little things that make the most difference – but they are also experienced in dealing with complex problems. Here are some of the ways that they can help you:

  • Housing advice
  • Debt advice
  • Help with mobility
  • Buying household goods
  • Homelessness
  • Support for offenders and ex-offenders
  • Residential housing
  • Help with the loss of a loved one

Online services for military veterans

If you are a veteran, you may find it useful to sign up to online services to manage your appointments, order medication, view test results online etc.