Initiative launches to help thousands of veterans

GP practices are being encouraged to become veterans friendly, ex-services personnel are being invited to make their GP aware

A new initiative has been launched today to improve veterans’ access to healthcare services, after new data found that thousands of former armed services personnel in London may be silently struggling with their health.

The initiative, launched by the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) in conjunction with NHS England and the Office for Veterans’ Affairs (OVA), aims to encourage more GP practices in London to sign-up to become ‘Veteran Friendly’. It is part of a wider government campaign to encourage veterans to seek help and let their GP practice know they’ve served, and raise awareness of the support available to them.

The newly-commissioned study of nearly 5,000 veterans in England found that over half (53%) of respondents based in London have experienced a mental or physical health issue potentially related to their service since leaving the armed forces – four in five of those (80%)stating that their condition had deteriorated during this time.

Despite this, one in five (20%) of those veterans based in London who have experienced service-related issues after leaving the armed forces have not sought help from a healthcare professional. The most common reasons given nationally for not seeking help were that they ‘prefer to manage their issues on their own’ (30%) and believe a civilian health professional ‘won’t understand their experiences’ (15%).

However, the findings showed that three in five veterans (60%) in London would be more likely to seek help for any issues they might experience if they knew their GP practice was signed up to the Veteran Friendly Accreditation scheme, which was launched by the RCGP and NHS England in 2018. The free support programme helps practices to deliver the best possible care and treatment for patients who have served in the UK armed forces.

As part of this new initiative, the RCGP is encouraging more practices in London to take the quick and simple step of signing up to the programme, which provides busy practice teams with a simple process for identifying, understanding and supporting veterans and, where appropriate, referring them to dedicated veterans physical and mental health and wellbeing services, such as Op COURAGE: The Veterans Mental Health and Wellbeing Service and Op RESTORE: The Veterans Physical Health and Wellbeing Service.

This story is published by Barnet Post, Barnet's free monthly newspaper and free news website. We are a not-for-profit publication, published by a small social enterprise. We have no rich backers and rely on the support of our readers. Donate or become a supporter.

Latest data suggests there are just over 100,000 veterans – defined as anyone who has served a day or more in the armed forces – in London and 1.74m living in England– with research showing that they may have unique health needs as a result of their service. Common health issues can include musculoskeletal (MSK) disorders, pain, mental health problems, drug and alcohol misuse, adjustment disordersand hearing issues. However, while the average GP practice sees a veteran patient every day, almost half (47%) of practices may be unaware of how many of their patients are veterans.

To date, 231 of the 1,156 GP practices in London are accredited.

Minister of State for Veterans’ Affairs, Johnny Mercer, said: “Providing veterans with access to the very best health care is a fundamental part of mine and this government’s ambition to make this the best country in the world to be a veteran, with the RCGP and NHS England’s Veteran Friendly Accreditation scheme playing a pivotal role in supporting this.

“With this new research showing that veterans are more likely to seek help if they know their practice is Veteran Friendly Accredited, I’m urging those practices that are yet to sign up to take the quick and simple step to ensure they’re able to deliver the best possible care and support to the veteran community.

“I encourage all veterans to contact their GP and identify themselves as a veteran, as doing so will help to ensure that they receive the support that’s right for them. It will also mean that they can access the specialist NHS health services that exist for them should they need to, such as Op COURAGE.”

Veterans can find out more about the support they can receive by telling their GP practice they have served and by visiting www.nhs.uk/veterans.

The Post needs you. No matter how small, your support makes a difference

Barnet Post is a community newspaper that holds authority to account, highlights inequality, promotes good causes, and provides a platform for local people. We do real local news with no paywalls, free to read for all. We can only do this with the continued support of our readers. If you can afford to, please consider supporting us with a small monthly or one-off contribution..

Monthly direct debit

£5 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else, £10 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else and a print copy posted to them each month.