Introduction
A military veteran is someone who has served in the British Armed Forces for just one day or more. About 18,000 service personnel move back into civilian life every year and whilst most of these individuals have the same or similar levels of health to the general public, around 2,000 leave on medical grounds. The top reasons for medical discharge are for issues relating to back, knees, mental health and hearing.
Maybush Medical Centre recognises the value and contribution that the Armed Forces brings to our business and our country. We acknowledge that the healthcare needs of veterans can be different from other patients. For example, they may:
- miss the structure, support and friendship of the forces
- find the transition to life outside the military stressful
Our named clinical leads and veteran champions, Dr S Hayat and Dr A Hayat, are committed to providing NHS health care to military veterans and their families. This includes recognising the early signs of mental health problems and providing access to early treatment and support as well as therapeutic treatment for complex mental health difficulties and psychological trauma. Furthermore, we pledge to capture better data to improve the future health provision for veterans.
Veteran Friendly Accreditation
Over the coming years, NHS England and NHS Improvement, together with the Royal College of General Practitioners, are rolling out the veteran friendly accreditation scheme. This scheme supports Practices to deliver the best possible care and treatment for veterans and their families by providing staff training and raising more awareness. The aim is to give you and our Practice the tools to identify, understand, support and treat veterans, and where appropriate refer them to dedicated NHS services such as:
- the Veterans’ Mental Health Complex Treatment Service (CTS)
- the Veterans’ Mental Health Transition, Intervention and Liaison service (TILS)
- the Veterans Trauma Network
Been accredited also means that the NHS is better able to meet the health commitments of the Armed Forces Covenant, which says:
“the Armed Forces community, including veterans, should face no disadvantage in accessing health services and should receive priority care for military attributable conditions, subject to clinical need”.
One patient told us:
“when I left the navy on medical grounds I didn’t know how to register with a GP nor how my medical records would transfer. I developed hearing difficulties whilst serving which made it difficult for me to remain active. On medical discharge the GP didn’t recognise or understand my military related health condition because my military medical records were vague. What I needed was to access proper hearing assessment and support but the delay caused me unnecessary anxiety. It’s a welcomed relief to know that General Practice is working with this community to improve access to timely healthcare”
Maybush Medical Centre is proud to be accredited as a Veteran Friendly Practice. In being so, we hope to see more veterans registering at our Practice, and then seeking help by engaging with our clinical team. If you are a veteran please let us know!
More Information
Further support and advice can be sought from the Armed Forces Covenant
Click here to download a copy of the veterans top tips leaflet