Thousands of military veterans who struggle to get civilian jobs will get £10million boost from the NHS
The new National Heroes’ Service will help those battling booze, drug or mental health problems and will include veteran-friendly GP surgeries and hospitals
THOUSANDS of military veterans who struggle adapting to life on civvy street will get enhanced health care under long-term NHS plan to be unveiled next month.
A new crisis service will be launched to help vulnerable ex-servicemen and women battling booze, drug or mental health problems.
NHS England boss Simon Stevens will announce £10 million worth of specialist support for the armed forces to create a National Heroes’ Service.
It will include veteran friendly GP surgeries and hospitals to make sure former soldiers, sailors and RAF personnel are given treatment and back-up tailored to meet their needs.
The action is being drawn up as part of the 10-year plan for the NHS ordered to ensure the £20billion of extra funding is properly spent.
Mr Stevens has told The Sun on Sunday of his determination to ensure those who put their lives on the line are properly cared for when they return home.
The NHS will expand the new Transition, Intervention and Liaison Service - TILS - to offer intensive support around the clock.
There are about 2.6 million veterans living in the UK and one in 20 will suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. A smaller number will have severe and complex mental health needs.
More veterans will be referred each year to TILS which has already helped almost 5,000 ex-service personnel and their families re-adapt to civilian life since it was launched in April 2017.
The service is designed to help tackle early signs of mental health difficulties and also includes help with alcohol and drug abuse along with social support such as help with employment, housing, relationships and finances.
More than 100 GP surgeries and dozens of hospitals have already signed up to a “Veteran Aware” scheme that makes sure doctors, nurses and other NHS staff take into account what former servicemen and women may have been through when treating them. Others are being encouraged to join up.
Mr Stevens said: “The NHS long-term plan will ensure that the health service will be there for those who have been prepared to give their all for their country.
“Ramping up services will help veterans get the specialist support they need at every level, no matter which NHS service they use across the country.”
As part of plans the NHS will be doubling the capacity of the Complex Treatment Service to treat nearly 1,000 veterans with more complex mental health needs to meet the increasing demand for care.
Kate Davies, director of Armed Forces at NHS England, said: “Our armed forces personnel are an immense source of pride for our county but veterans and their families remain some of our most vulnerable and increasingly need NHS support.
“As part of its long-term plan, the NHS is today stepping up its commitment to those who have courageously served our country meaning more veterans are able to get the specialist care they need, closer to home, which we know they want.
“The new service will be a critical lifeline to those who need it most putting veterans front and centre of future NHS services.”
'Swallow your pride and open up about your demons
PERRY Tatler, aged 29 from New Haven served in the army from 2008 until 2013 and is using his experience with mental health to encourage other ex-service personnel to get the help they need.
Perry was in the Infantry working on the frontline in Afghanistan. He was discharged on medical grounds in 2013 after being shot in both legs during routine patrol in 2011 and signed off with PTSD two years later.
He went on to work in the prison service but over Christmas 2017 his mental health had deteriorated and in the following April, after kissing his two children goodbye, he tried to take his own life.
Nearly seven months later the ex-Army Veteran is still in hospital recovering from a broken back, shoulder and ribs, and a bleed on the brain after being hit by train.
He is now receiving treatment and support from NHS England’s Veteran mental health TIL Service.
His councillor, Ellie, visits once a week. He says: “She’s been brilliant, I’ve never been able to talk about my problems to anyone before.”
Perry also meets his caseworker, Vicky, who has been helping him with his benefits and managing everyday tasks including moving into his new flat in the next couple of weeks.
On getting help, he says: “100 % go to this service because it’s worth it, swallow your pride and open up about your demons. I feel like I’ve been given another chance. Anyone who is suffering please get help because you’re really not alone.”
Op-ed: Plan will honour the debt we owe
The NHS, which turned 70 this year, was born out of the Second World War and a determination to provide those who went through so much with a service worthy of their sacrifice.
We led the world by founding a health service that was free to use.
Today, the NHS remains determined to provide a ‘National Heroes' Service’ for those who were prepared to sacrifice their all for their country.
That is why specialist help for veterans – including a new crisis service - will be ramped up as part of the NHS long-term plan.
Honouring our debt to ex-servicemen and women is just one of the improvements the plan will deliver.
With one in three girls born today set to live to 100, the NHS must ensure everyone has the best possible start in life, with the chance to live and age well.
The NHS long-term plan will improve care for families and the elderly and save hundreds of thousands of lives by upgrading treatment for cancer, heart disease and other big killers.
The NHS is already among the world’s most efficient health services but we’re determined to ensure every penny is wisely spent which is why we are cutting administration costs and curbing prescriptions for items which can be bought cheaply in shops.
Cash saved is going into world-leading treatments such as CAR-T therapy, which re-programmes people’s own immune system to tackle previously untreatable cancer.
The NHS is not perfect, but 70 years on it has a special place in the nation’s heart.
Much of that is down to the skill and dedication of the nurses, doctors and countless other staff.
With their help the long term plan will ensure the NHS is fighting fit and serving people from all walks of life at its 80th birthday.
- By Simon Stevens, NHS England chief executive
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The Sun on Sunday Says
TOO many of our brave Armed Forces find themselves in tough times when they get back to Civvy Street.
So the NHS is dead right to prioritise their care — especially their mental health.
Veterans have put their lives on the line for us and it’s only right that we put everything we’ve got into giving back to them.
Ensuring they are in good shape, in body and brain, will help our brave boys and girls find jobs, homes and families.
It will go a long way to fixing the national disgrace of homeless ex-soldiers.
They are the best of us. Britain must take care of them.