Veteran Friendly

We are a Veteran Friendly Accredited Practice and Dr D Royal is our Lead GP for Veterans.

Click here for the Armed Forces Directory of services

Vet Friendly

Veteran Friendly Accrediitation

What is a veteran

  • Served in armed forces for one day or more.
  • Also reservists
  • Some don’t like to be asked if they are a veteran.
  • Ask patient - have they ever served in the armed forces
  • Most health needs are the same
  • Differences on a later slide
  • Transition is often a difficult time

Health needs of veterans (brief summary)

  • Possible alcohol or substance misuse
  • Possible depression/anxiety/PTSD
  • Possible injuries from active service
  • Consider families especially impact on children and partners
  • Transition – seeking health care maybe a challenge, they may not be registered and processes different from army.
  • Old notes may not have been transferred over from the army.
  • If still in service may not want to disclose certain things as this could impact on their job in the military.

To learn more about the above there is training on the RCGP website

What do we need to do as a practice?

  • Identify veterans when they register and code in notes.
  • ‘Have you every served in the British Armed Forces?’
  • Universal code to be used by all clinicians and admin.
  • Signpost identified veterans to support folder which is located in reception.
  • Signpost to specialist services (later slides)
  • To follow the Covenant (later slide)
  • When writing referral letters mention the Covenant within the referrals if applies.
  • The practice needs to have a clinical lead
  • Lasts 3 years.
  • Personal care plan for complex patients.

Armed Forces Covenant

  • The Armed Forces Covenant is about fair treatment. For most of the Armed Forces community, the Covenant is about removing disadvantage; so that they get the same access to services as the civilian community. The Armed Forces Covenant sets out the relationship between the nation, the government and the Armed Forces. It recognises that the whole nation has a moral obligation to members of the Armed Forces and their families, and it establishes how they should expect to be treated.
  • The Covenant’s two principles are that:
  • the Armed Forces community should not face disadvantage compared to other citizens in the provision of public and commercial services in the area where they live;
  • special consideration is appropriate in some cases, especially for those who have given most such as the injured and the bereaved.’
  • Copied from https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/armed-forces/armed-forces-coven/
  • Gov document can be found at https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/49469/the_armed_forces_covenant.pdf
  • To ensure the armed forces community gets the same care as the rest of general public
  • If family move location and on an NHS waiting list this should be transferred over so not waiting longer.
  • If a veterans condition relates to service they maybe entitled to ‘priority treatment’ so worth mentioning the covenant and that served in military in referral letters.
  • Military health records can be accessed with patients consent. The  details of how to do this are in RCGP toolkit.

Support Services