Scheme for Wirral veterans 'silently struggling' with health

Set up by the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) in conjunction with NHS England and the Office for Veterans' Affairs, its purpose is to encourage more GP practices across the borough to sign-up to become "Veteran Friendly".

It is part of a wider government campaign to encourage veterans who are 'silently struggling' with their health to seek help and let their GP practice know they've served, and raise awareness of the support available to them.

It was launched after new data found hundreds of former armed services personnel in Wirral may be silently struggling with their health.

Latest data suggests there are 13,301 veterans – defined as anyone who has served a day or more in the armed forces - in Wirral, 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 disorders and 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 veterans5.

As part of the new initiative, the RCGP is encouraging more practices on Wirral 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.

One example of a former member of the UK armed forces who has benefitted from being able to access the right support after sharing his service with his Veteran Friendly Accredited practice is Army veteran Jon Lynn, a patient at Orchard Surgery in Bromborough.

He said: "After I left the military, I really struggled with both my mental and physical health and was at my lowest point when I eventually decided to seek help from my GP practice and share my service experiences.

Army veteran Jon Lynn, a patient at Orchard Surgery in Bromborough (Image: Evergreen PR)

"They immediately understood my needs and issues and were able to quickly refer me to the specialist health services that exist for veterans, where I was diagnosed with PTSD and given help and support to confront and manage both my mental and physical conditions.

Veteran Jon Lynn and his wife ( (Image: Evergreen PR)

"I firmly believe that having access to a Veteran Friendly Accredited GP practice and sharing my status as a veteran saved my life as well as my marriage, enabling me to quickly and easily get the help and support I desperately needed.

"There are lots of veterans like me who are silently struggling with health issues, and I’d encourage all practices to sign up to the scheme, it could make a life-saving difference to your patients who have served in the armed forces.”

Dr Jonathan Leach OBE, NHS England Associate Medical Director for Armed Forces and Veterans Health, said: "Jon's story is a powerful example of why it’s so important that veterans tell their GP practice they have served, and why practices should sign up to the Veteran Friendly Accreditation scheme.

Dr Jonathan Leach OBE, NHS England Associate Medical Director for Armed Forces and Veterans Health (Image: Evergreen PR)"Not only does the free programme support practice teams to deliver the best health outcomes for their veteran patients, but it also saves busy practice staff precious time by enabling them to more quickly and effectively identify, understand and support veterans - reducing the need for repeat appointments and shortening waiting times for diagnosis and treatments."

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.

Minister of state for veterans' affairs, Johnny Mercer (Image: Evergreen PR)

"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.

Practice teams can learn more and get their practice Veteran Friendly Accredited by visiting rcgp.org.uk/veterans.