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Covenant support for the Armed Forces community: Healthcare

In healthcare, Covenant support for the Armed Forces community includes the following:thumbnail of AFC-Benefits-pages-7

“I don’t know about about the local NHS services available, due to the Armed Forces regularly relocating us”

The local variability in services could lead to a lack of knowledge amongst the Armed Forces community of the healthcare and support services available to them in their new local area. This could affect their ability to access these services.

Find out about NHS information and support for Armed Forces families. This includes healthcare advice for you and your family when relocating within the UK or returning home from an overseas posting.

Also, Mental health support for the UK armed forces provides mental health guidance for Service families. The support available includes Togetherall (previously known as the Big White Wall), a mental health support service. Also, HeadFit for Life is a mental fitness tool designed specifically for the Armed Forces community.

“I don’t know about the NHS services available, as the Armed Forces have always provided me with healthcare”

Find out about:

Find out about accessing NHS healthcare while in active service, and NHS information and support for Armed Forces families. This includes healthcare advice for you and your family when relocating within the UK or returning home from an overseas posting.

Also, Mental health support for the UK armed forces provides mental health guidance for Service personnel. The support available includes Togetherall (previously known as the Big White Wall), a mental health support service. Also, HeadFit for Life is a mental fitness tool designed specifically for the Armed Forces community.

“I have a health issue arising from Service”

NHS England’s Op RESTORE, previously known as the Veterans Trauma Network, supports veterans with Service-related physical injury and illness to access appropriate care. The Network works alongside Op COURAGE. The Network provides personalised treatment within the NHS, staffed by military and civilian clinicians who understand the military environment and specialise in military healthcare, and assists families and carers of veterans with physical health problems to access appropriate support services.

The Integrated Personal Commissioning for Veterans Framework (IPC4V) is a personalised care approach for a very small number of veterans with complex and enduring physical, neurological and mental health conditions resulting from injury whilst in Service. The bespoke care they receive ensures they are effectively supported as they transition to civilian life and beyond.

Op COURAGE is NHS England’s bespoke mental health treatment pathway for veterans. This comprises the Mental Health Transition and Liaison Service, High Intensity Service, and Complex Treatment Service. Op COURAGE is a national scheme that sees NHS staff working with those in the Service charity sector to deliver therapy, rehabilitation services and, in extreme cases, inpatient care, to hundreds of veterans each year. Those needing urgent help receive same-day referrals. Working with charities helps NHS staff understand the experiences and issues faced by veterans. It also provides a clear pathway for veterans to access, and helps veterans with mental ill health to integrate back into everyday life. It offers a range of treatments and support for veterans and those due to be discharged from the Armed Forces. 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.

The Veterans NHS Wales service is a specialised, priority service for veterans in Wales experiencing mental health difficulties resulting from their Service in the Armed Forces. The service was formed in response to the specific and evolving needs of veterans. Not only does the service tackle the disadvantage resulting from their time in the Armed Forces, it also provides specific treatment pathways for unique conditions. NHS Wales also operates a Veterans Trauma Network.

Veterans First Point provides a similar service for veterans living in Scotland.

Also, Mental health support for the UK armed forces provides mental health guidance for former Service personnel. The support available includes Togetherall (previously known as the Big White Wall), a mental health support service. Also, HeadFit for Life is a mental fitness tool designed specifically for the Armed Forces community.

“I have a health issue arising from Service. What is the NHS’s priority treatment commitment?”

Members of the Armed Forces Community might suffer physical or mental injuries caused by the unique obligations and sacrifices of danger and stress. The prioritisation of their care by healthcare providers is always subject to clinical need and will be clinically determined. Members of the Armed Forces Community are not entitled to jump the queue ahead of someone with a higher clinical need. However, there is a commitment that veterans in Great Britain may be considered for priority access to NHS services providing focused treatment for conditions arising from their Service, compared to non-Service patients with the same level of clinical need. This is a clinical decision made by the relevant physician. More information about prioritisation, and veteran-specific services through the NHS, is available for England, Wales and Scotland.

Covenant case studies: Priority treatment

“I wait longer for treatment, because the Armed Forces have relocated us while I’m on an NHS waiting list”


Video used with permission of the BFBS.

Service families on a waiting list for treatment, or other health services, in one area might be required to move to another area before they are treated. If they are placed at the back of their new waiting list, the Service family might experience delays in receiving treatment. They might have to wait significantly longer for treatment than civilian families who can stay in one place. If these waits are further exacerbated by subsequent moves, the Service family could wait years for treatment.

While the fundamental NHS principle of treatment on the basis of clinical need remains paramount, healthcare staff should be aware that patients from the Armed Forces Community might have already waited a considerable time for treatment in another locality and that their relocation might not have been made by choice. As such, healthcare staff may wish to consider total time spent on waiting lists, both inside and outside the local area, and ensure that the Service family keeps its relative place on the waiting list in their new area, when possible.

Please see NHS information and support for Armed Forces families, which has a section on waiting lists.

Covenant case studies: Waiting lists

Wider sources of information

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