What is a veteran?
A veteran is anyone who has served for at least 1 day in the armed forces, whether regular or reserve.
This also applies to Merchant Navy seafarers and fishermen who have served in a vessel when it was being used for military operations by the armed forces.
Do I need to register with a GP when I leave the armed forces?
Yes. You should have a summary record of your health history given to you when you're discharged, with details of how your GP can obtain your medical records.
What if I no longer have a copy of my health record from my time in the armed forces?
If you no longer have a copy of your health record summary from when you were in the armed forces, find out how individuals can obtain their own records (service or medical) from the requests for personal data and service records on GOV.UK.
How long will I have to wait for treatment?
It depends on what you need.
All veterans are entitled to priority NHS treatment for any condition related to their service. This includes veterans who don't receive a war pension.
Priority treatment includes assessment, treatment, aids and appliances for conditions accepted as being due to their service.
Can I get financial support for my medical needs?
If you're a war pensioner who needs medical treatment or care because you were disabled while serving in the armed forces during war, you should seek advice and help from Veterans UK and the Veterans Welfare Service.
You may also be able to get help from the Royal British Legion.
I'm disabled. Can I get financial support?
If you need items like a stairlift, bathroom adaptations or personal alarm system, Veterans UK and the Veterans Welfare Service can help you apply for these from your local social services.
Can I get help for mental health issues, including post-traumatic stress disorder?
Yes. There are treatments available to help people cope with the psychological consequences of exposure to traumatic events, including trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT).
The NHS and other partners can deliver these services for anyone who needs them, and they also have services specifically aimed at helping veterans.
Find out more about veterans' mental health services
I have been referred for a health problem related to my service in the armed forces. Can I get special assistance?
Maybe. Your GP may be able to get you referred more quickly for any hospital care or treatment that's needed. But this is subject to the clinical needs of others.
Where can I get information about ex-service nursing homes?
The Ex-Services Homes Referral Agency (ESHRA) has a database of all ex-service nursing, convalescent and respite care homes in the UK.
Contact the Royal British Legion on 08457 725725.
Veterans: NHS services for those with physical injuries
Veterans Trauma Network
The Veterans Trauma Network provides care and treatment to those who have been injured during their time in the armed forces.
The service is available in selected NHS health centres across England close to where people live.
Veterans accessing this service will be cared for by military and civilian clinicians who understand the nature and context of the injuries.
The Veterans Trauma Network works closely with Defence Medical Services, national centres of clinical expertise, the Veterans' Mental Health Transition, Intervention and Liaison Service, the Veterans' Mental Health Complex Treatment Service and key service charities to make sure patients have a personalised care plan in place.
As families and carers can be seriously impacted when their loved ones are injured, they can also be supported to access services that may help them.
The Veterans Trauma Network also works with veterans who have been injured, as well as their families and academic research partners, to better understand the impact of this work.
The service has been designed following feedback and information from injured veterans and their families.
How to get help from the Veterans Trauma Network
The referral process is simple. We can simply contact england.veteranstraumanetwork@nhs.net.
They can also be referred by Blind Veterans UK and Style for Soldiers.
For more information, email Blesma at bsoprosthetics@blesma.org or call 020 8548 7080.
NHS prosthetic services for veterans
The veterans' prosthetics programme was set up to put into practise the key findings of 'A better deal for military amputees', a report by Dr Andrew Murrison MP.
Dr Murrison recommended that a small number of multidisciplinary centres should provide specialist prosthetic and rehabilitation services to ensure veterans have access to high-quality care similar to that provided by the armed forces.
Nine Disablement Service Centres (DSCs) across England have been selected to provide enhanced services to veterans who have lost a limb as a result of their service in the armed forces:
- Bristol – Bristol Centre for Enablement, North Bristol NHS Trust
- Leicester – Leicester Specialist Mobility Centre, provided by Blatchford Clinical Services on behalf of clinical commissioning groups (CCGs)
- Sheffield – Mobility and Specialised Rehabilitation Centre, Northern General Hospital
- Carlisle – Disablement Services Centre, Cumberland Infirmary, North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust
- Preston – Specialist Mobility & Rehabilitation Centre, Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- Stanmore – Stanmore Prosthetic Rehabilitation Unit, Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital Trust
- Portsmouth – Prosthetic Regional Rehabilitation Department, Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust
- Birmingham – West Midlands Rehabilitation Centre, Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Trust
- Cambridge – Addenbrooke's Rehabilitation Clinic, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
All DSCs in England can apply to the Veterans Prosthetic Panel (VPP) on behalf of veterans.
Veterans Prosthetic Panel
The VPP was established in 2012 so veterans could apply for funding for high-quality prosthetic limbs, regardless of which DSC they attend. This application is then assessed by a specialised panel.
Who qualifies for VPP funding for prosthetics?
This additional funding is only available to veterans who have lost a limb during military service.
A veteran who has left military service, but whose limb loss is attributable to an injury sustained while in service, also qualifies.
Veterans who lose limbs after they leave the military or while in the military, but not as a result of service, such as in a civilian road traffic accident, will still be able to access services as usual through their local DSC.
You can contact Blesma at bsoprosthetics@blesma.org or call 020 8548 7080.
Service families: welfare and support
Everyday family life has its up and downs. Life for members of an armed forces family, whether they're regulars, reservists, or veterans, or their spouses, partners or children, can have additional worries.
These include:
- stress around deployment
- extended and repeated periods of separation from spouses and partners
- social isolation from family and friends
- additional and sudden caring responsibilities
The Armed Forces Covenant says that the whole nation has a moral obligation to the armed forces community and sets out how they should expect to be treated.
The Covenant aims to remove disadvantage, to ensure that the whole armed forces community, including their families, receive the same outcomes as the civilian community. A useful point of contact for covenant issues are the service family federations.
The majority of families of serving personnel, reservists and veterans access and receive their healthcare through the NHS in exactly the same way as the rest of the population.
In specific circumstances (for example, during posting overseas), some families may receive their primary care services from the Ministry of Defence (MoD) through Defence Primary Healthcare (DPHC) medical centres.
The availability of health and other support services for armed forces families serving overseas can vary between locations.
The MoD has a robust process in place for assessing the support available to family members before an overseas move is confirmed.
This ensures that all essential services are available, whether that be health or education, and that the move to the new location is as smooth as possible.
Additional needs
Service personnel are required to inform their chain of command if they have a family member with additional needs or a disability.
Service families are encouraged to register an additional need or a disability with the chain of command through the single service policies. For the Army, this is mandatory.
Service children who have special educational needs (SEN) should be registered with the Children's Education Advisory Service (CEAS), who can provide advice and support to parents when they move.
Prior to a child with SEN moving overseas, an MoD Assessment of Supportability Overseas (MASO) will be carried out to ensure that essential health, education and social care services are available.
Armed forces families accessing services within the UK and frequently moving due to postings are responsible for informing their local GP, health visitor, dentist, school nurses and other services of their individual circumstances.
Proactively informing these services before a move will ensure medical records are transferred and enable the continuity of any care and support that family members may receive.
The Armed Forces Covenant states that family members should retain their relative position on any NHS waiting list if moving location due to the service person postings.
Welfare organisations
There are a number of organisations, in addition to NHS services, armed forces families can go to to get the advice and support they may sometimes need.
The Navy, Army and RAF all have their own welfare support organisation and information services.
There are other organisations and charities that may be able to offer assistance and provide additional welfare services. Some are listed below.
Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association (SSAFA)
The SSAFA is the national charity supporting service personnel, veterans and their families. SSAFA offers support to the community, whether at home, overseas or in an operational environment.
https://www.ssafa.org.uk/
Families federations
The 3 Service Families Federations (Army, Navy and RAF) are the independent voices of Service families.
Each offers independent and confidential advice on a range of issues and works to improve the quality of life for Service families.
They regularly engage with the chain of command, local authorities and government to represent the views of armed forces families.
Each of the 3 Services has its own Welfare Support and Information Service Teams and Defence Medical Welfare Service (DMWS).
Defence Medical Welfare Service (DMWS)
The DMWS is a registered charity that works for the MoD and with other charities to provide practical and emotional support to military personnel, their families and other entitled civilians when they're in hospital, rehabilitation or recovery centres.
https://www.dmws.org.uk/