Enhancing Mainstream Services for Ex-Armed Forces Personnel in Coventry and Warwickshire
On Thursday 5 March, national and local partners across Coventry and Warwickshire, including MPs, Councillors, Ex-Armed forces personnel, charities, local authorities and NHS services came together to raise awareness and strengthen partnership working to ensure that the right care, the right time, is delivered to ex-armed forces personnel and their families.
It is estimated that over 2,500 ex-armed forces personnel live in Coventry and Warwickshire. Serving in HM Forces for the majority is rewarding and does not create health difficulties, but for some it can and also adjusting to the change of living and social environments once back in “civvy street” can be difficult, causing a range of psychological, emotional and social problems.
For those individuals and their families there is specialist advice, support and care, from a variety of organisations including NHS, social care and charities, designed towards addressing the specific, individual needs of ex-service men and women.
Dr Dan Barnard, Consultant Clinical Psychologist at Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust, said: “Many ex-armed services personnel do not share that they have served in HM Forces with healthcare professionals, or are not asked, which can be a vital element to the care and support that they need.
“A minority of ex-armed forces personnel, while adjusting to life after service, could experience a range of mental health issues including: depression; anxiety; Post Traumatic Stress disorder; alcohol misuse; but it is estimated that only half of those living with symptoms go on to seek help.
“The information and guidance shared at the partnership event has enabled us to highlight the importance of ex-service men and women receiving the right joined-up care and to raise awareness of all of the help, support, advice and guidance that is available across Coventry and Warwickshire.
“I am delighted that so many individuals and organisations are working in partnership to make a real difference to the lives of ex-armed forces personnel and their families.”
Mitch Provan, Ex-Armed Forces personnel, said: “Closure is the start of a journey. I left the military with no idea how to get support, but with the help of others I did find the support to move on. This came from a combination of organisations, like Combat Stress and the NHS. You have to accept that you can’t simply live with your problems - there is help out there.”
Wayne Kirkham, NHS England National Lead for the National Veteran Mental Health Network, said: “Having a convenient local contact point enables early engagement with services which is vital to ensuring that veterans and their families aren’t left to suffer on their own, it’s about bringing all of those resources together and providing a single contact point for veterans and their families to access services quicker.”
“It’s vital that we, as the NHS, have awareness around different communities of service users. Veterans form one of those communities and we need to have awareness of their particular needs, as an NHS, to enable us to offer the right support while working in partnership with other organisations out there”
“What you have achieved here in Coventry and Warwickshire is something to be very proud of. We all need each other and the veterans need all of us.”
For further information on the support and advice that is available for Ex-Armed Service Personnel and their families across Coventry and Warwickshire, please visit Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust’s website atwww.covwarkpt.nhs.uk Additional support and information is available fromhttp://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/veterans