A veteran includes anyone who has served for at least one day in the Armed Forces (Regular or Reserve).

• For conditions partially or wholly attributable to military service
• High proportion of MSK and hearing problems amongst veterans

• Service in the Armed Forces is different from other occupations
• They relinquished civil liberties and put themselves in harm’s way to protect others
• The risk of serious injury is substantially increased
• 52% of veterans have a long-term illness/disability which is higher than in the general adult population (35%)

UK veterans, who served at time of recent military operations, were more likely than non-veterans to report higher prevalence of:

• Common mental health disorders (Veterans 23% vs Non-veterans 16%)
• PTSD (Veterans 8%, rising to 17% of those deployed to combat roles in Iraq & Afghanistan vs Non-Veterans 5%)
• Alcohol misuse (Veterans 10% vs Non-veterans 5%)
• Delayed presentation – Average of 4 years for veterans to come forward about mental health

There are many services available to help and support veterans:

Op COURAGE is an NHS mental health specialist service designed to help serving personnel due to leave the military, reservists, armed forces veterans and their families.

This service can help if you’re finding life difficult after leaving the military. Working together with Armed Forces charities, Op COURAGE will help you get the right type of specialist care, support and treatment for your specific needs.

https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/armed-forces-and-veterans-healthcare/veterans-nhs-mental-health-services/

This service is for veterans who have experienced serious injuries, long-term physical, mental or neurological health conditions or who now have a disability due to their service. The VTN is a collection of 12 NHS Veteran Trauma Centres and four specialist units, each with military and civilian medical experts who will be able to help you with your physical service-related health problem.

You can be referred to this service through your GP.

This is a first point of contact for welfare needs including housing, finances, employment, physical and mental wellbeing.

Veteran’s Gateway – https://www.veteransgateway.org.uk