Military Veterans' Service for Lancashire

Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Trust has achieved a Gold Award as part of the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme in recognition of our efforts to support the armed forces community, ex-armed forces, reservists, and their families into work in the NHS and fostering a welcoming environment.

As part of this commitment, LSCft also work with local organisations and partners to support our armed forces community. All Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust services are committed to implementing the guiding principles of the Armed Forces Covenant.

Armed Forces Covenant

The Armed Forces Covenant is a promise to those who serve or have served in the Armed Forces, and their families. Its two principles are that, recognising the unique obligations of, and sacrifices made by, the Armed Forces:

• Those who serve in the Armed Forces, whether Regular or Reserve, those who have served in the past, and their families, should face no disadvantage compared to other citizens in the provision of public and commercial services.
• Special consideration is appropriate in some cases, especially for those who have given most such as the injured and the bereaved.

Who is a Veteran? 

A veteran is anyone who has served for at least one 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. There are around 2.6 million veterans in the UK. 

When servicemen and women leave the armed forces, their healthcare is the responsibility of the NHS. It is important for continuing healthcare that the members of the Armed Forces Community register with an NHS GP and advise them about former military service. Telling the GP practice about your veteran status will trigger the transfer of your full medical documentation from the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to your GP, and enable you to benefit from veteran-specific services like prosthetics and mental health. 

All systems and organisations, including the NHS are obliged to better understand and support veterans, reservists and their families. All veterans are entitled to priority access to NHS care (including hospital, primary or community care) for conditions that are service or transition related.   

Do you feel that your current problems are related to your/another person's military experience?

Veterans may experience common mental health problems (depression, anxiety and adjustment problems), do you feel your difficulties are linked to physical injuries or psychological distress sustained during active service?

Veterans receive priority access to NHS Mental Health Services if their current difficulties are likely to be service or transition related. However, veterans are not prioritised over other patients with more urgent clinical needs.

Are you a family member of any ex-service personnel?

Family members of military veterans can access priority NHS Mental Health Services if their problems are viewed as directly related to a family member serving in the Armed Forces.

All Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust (LSCft) services including all mental health teams are committed to prioritising all members of the Armed Forces Community, with priority services when their needs relate to their service or transition to civilian life. If you are an ex-member of the Armed Forces or a family member please identify yourself when going to your GP or on your first contact with LSCft.

MVV Team (MAPPA, Victims and Veterans) 

The MAPPA, Victims and Veterans Team provides a single point of contact for all clinical Armed Forces related queries. If you are a Veteran or a family member and want further information about services and supports within LSCft or about Armed Forces charities and services in your area please feel free to contact the team and we will do our best to help. 

Op COURAGE: the Veterans Mental Health and Wellbeing Service

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.

How Op COURAGE can help

Op COURAGE can help you and your family with a range of support and treatment, including:

• helping you transition from military to civilian life by providing mental health care with Defence Medical Services (DMS)
• helping you recognise and treat early signs of mental health problems, as well as more advanced mental health conditions and psychological trauma
• providing support and treatment for substance misuse and addictions
• helping you to access other NHS mental health services if you need them, such as finding an NHS talking therapies service and eating disorder services
• liaising with charities and local organisations to support your wider health and wellbeing needs, such as help with housing, relationships, finances and employment
• supporting armed forces families affected by mental health problems, including helping them to access local services

Who will I speak to?

Op COURAGE is an NHS service supported by trained professionals who are from, or have experience of working with, the Armed Forces community.
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.

To receive help and support from Op COURAGE, you must:

• be a resident in England and have served in the UK armed forces for a full day
• be registered with a GP surgery in England, or be willing and eligible to register with a GP
• provide your military service number

It does not matter how long ago you left the armed forces or how long you served for. You can contact Op COURAGE even if you left many years ago.
You can also contact Op COURAGE if you're still serving but have a discharge date.

Contacting Op COURAGE

You can contact the service in many ways, including:
• directly getting in touch yourself, or through a family member or friend
•  asking a GP or other healthcare representative to refer you
•  asking a charity to refer you

The service will arrange for you to have an assessment, to make sure you get the right care and support. It's important to contact the Op COURAGE service for your local area. This allows them to give you the best support they can provide.

Step into health

Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust is also a part of the NHS Employers Step into Health Programme.

Step into Health offers an access route in to employment and other career development opportunities within the NHS to members of the Armed Forces community.
The programme recognises the transferable skills and cultural values that Armed Forces personnel have developed, and how these skills and values are compatible with working in the NHS. You can find more information on the Military Step into Health website.

The trust also has a dedicated contact person, Clare Southworth who can discuss how to apply for vacancies within the NHS. 

Lancashire Armed Forces Hub

As part of LSCft commitment to ex-members of the Armed Forces (Military Veterans) and their families are a key partner in the new Lancashire Armed Forces Hub.

Lancashire Armed Forces Hub is a partnership between UCLan, Lancashire County Council and Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust. The Hub will improve the delivery of the Armed Forces Covenant across 15 councils by working with key stakeholders from service charities, peer support groups and other organisations in Lancashire that serve the armed forces community.

Facebook: LancsCovenant

Twitter: @LancsCovenant