Written question asked by John Healey (Labour) on Friday, 21 October 2022, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 25 October 2022. It was answered by Andrew Murrison (Conservative) on Monday, 31 October 2022 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.
Veterans: Mental Health Services
- Question
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To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to ensure robust mental health assessments for those leaving the military with a physical injury, even where no symptoms have presented, to improve the speed of access to support or treatment.
- Answer
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It is mandatory for all Armed Forces personnel to have a Structured Mental Health Assessment at their discharge medical examination. This will highlight any unknown mental health needs and enable signposting and referral where necessary. This may be to NHS services such as OP COURAGE which provides a complete mental healthcare pathway for service leavers in England with similar services in other parts of the UK or to a MOD Department of Community Mental Health, where an individual can access mental healthcare for six months following their discharge.
More broadly, all Armed Forces personnel who are unable to undertake normal duties, (including those wounded, injured or sick) will enter the Defence Recovery Capability. Each of the Armed Forces has a Recovery Pathway that optimises an individual's recovery or transition to civilian life. This is underpinned by an Individual Recovery Plan. Factors within the Plan are assessed using the HARDFACTS criteria: Health, Accommodation, Relocation, Drugs/Alcohol/Stress, Finance, Attitude, Children and Family, Training, Resettlement, Employment and Support Agencies. Consequently, any Service person in a Recovery Pathway will receive an ongoing holistic assessment by their Personal Recovery Officer, regardless of whether the individual is medically discharged or leaves Service by another mechanism.
The Veterans Welfare Service and Defence Transition Service are both components of Veterans UK. These services deliver additional support to Service leavers with enduring welfare needs and those vulnerable personnel on a casework model following discharge.
Secondary information
- Type
- Written question
- Reference
- 68483
- Session
- 2022-23
- Subjects
- Injuries Mental health services Veterans
- Link
- View this Written question on www.parliament.uk
Librarians' tools
- Timestamp
- 2022-10-31 18:22:06 +0000
- URI
- http://data.parliament.uk/writtenparliamentaryquestion/commons/2022-23/68483
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