When individuals leave the UK Armed Forces, it’s important for them to register with an NHS GP practice and tell them they’ve served. This means their GP can better understand their health, particularly any health problems relating to their time in Service.
This does not always happen though, meaning some veterans may not be getting the support that is right for them, particularly in terms of benefitting from care and treatment from dedicated services, such as:
Op COURAGE: The Veterans Mental Health and Wellbeing Service and
Op RESTORE: The Veterans Physical Health and Wellbeing Service.
NHS England, together with the Office for Veterans’ Affairs, is running a campaign to encourage veterans to let their GP practice know they have served in the UK Armed Forces; it’s important to ‘say you served’.
It does not matter how long someone served for or when they left the Armed Forces, it’s important that veterans let their GP surgery know this information, as it may be relevant to their health and care, now or in the future. To find out more, visit http://www.nhs.uk/veterans.