Mental Health Services: Veterans
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to expand the availability of veteran-specific mental health services in (a) rural and (b) deprived areas.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock
NHS England commissions Op COURAGE, the integrated mental health and wellbeing service, which allows veterans to make self-referrals.
The service has been designed to support veterans from all areas, including rural and deprived areas, and is delivered from a range of locations, including National Health Service trusts, general practices, Poppy Shops, veteran hubs, and drop-in centres. Elements of the service may also be provided online, if this is clinically appropriate. The Government recognises that not all veterans want to use veteran-specific mental health services and can instead choose to use mainstream NHS services, such as Talking Therapies, which are available to both veterans and civilians.
Integrated care boards are responsible for providing health and care services to meet the needs of their local populations, taking into account local considerations such as access to services in rural areas.
The Government recognises that too many people are not receiving the mental health care they need, and that waits for mental health services are too long. We are determined to change this and ensure that mental health has the same focus as physical health, to help people in rural areas access high quality mental health support when they need it.
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