Health: Veterans
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve the health outcomes of veterans.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock
As well as being able to access all national health services across the United Kingdom, NHS England has also introduced several bespoke services to improve healthcare support available to veterans. These are: Op RESTORE which supports veterans with service-related physical health problems; Op COURAGE which supports veterans with a mental health pathway; and Op NOVA which supports veterans in the justice system.
In addition, the veteran-aware trust and the veteran-friendly accreditation schemes raise awareness amongst healthcare professionals of the specific needs of veterans. These schemes provide support to ensure appropriate signposting and referrals to relevant veteran and wider services within the National Health Service.
In May 2025, a national training and education plan was announced to help veterans benefit from improved and targeted healthcare. NHS staff across England will receive dedicated training to help them identify and support patients with military backgrounds. This will be rolled out across the NHS from 1 October 2025.
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