Armed Forces: Discharges

A strong partnership exists between the Defence Medical Command (DMedC) and the NHS to ensure that personnel leaving the Armed Forces with ongoing medical needs experience a smooth transition of care, with continued access to a full suite of healthcare provision and assessment.

The medical discharge process is initiated following a medical board which assesses a service person to be medically unfit for continued service. During these decisions and on transition out of service an individual has continued occupational and primary care in service and usual secondary care provision in the NHS. There is also provision for additional leave and resettlement time, with each Military Command (Army, Royal Navy, Royal Air Force) having flexibility to respond to the unique and varied environments in which their personnel serve.

Tri-Service medical policy offers guidance to clinicians on the appropriate occupational considerations associated with medical conditions. When a medical discharge decision is required, the serving person is assessed by Service Occupational Medicine consultants who take into account the condition itself, but also specific operational demands, the health risks to the individual and their functional ability in service. The environments and the roles we ask our people to undertake are very different: what might be manageable on a ship, is not necessarily manageable as aircrew or in a mountainous environment. A decision on continued employment is taken by their Military Command based on this medical advice.

In England, Op COURAGE and Op RESTORE provide a broad range of specialist mental health, physical and wellbeing care services to veterans, with similar services available in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Support will also be delivered through the VALOUR programme which will make it easier for veterans across the UK to access the care and support they rightly deserve.