GP practices in England are to receive extra training to help them better meet the unique health needs of veterans, serving personnel and their families, it has been announced.
The new £1.8m programme, which covers all NHS staff starting from this October, has been launched by the Government today as the country marks the 80th anniversary of VE Day.
Regional training and education leads will provide Armed Forces awareness training for NHS staff at all levels so identification of patients with military backgrounds can be improved and to help them deliver more personalised care.
Trainers will work with GP practices and mental health services to make sure they ’embed’ this support and expertise where it is most needed’, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has said.
As part of the programme, which will be rolled out during the next three years, NHS commissioning bodies will also be given help in developing health needs assessments for the Armed Forces community. And ICBs will be assisted in ensuring armed forces families access health services.
The DHSC said veterans can require specialised care for injuries sustained in combat, as well as mental health support for conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression.
It added that many also struggle to navigate civilian healthcare systems and may not self-identify as veterans to NHS staff, putting them at risk of missing out on the additional or bespoke services available.
A survey of 4,910 veterans in England from 2024 showed that one in seven people who have served in the UK armed forces and suffered health problems after leaving haven’t accessed care or treatment from a health professional often because of fears their experiences and conditions won’t be understood.
The bespoke training aims to support NHS bodies show their commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant, which ensures those who serve or have served, and their families, are treated fairly and not disadvantaged because of their military service.
It also builds on an initiative led by the Veterans Covenant Healthcare Alliance, which means that as of this April, every NHS Trust in the country has earned ‘Veteran Aware’ status. This gives them recognition for demonstrating their understanding of military healthcare needs.
Kate Davies, national director for Armed Forces Health at NHS England said the training has been developed ‘with frontline experts in veterans’ health and those with lived experience’.
‘On the 80th anniversary of VE Day, we honour the extraordinary legacy of our Armed Forces— and reaffirm the NHS’s commitment to those who’ve served,’ she added.
Health and social secretary Wes Streeting said the new training will help NHS staff across England ‘give our veterans the personalised care they deserve’.
‘Too many veterans face a system that doesn’t fully understand their needs,’ he said but ‘that changes today’.
He added: ‘As we mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day, we’re honouring our Armed Forces not just with words, but with action.’
Meanwhile, a free accreditation scheme that helps practices identify and better support patients who have served in the Armed Forces has been in place since 2018. The Veteran Friendly Accreditation scheme was set up by the RCGP and NHS England. Practice teams can learn more by visiting rcgp.org.uk/veterans.
