Op COURAGE wins Positive Practice in Mental Health Award
We are pleased to announce that veteran mental health and wellbeing service Op COURAGE, of which Combat Stress is a member, has been honoured at the National Positive Practice in Mental Health Awards for its work in the North of England.
The service, which has won the Provider Collaborative Specialist Services Award, was established in the region in April 2023 to provide specialist care and support for those due to leave the armed forces, reservists and those who have already left.
Op COURAGE (North) sees us working in partnership with lead provider Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear (CNTW) NHS Foundation Trust; Pennine Care NHS; Leeds and York NHS Foundation Trust; Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust; Tees Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust; and Walking with the Wounded.
To ensure veterans can access the best available support, we provide specialist family and peer support, substance misuse nurses and addiction support workers.
The Positive Practice in Mental Health Awards, now in its 10th year, celebrate the significant contribution individuals and organisations make to mental health support and services across the UK.
Dr Felix Davies, Chief Operating Officer at Combat Stress, said: “We continue to work in close partnership with a number of providers of NHS services, providing our expertise in veterans’ complex mental health needs to assist with the delivery of Op COURAGE.
“We are pleased with the successes to date of this collaborative strategic approach to veterans’ mental health, and this award is testament to what we have achieved together.”
Victoria Malone, Associate Director at CNTW, said: “The success of the service is in its equity. It’s made up of five NHS Trusts and two charities but there is no differentiation between them, they are all equal. This one-service approach is what makes us special.”