News
NHS/Combat Stress strategic partnership
The Government has agreed a major new healthcare plan for Service men and women leaving the armed forces with serious injuries of an enduring nature – including mental health injuries.
This has led to a formal strategic partnership between Combat Stress, the Department of Health and the MoD, which was signed on 11 January in a visit by Government Ministers Mike O'Brien (Health) and Kevan Jones (Defence) to the charity's Surrey treatment centre, Tyrwhitt House.
Thanks to a statutory grant of £140,000, Combat Stress staff will work directly with NHS mental health Trusts to ensure that the services they provide are accessible to and appropriate for military Veterans.
Initially, the project is likely to be focused on Trusts with a high proportion of Veterans in their local area – for example, in a high recruitment area or one with a major base within its boundaries.
Combat Stress Chief Executive, David Hill, said:
"We are very pleased that the expertise, and therefore the important role, of Combat Stress has been formally recognised by both Government Departments – and that there is now a commitment from all three organisations to work collaboratively to ensure better identification of Veterans with mental health problems and improved access to care and treatment.
"The agreement also acknowledges the role both statutory and voluntary bodies play in working together."
Posted 11 January 2010