NHS to raise awareness of mental health support for Veterans
It comes as a survey of over 3,000 veterans found the majority of those who took part said they found it difficult to ask for help regarding mental health issues.
The NHS is raising awareness of Op COURAGE: The Veterans Mental Health and Wellbeing Service.
This comes as a survey of over 3,000 veterans and serving personnel carried out by NHS England, found that the majority of those who took part said they found it difficult to ask for help regarding mental health issues.
More than half of respondents to the survey (52%) said they currently had, or had previously had, a mental health problem and 54% said they had a physical health problem now or had previously had one.
For those who sought help from Op COURAGE, self-referral was the top method (around 44%). As a result, NHS England has updated the service, with a focus on boosting self-referrals, as well as the addition of enhanced addiction support.
The Op COURAGE service which provides specialist care, support and treatment to former Armed Forces personnel, reservists, and service leavers with mental health and wellbeing issues, is therefore encouraging veterans to ask for help and support from people who understand what they are going through.
The service has had nearly 30,000 referrals since it first launched in 2017. From April to November last year, over 4,500 referrals made, there are currently around 2.4 million veterans living in the UK.