Carl Marsh, Chief Commissioner, NHS Warrington Clinical Commissioning Group talks about the role Warrington is playing in supporting veterans

GPs can play a pivotal role in identifying ex-service personnel to help ensure they get the care and treatment that takes into account their time in the armed forces.

After completing 24 years’ service as a Field Medic in the Army Medical Services, I joined the NHS in 2004.

Evidence shows that veterans aren’t always aware of the dedicated health services available to them

We know that ex-military personnel face additional challenges when they return to civilian life. In the UK, there are 2.4 million Great British Armed Forces Veterans, which makes up around five per cent of the population that are aged 16 and over.

Identifying and supporting veterans is something that is extremely important to NHS Warrington Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).

Sixteen of our GP Practices across Warrington are now Royal College of GP Veteran Health Care Accredited, which means our GPs are better able to understand any service-related health conditions that patients may have and ensure that they are referred, where appropriate, to dedicated services for ex-forces. These include services for mental health and physical health conditions.

If you have previously served in HM Armed Forces, even for just one day, you are entitled to priority treatment in the NHS for conditions linked to your military service, which is why it is very important to let your GP know you’ve served.

If you've recently left the Armed Forces, it's important to give your GP the paperwork that your military medical centre gave you, including any medical records.

This will help to ensure your military health record transfers to your NHS health record, and it will also give your GP information on your health to ensure that any ongoing care and treatment is continued.

NHS Warrington Clinical Commissioning Group CCG has also been recognised by the Ministry of Defence and has received the Silver Award accreditation (Employer Recognition Scheme) for implementing positive measures and policies to advocate our support to members of the Armed Forces community.

Having previously been awarded the Bronze Accreditation in August 2021, we felt it was important to continue to enhance our support for the Armed Forces community, which is something we are extremely proud to have achieved.

The Silver status requires employers to ensure a number of things to support Veterans and Reservists, which includes, ensuring that all members of the forces community are not disadvantaged in recruitment processes, all positive policies relating to Defence personnel are internally publicised and our values are aligned with the Armed Forces Covenant.

Supporting our Armed Forces Community is something that is very important to me, and I’d personally like to encourage other organisations to join the initiative, to ensure that all of our military veterans have access to the best care and support for them.

You can find out more about the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme by visiting www.gov.uk/government/publications/defence-employer-recognition-scheme/defence-employer-recognition-scheme, and more about the Armed Forces Covenant by visiting www.armedforcescovenant.gov.uk