There are 2.4 million military veterans in Great Britain, constituting 5% of the population aged 16 or over.  Despite the common perception that veterans are elderly, 40% of veterans are aged between 16 and 64 years.  Although many veterans make the transition from military to civilian life without difficulty, a small proportion struggle due to an impact on mental and physical wellbeing. Stigma and a reluctance to seek help further exacerbate this problem.

The Armed Forces Covenant, which is a promise by the nation to ensure that those who serve or who have served in the armed forces and their families are treated fairly, outlines the importance of ensuring that NHS professionals and all public services are aware of the specific needs of veterans; however, evidence suggests that knowledge among professional staff may be limited.  It is particularly important that GP practices who are often the first point of contact take steps to be able to recognise the needs of veterans.

In this month’s Practice Index Practice Manager podcast, myself and regular panellists Nicola and Robyn are joined both by Nicola’s husband Darren (a veteran) and Brigadier Robin Simpson who is the RCGP veterans champion.  We discuss the RCGP veteran friendly GP Practice Accreditation.  This is a fantastic initiative through which practices can be accredited as ‘veteran friendly’.

What does this accreditation involve?  Well the good news is that it is a relatively straightforward process.  The main requirement is that practices ask patients upon registration whether they have ever served in the Armed Forces.  The other key requirement is that practices nominate a clinical lead for veterans.  The application process itself takes less than 15 minutes to complete.

Once accredited the practice receives an information pack and training, access to resources, as well as a quarterly newsletter to keep them up to date.  At present 21% of practices have taken the step to become accredited, but it would be fantastic if the majority of practices could put this in place.  As Nicola says on the podcast, “these people, many of them have given their lives for King and country, and the least we can do is support them!”.

According to Brigadier Simpson not only will it mean that a better service is offered to veterans, but it will also help the culture of the practice and the sense for veterans that what they have done is valued. In addition, the CQC are always impressed when they discover a practice is signed up to the programme!

If the question is what can GP practices do for veterans, the answer must surely be first sign up for this programme.  Now is the time.  Practice managers can complete the application, and it  only takes 15 minutes.  Click here and do it today!