Resources for Veterans
Op COURAGE: The Veterans Mental Health and Wellbeing Service
In March 2021, NHS England and NHS Improvement announced the new name for its veterans mental health services; Op COURAGE: The Veterans Mental Health and Wellbeing Service.
This is the new overarching name for the Veterans’ Mental Health Transition, Intervention and Liaison Service (TILS), Veterans’ Mental Health Complex Treatment Service (CTS) and Veterans’ Mental Health High Intensity Service (HIS). The new name has been developed following feedback from veterans and their families to make it easier for those leaving the military and veterans to find help.
Op COURAGE provides specialist care and support for Service leavers, reservists, veterans and their families who can self-refer or ask a GP, charity or someone else to refer them
For further information on Op COURAGE: The Veterans Mental Health and Wellbeing Service, including the contact details for the service in your region:
Website: www.nhs.uk/opcourage
Mobility equipment support
The Royal British Legion has a Veterans’ Mobility Fund, which provides specialist wheelchairs, orthotic equipment and other mobility related items for veterans who have a service related serious physical injury and whose needs cannot be met through statutory services.
Eligibility for the fund requires the condition to be attributable to service and typically applicants will be in receipt of a War Pension or relevant award under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme.
To find out more, visit the Veterans Mobility Fund section on The Royal British Legion website:
Website: www.britishlegion.org.uk/get-support
Contact - Veterans Mental Health Charity
Contact is a group of charitable, support and state organisations that have joined forces to enhance mental health support available to the Armed Forces community.
The partnership consists of Big White Wall, Cobseo, Combat Stress, Help for Heroes, The Royal British Legion, Walking With The Wounded, the NHS, the MOD, the UK Psychological Trauma Society and King’s College London.
Contact aims to improve collaborative care management, increase instances of help-seeking behaviour, improve service provision, encourage best practice across the sector and improve public knowledge of what support is available and how best to access it.
Website: www.contactarmedforces.co.uk
Help for Heroes
Help for Heroes provides direct, practical support for wounded, injured and sick service personnel, veterans and their loved ones from any conflict.
They have four recovery centres in the UK offering medical care, guidance, support and advice. Patients can self-refer or be referred by a professional.
Once referred, an initial assessment will take place within one to two weeks and there is no waiting list for treatment.
For further information, visit the Help for Heroes website:
Website: www.helpforheroes.org.uk/get-help
Blesma - Military Charity for Limbless Veterans
Blesma supports limbless veterans to lead independent and fulfilling lives. Blesma is dedicated to assisting serving and ex-service men and women who have suffered life-changing limb loss or the use of a limb, an eye or loss of sight. They support these men and women in their communities throughout the UK and provide centralised assistance to those living overseas.
Blesma works closely with the NHS to ensure the latest advances in the relevant medical fields are converted into practical solutions that can benefit all of their members. They do not provide members prosthetics, but they do help prosthetists develop their skills at undergraduate and PhD level.
For further information, visit the Blesma website:
Website: www.blesma.org
Please also see the Armed Forces healthcare pages on the NHS website:
Hearing loss and tinnitus services
In-service (MOD DMS) and veteran (NHS) provided hearing devices are provided to meet a clinical need. Veterans requiring hearing devices and tests should access via their GP and local provision, where NHS providers will be able to take account of service-related hearing issues.
Private providers may, at personal cost, be able to provide non-standard equipment and devices.
More information on hearing aids:
Veterans’ Gateway
The Veterans’ Gateway is made up of a consortium of organisations and Armed Forces charities, including The Royal British Legion, SSAFA, Combat Stress and Connect Assist.
It is a main point of contact for veterans seeking support, putting them and their families in touch with the organisations best placed to help with the information, advice and support they need – from healthcare and housing to employability, finances, personal relationships and more.
For more information, visit the Veterans’ Gateway website: [
Website: www.veteransgateway.org.uk
Cobseo
Cobseo, as the Confederation of Service Charities, offers membership to charities who promote and further the welfare and general interests of the Armed Forces community, subject to fulfilling the membership criteria.
Comprising 255 members, Cobseo provides a single point of contact for interaction with the Armed Forces community.
For more information, visit the Cobseo website:
Website: www.cobseo.org.uk
Combat Stress
Combat Stress is the UK’s leading mental health charity for veterans. It provides free specialised clinical treatment and support to ex-servicemen and women across the UK with mental health conditions.
Combat Stress has a strategic partnership with the MOD and the Department of Health and Social Care. This enables the charity to work with NHS mental health to develop services suitable for military veterans.
For further information, visit the Combat Stress website:
Website: www.combatstress.org.uk
