What is the Welsh Government's strategy to enhance support for armed forces veterans in the healthcare system?
In March 2021 we increased recurrent funding to Veterans’ NHS Wales by 35% bringing the total to £920,000 per annum to maintain this important service and to ensure the mental health needs of our veterans are being met. This has allowed Veterans’ NHS Wales to create highly specialist Veterans Clinical Lead posts within the service and maintain the provision of therapy across Wales to ensure the mental health needs of our veterans are being met.
We will be reviewing our Armed Forces Covenant – healthcare priority for veterans guidance following the publication of the Ministry of Defence Statutory Guidance on the Armed Forces Covenant Duty on 8 November. Our guidance is to remind general practices of their responsibility in identifying veterans registered with the practice, recording their veteran status and ensuring they receive priority access to NHS care (including hospital, primary or community care) for any conditions arising as a result of their military service. This will sit alongside the online resource for GP practices produced by Public Health Wales, in collaboration with Welsh Government.
Our Armed Forces Prosthetics Forum will continue to monitor support for amputee veterans and families. BLESMA, the Welsh Government, Welsh Health Specialist Services Committee and the artificial limb centres are working closely to monitor issues around pain management, wheelchair provision and capacity within services supporting amputees.