Top tips for veterans

How to get the most from your GP

1. It is important to register with a GP, rather than wait until you need treatment. If you are not already registered with Burdwood Surgery, please register online.
2. If you’ve recently left the forces, it is important to give us, as your GP, the paperwork that your military medical centre gave you, including any medical records. This will help to make sure your military health record transfers to your NHS health record. This will also give your GP information on your health and ensure that any ongoing care and treatment is continued.
3. Regardless of when you left the military, tell us that you’ve served in the UK Armed Forces. This will help us to better understand any military related health conditions that you may have and ensure that you are referred, where appropriate, to dedicated services for veterans.
   This includes the specialist mental and physical health services, Op COURAGE: The Veterans Mental Health and Wellbeing Service and the Veterans Trauma Network.
   When using these services, you will be able to speak to people who:
   • understand the Armed Forces and military life
   • are either from the Armed Forces community or highly experienced in working with serving personnel, reservists, veterans and their families
   • will work with you to make sure you get the right type of specialist care, support, and treatment
   • work closely with a range of organisations and charities, including military charities, to support your wider health and wellbeing needs.
4. With your agreement, it can sometimes be helpful for your doctor to refer you to Armed Forces charities, such as SSAFA, the Royal British Legion, Combat Stress or Help for Heroes. They can often offer significant help and support, even if they do not all deliver healthcare.
5. You may be worried about sharing information about your time in the Armed Forces. Please note that the NHS is bound by a confidentiality code of practice to ensure GPs, nurses and other people working within the NHS deliver a confidential service bound by law.

 For more information on what help is available please visit the NHS website.

Op Courage

Your GP can refer you to Op Courage or you can contact the service to make an appointment.

  NHS UK - Mental health support for veterans, service leavers and reservists

  Veterans Covenant Healthcare Alliance

  Combat Stress - Mental Health Services for Veterans

Priority NHS treatment for Veterans

If you have served in the armed forces, please complete our Military Veteran form.

A veteran is someone who has served in the armed forces for at least one day.

When servicemen and women leave the armed forces, their healthcare is the responsibility of the NHS. It is highly important for continuity of care for a veteran to register with an NHS GP. They should also inform the surgery of their military status. This may trigger the transfer of your full medical documentation from the Ministry of Defence (MOD) to your GP and enable you to benefit from veteran-specific services, like prosthetics and mental health. You may be asked to give permission for the surgery to request your records from Defence Military Services.

All veterans are entitled to priority access to NHS care (including hospital, primary or community care) for conditions associated with their time within the armed forces (service-related). However, it is always subject to clinical need. It does not entitle you to jump the queue ahead of someone with a higher clinical need. If the NHS service with which you are dealing is unaware of priority treatment, you are encouraged to tell them about your veteran status. You can also receive support from local health care commissioners or one of the national service organisations, e.g. Royal British Legion.

Improving care for severely injured veterans

NHS England hosts the Veterans Trauma Network, which aims to provide specialist care for patients with service-related traumatic injuries.

There are 10 major trauma units in England. The nearest ones to this surgery are at Oxford and London. The network acts as a regional hub for veteran care, linking with NHS veterans mental health services, national centres of expertise and key service charities to provide a complete package of care.

Patients referred to the service have a personalised treatment plan developed and provided by a specialist team of military and civilian experts in trauma. The needs of families and carers are also considered.

More information about the duty of care for service personnel can be found on the internet at The Armed Forces Covenant.

Information for Military Veterans registering at Burdwood Surgery

When you left HM Forces, you may have been given a medical release form, F Med 133.

If you would like your new GP to access your service medical records, you need to complete the form and send it to the appropriate address at the top of form, F Med 133.

If you were not given the form, please send a signed and dated letter (not email) through the post to the respective armed forces address below stating your consent to the release of your service medical history to:

Burdwood Surgery, Wheelers Green Way, Thatcham, Berkshire, RG19 4YF

You will need to include the following details:

• Service number, rank/rating, Surname, Forename(s), Date of Birth
• National Insurance Number
• Residential address on leaving the service.