Councillor claims the lack of NHS support for armed forces veterans is a “massive, massive disgrace”

By Eddie Bisknell – Local Democracy Reporting Service

The lack of NHS support for armed forces veterans is a “massive, massive disgrace” according to one Derbyshire councillor.

Reform UK’s Councillor Tony Wilson, who is Derbyshire County Council’s armed forces champion, made the comments at a health scrutiny meeting on Monday 23rd March.

This had followed a discussion on how NHS services are aiming to adopt “neighbourhood” level clusters of health, social care and voluntary groups to better tackle local issues.

Cllr Wilson, Reform councillor for the Ripley East division, asked that armed forces veterans and blue light workers be included as a core category of people who need targeted intervention.

He said: “I see a lot of ex-forces who are not able to work due to frailty they have suffered in the line of duty, believe it or not, some are as young as 26, ranging all the way up to people in their 70s, who have been frail as a result for years.

“They tell me there is no support for them out there. They put their bodies and minds on the line for things a lot of people don’t.

“It is a massive, massive disgrace. There is a lack of a focus on ex forces.

“These guys and these girls, from the forces and emergency services, need help. They go through hell daily. We need to appreciate what they have been through and we need to do more to address this issue.”

Clive Newman, director of primary care for the Derby and Derbyshire Integrated Care Board, which commissions services in the county and city, said there were a litany of services providing support for veterans.

He said there were “certainly things we can do” to improve services for armed forces personnel, saying “we need to identify key support for that group”.

Mr Newman, detailing the neighbourhood cluster model, said no additional staff and no extra resources were being allocated or funded, but that it aimed to achieve better efficiency of existing resources.

He said this was a further step to ensure early intervention of ailments which could lead to hospital admissions and also prevention of unnecessary hospital visits.

Mr Newman said NHS funding has often been a “vicious cycle” with hospitals receiving more money due to their prominence and expense, with an impact on funding for community services, with this neighbourhood model an aim to “shift the cycle”.