Personalised care for veterans

NHS England, together with the Ministry of Defence (MOD), have published the Personalised care for veterans in England, a guide for clinical commissioning groups and local authorities. The document sets out a new personalised care approach for those veterans who have a long term physical, mental or neurological health condition or disability.

Embedding the six evidence-based components of the NHS Comprehensive Model for Personalised Care, organisations are encouraged to work together with the individual to plan and deliver co-ordinated and personalised care that is considerate of the Armed Forces Covenant and the individual’s military experiences. This is set out in a personalised care plan, which is developed with the individual and a range of organisations, including health and social care and military charities. As part of this, individuals may be eligible for a personal budget to pay for some of the care and support they need. Individuals should also get more support in the community and be able to access a range of help, such as emotional and practical support from people who have similar health conditions or disabilities. This is in addition to being supported to access dedicated services for veterans, to help ensure they are getting high quality care and support by military and civilian experts. This includes Op COURAGE: The Veterans Mental Health and Wellbeing Service and Op RESTORE: The Veterans Physical Health and Wellbeing Service.

Applications for this personalised care package should be made to an individual’s local integrated care board (ICB). The NHS website provides details of integrated care boards across England.

Benefits

Individuals who are eligible to receive this personalised care package, will benefit from the following:

  • Personalised care and support planning with a range of organisations, including health and social care, local commissioners and Armed Forces charities.  This gives them more choice and control over how their care is planned and delivered, taking into account preferences that relate specifically to their military service.
  • A single integrated personalised care and support plan for all their health and wellbeing needs, including the option of NHS Continuing Health Care, a personal budget, personal health budget or integrated personal budget for all or part of their care. This plan is based on what matters to them, meaning that they can choose how best to live their life and get the right support to make this happen.
  • Ongoing support and access to community resources to help ensure that they are an active participant in the planning and management of their own health and wellbeing, with outcomes and solutions having meaning and context within their life.

This guidance should be read in conjunction with the Armed Forces personnel in transition, Integrated Personal Commissioning for Veterans Framework.

Supporting resources

Further information

For more information, email england.armedforceshealth@nhs.net.