Military Service Armed Forces Covenant

Armed Forces veteran
friendly accredited
GP practice

Armed Forces

Covenant

Employer
Recognition
Scheme

Bronze Award

The Armed Forces Covenant

Under the Armed Forces Covenant, all veterans are entitled to priory access to NHS care (Including hospital, primary or community care) or conditions associated to their time within the armed forces (Service related). However, this is always subject to clinical need and does not entitle you to jump the queue ahead of someone with higher clinical need.

In order to apply the Covenant, the practice needs to know that you served. Therefore, if you have been a member of the Regular or Reserve Armed Forces (Royal Navy, Army or Royal Air Force) (Which includes Nation Service) please download and complete the form below and return it to the Medical Centre. If you spouse served (even if they have passed away) please also complete the form and send it in, it may still help you at some stage in the future.

Find full details about the Armed Forces Covenant

How to get the most from your Medical Centre

It is important to register with a GP, rather than just wait until you need treatment. Visit the NHS website to find details of GP practices in your local area.
If you’ve recently left the forces, it is important to give 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 transfer 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.
Regardless of when you left the military, tell your GP that you’ve served in the UK Armed Forces. This will help your GP 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 experiences 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 you wider health and wellbeing needs.
With your agreement, it can sometimes be helpful for your doctor / clinician to refer you to Armed Forces charities, such as SSAFA, the Royal British Legion, Combat Stress, or Help the Heroes. They can often offer significant help and support, even if they do not deliver healthcare.
You may be worried about sharing information about your time in the Armed Forces. Please note that the NHS is bound by confidentiality code of practice to ensure GP’s, Practitioners, Nurses and other people working within the NHS deliver a confidential service bound by law.

For more information, speak to your GP/Practitioner or visit the NHS website

Patient Charter

Our commitment to you as a veteran of the UK Armed Forces

The NHS is here to help improve your health and wellbeing and keep you mentally and physically well. It is also here to help you get better when you are ill and, when you cannot fully recover, to stay as well as you can until the end of your life.

This means that you can expect the following from our practice:

We will ask all patients if they have served in the UK Armed Forces (as a regular or reservist). If you have, we will note this in your medical record, with your permission.
We will ask you to share details of your time in service to help us to assess the best support and treatment for you.
The information you share will be kept confidential and we will always speak to you before sharing this with other services you may be referred to.
You can make an appointment to see our clinical lead for veteran’s health. This person has a comprehensive understanding of the Armed Forces, health conditions linked to service, and the dedicated support you can access.
The NHS has a duty to support the health commitments of the Armed Forces Covenant. This means that you will get priority treatment for any medical condition which has been caused by your service, subject to the clinical needs of other patients.

We will let you know what choices are available for your care and treatment and help you to make informed decisions on what to do.
Where appropriate and with your consent, we can refer you to dedicated veterans health services.
If you need to be seen by another service, we will let them know you’re a veteran and make sure they have an understanding of your health and wellbeing needs, so you don’t have to keep repeating your ‘personal story’.
We can give advice and support to your loved ones who may be affected by your health conditions.
We will investigate any issues and complaints that you may have about your care. If you have any concerns about the services we offer, please speak to one of the practice team.

To find out more, please speak to our practice manager or one of our GPs or nurses.

If you would like to provide feedback on how we are performing as a veteran friendly GP practice, please let a member of our staff know

More information on health services for the Armed Forces community

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

We are a Veteran Friendly GP Practice

This means that, as part of the health commitments of the Armed Forces Covenant, we have a dedicated Clinician who has a specialist knowledge of military related health conditions and veteran specific health services. This is important in helping ex-forces to get the best care and treatment.

If you are ex-forces, please let your GP know to help ensure you are getting the best possible care.

So what is a Military Veteran?

A veteran is anyone who has served for at least one day in the Armed Forces, whether as a regular or reservist. It means the same as “ex service personnel” or “ex forces”, although not all veterans know the term or choose to associate with the term “veteran”. Younger veterans might refer themselves as “ex-forces”, in the belief that a veteran is someone who fought in the First / Second World War.

What happens if a parent / carer who is still serving in the military wants to register their child within the practice?

Serving personnel are registered with Defence Medical Services at a Military Medical Centre. In a situation where both parents are serving, also known as dual-serving families, their children need to be registered at an NHS practice or a Military Families GP Practice, where such facilities exist. Parents being registered at a different GP practice to their children is not usual practice, but a necessity frequently encountered by dual-serving families.