Armed Forces Veteran Friendly Accredited GP Practice

In March 2025 we became a Veteran Friendly Accredited GP practice. This involved providing our staff with training and information regarding Armed Forces Veterans.

We have chosen to become a Veteran Friendly practice for the following reasons:

1. to identify and code veterans so it’s easier for staff to identify them when they call or attend an appointment
2. to improve care of veterans and primary care team’s understanding of their needs
3. to provide more efficient care of veterans by accessing specialist NHS care pathways therefore potentially decreasing primary care workload
4. to demonstrate the practice’s commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant, which is enshrined in law and is a promise from the nation that those who serve or have served in the Armed Forces, and their families, are treated fairly as well as and The NHS Constitution for England, principle four
5. (as part of the NHS Long Term Plan) to ensure all GPs in England are equipped to best serve our veterans and their families
6. to demonstrate to the CQC the practice’s understanding of diverse health and care needs of people and local communities
7. to potentially provide an improved a sense of teamwork and morale amongst staff

We learnt about:

Op COURAGE: The Veterans Mental Health and Wellbeing Service

Op COURAGE is a dedicated NHS mental health and wellbeing service. Everyone at Op COURAGE is either from the Armed Forces community or is experienced in working with serving personnel, reservists, veterans and their families. This service can support with mental health and wellbeing concerns regardless of if they are related to the individual’s Service in the Armed Forces.

Contacting Op COURAGE can be via self-referral, through a family member or friend, via the GP or a charity.

For more information visit nhs.uk/opcourage.

Op RESTORE: The Veterans Physical Health and Wellbeing Service

Op RESTORE uses existing NHS secondary care referral pathways to ensure veterans, with ongoing service attributable physical injuries and associated problems, receive the most appropriate care.

Op RESTORE comprises a network of civilian and military consultants, along with welfare support from military charities to support a veteran’s health using a holistic approach. Op RESTORE does not shorten NHS waiting times; it seeks to ensure the veteran ‘waits well’ and is seen by the most appropriate clinician for their needs.

Op RESTORE supports veterans with service attributable physical health conditions (this could be anything from limb loss to musculoskeletal conditions or neuralgia), regardless of how long they served for and when they left the Armed Forces. Op RESTORE is accessed via primary care referral; referral forms can be obtained by emailing imperial.oprestore@nhs.net

For more information visit nhs.uk/oprestore.

For more information on Armed Forces health services and initiatives for patients and their families, visit www.nhs.uk/armedforceshealth

We also learnt about how Armed Forces Veterans may have different health needs and different ways of accessing health care. They may also require different consultation styles to help to find the support they need. Armed Forces personnel who are on a waiting list for secondary care but who have to move location due to their job should be able to maintain the same place on the waiting list at the new hospital.

We encourage military veterans to inform our reception team so that they can add the “Military Veteran” read code to the GP record. If you have any other questions about our accreditation then please let us know.