Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of support available to (a) serving military personnel and (b) veterans with Acquired Brain Injury as a result of service.

The health and wellbeing of our Armed Forces personnel is one of this Government’s top priorities. Specialist treatment for Service personnel with Acquired Brain Injury (ABI), including traumatic brain injuries (TBI) is facilitated by Defence Medical Command (DMedC) at the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre (DMRC). Veterans can access physical health support through Op RESTORE and mental health services through Op COURAGE, with significant recent investment.

Further, with the introduction of Op VALOUR; a new £50 million UK Government-backed initiative, Veterans across the UK will have easier access to essential care, improved coordination and visibility of services.

The UK is a world leader in ABI, and Defence will continue its dedicated work and collaboration with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) on ABI with a specific focus on TBI and mild Traumatic Brian Injury (mBTI) to ensure the best outcomes for our military community and society as a whole.

The UK is investing heavily in research to advance the diagnosis, management and rehabilitation of patients with ABI, which will help both military and civilian patients. Defence has invested £3.65m in the world’s first mobile quantum-enabled magnetoencephalography (MEG) brain scanner, built in the UK, to tell us what happens in the minutes and hours after blast exposure.

This government will publish the first ABI Action Plan this year. The plan will lay out the action that is needed to improve the lives of people who have experienced ABI.