Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what support the Office for Veterans' Affairs provides to veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder.

The Government is taking a number of measures to improve mental health support for veterans including those with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

These measures start with for individuals whilst serving in the Armed Forces where personnel now undergo ‘through-life’ psychological resilience training. Personnel have access to the Defence Transition service, launched in October 2019. This provides information and support for Service leavers and their families who are most likely to face challenges as they leave the Armed Forces, including those which may impact on their mental health.

The Government continues to invest in the provision of a world-leading mental health pathway in the NHS in England for those who have served in the Armed Forces, which encompasses the Transition Intervention and Liaison Service (TILS) and Complex Treatment Services (CTS). We are also accelerating a new High Intensity Service due to be launched later this year, which will provide further support for those with acute mental health needs. As well as investing in these services, the Government continues to work on improving the awareness of, and access to, these services, with over 800 veteran-friendly GP surgeries. In addition to the provision of statutory services through the NHS, the Government has, through funding provided to the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust and the COVID-19 Impact Fund, continued to invest in charity and third-sector organisations which provide services which support the mental and physical wellbeing of veterans. NHS England and NHS Improvement has also recently provided funding to a number of Armed Forces charities to support serving personnel, veterans and their families during COVID-19.

As well as clinical and charity services, the Government is also funding research and studies to improve the understanding of the issues and instances of mental health, including PTSD amongst the Armed Forces community.