Kieran recently joined representatives from the local NHS Primary Care Network (PCN) teams, local veterans and Help for Heroes to discuss the work they are doing with local GP surgeries to support veterans and their families.
The PCN teams in Bexhill and Rural Rother are working together on a “Say you Served” campaign. This campaign is a veterans’ project which has been developed in partnership with veterans, including Cllr Paul Peters of Bexhill Town Council and local veterans’ champion, Steve Gallagher, who were also at the meeting.
The practices involved ensure their staff are trained to support veterans and are Veteran Friendly Accredited. The “Say you Served” campaign includes a welcome pack to support veterans in accessing the care, support and respect they rightfully deserve. Help for Heroes statistics show that typically veterans wait over 12 years after exiting service before asking for help. Over 85% of veterans those surveyed struggle with mental health every day and over 77% reported physical injuries or conditions. Over 50% of the Armed Forces community said leaving the military caused them to feel lonely or socially isolated.
A key part of the “Say you Served” campaign is encouraging veterans to tell their GP surgery that they have served. They estimate less than 1% of veterans in Rother who are registered with a GP practice have told their GP that they have served. The national average is 5% so the campaign will involve contacting Bexhill and Rural Rother patients to encourage veterans to let their GP know their status to allow them to access a wide range of medical and support services.
Following the meeting, Kieran Mullan MP said “I am proud that locally people are coming together to work collaboratively with veterans to develop bespoke support for local veterans to ensure that they receive the levels of care and support they deserve. It was good to meet everyone involved in the veterans’ campaign, they are extremely dedicated. I look forward to working with them to promote their campaign and support them with their important work.”
Adrian Lambert, Bexhill PCN and Federation Manager said “This work is being led by the Bexhill and Rural Rother Primary Care Network in close collaboration with local GP surgeries, veterans and partner organisations. By working together, we are strengthening how primary care identifies, supports and responds to the needs of our veteran community, ensuring services are accessible, informed and co-ordinated across the PCN.”
(in photo: Kieran Mullan MP with local veterans and representatives of Bexhill and Rural Rother Primary Care Network.)
