Foreword | 5
FOREWORD by The Rt Hon Tobias Ellwood MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State and Minister for Defence People and Veterans
In a truly memorable year, we have celebrated 100 years of the RAF – not only the triumphs of the past, but the achievements of the present. Those were not just down to our magnificent aircraft. People have always been at the heart of everything the RAF does.
So I am proud that 2018 was also the year when we shone a spotlight on mental health. This is a subject I am passionate about – not just because of my day job as a Defence Minister, but as a former soldier and current Reservist.
One thing that has always struck me is that, while our service people consider physical wellbeing to be part and parcel of what they do, mental illness can still be subject to stigma. It is time we all got over that, and ensured that our mental health provision is as good as it can possibly be – for serving personnel, for veterans, and for families.
So we are putting an additional £20 million into our Armed Forces’ mental health services – bringing spending up to £220 million over the next decade. We have made the Combat Stress Helpline available 24 hours a day. We’re also promoting wider mental health and wellbeing, ensuring that people ‘join well, train well and leave well’ – whether that’s by improving service accommodation, or by giving our people greater choice in how they run their lives under the Armed Forces (Flexible Working) Act.
However, we cannot change attitudes within the military alone. Many of the issues we face are broader societal concerns. But they are still challenges for me as Veterans’ Minister.
So with our NHS colleagues in England, we’ve introduced the Veterans’ Mental Health Transition, Intervention and Liaison Service as
a ‘front door’ to NHS mental health services for those who have served as well as those approaching discharge. NHS England has also introduced the Veterans’ Mental Health Complex Treatment Service, an enhanced service for former Forces people who have complex mental health difficulties related to their military service which have not improved with previous treatment. More support is available from our Veterans UK and Veterans’ Welfare Service, along with the other services accessed through the Veterans’ Gateway.
But there’s more to do. In particular, we cannot neglect the emotional needs of our service families – without whom we simply could not deliver our operational capability.
That’s why I have been so impressed by initiatives like the RAF Families Federation’s Transition Project. Two years of research have shown us that families want more help in dealing with the uncertainty of life outside the military, and need more information about the support on offer.
The Air Force is particularly well served here. The RAF Families Federation is doing a fantastic job, not just providing help and advice but also a powerful and independent voice for RAF families. We’ve made a good start on transforming Forces mental health provision. With the expertise and commitment of the Federation behind us, we will make that aspiration a reality.
raf-ff.org.uk | Winter 2018 | ENVOY
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