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The promise of a health service fit for the nation’s Armed Forces was today unveiled to mark Remembrance Sunday. Ministers announced plans to provide better NHS treatment to military veterans as well as current servicemen and women. The plans will aim to give doctors, nurses and other NHS workers special training to identity patients with service backgrounds. But the announcement comes amid fears that many ex-service personnel fail to ‘self-identify’ as veterans to NHS staff and miss out on bespoke health care services already available. And earlier this year, there were warnings that military personnel faced ‘a lottery’ in accessing healthcare services. But Health Secretary Wes Streeting vowed to help NHS staff ‘give our Armed Forces community the personalised care they deserve’. He added: ‘As we mark Remembrance Sunday, we’re honouring our Armed Forces not just with words, but with action. ‘We owe serving personnel and veterans nothing less than the best. ‘Too many of our Armed Forces , both serving and veterans, face a system that doesn’t fully understand their needs - that changes today.’ Defence Secretary John Healey said: ‘As we come together across the nation in Remembrance, we pay our respects to all those who have served, and we honour the contributions of our Armed Forces who safeguard the freedoms and peace we enjoy today.’ Former soldier and Paralympics champion Gregg Stevenson MBE, who was injured on service in Afghanistan, hailed the new training programme. Mr Stevenson, who already works in the NHS to help staff understand Armed Forces’ needs, hailed the programme as ‘vital’ and urged NHS colleagues ‘to take part so that no member of our Armed Forces community is left behind’. The new training programme will be backed by a £1.8 million investment over three years. Separately, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy announced £2 million of funding to support the repair and conservation of local war memorials across the UK. Ms Nandy said: ‘As we mark Remembrance Sunday and reflect on the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, it is our duty to ensure these memorials are conserved with the dignity and respect they deserve. ‘This funding will help communities across the country preserve these vital tributes, so that the sacrifices of all who have served, past and present, are never forgotten and their legacy endures for generations to come.’
