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1134549

registered interest
date	25/06/2019
answering body	Ministry of Defence
answering dept id	11
answering dept short name	Defence
answering dept sort name	Defence
hansard heading	Armed Forces: Mental Health Services
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps she is taking to (a) protect the mental health and (b) treat mental health issues of members of the armed forces during training.
tabling member constituency	Motherwell and Wishaw
tabling member printed	Marion Fellows
uin	269082
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/07/2019 answer text <p>The Ministry of Defence (MOD) recognises that maintaining good mental health, and providing treatment when required, is fundamental to maintaining a fit, healthy, and effective military force. The comprehensive 2017 Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy set out measures to further improve the psychological health of the Armed Forces, including a new operating model focusing on Promote, Prevent, Detect and Treat.</p><p> </p><p>Personnel in training receive the same mental health support as their fully-trained colleagues, including stress management training and a wide range of psychiatric and psychological treatments. Basic healthcare is available through Service primary care facilities, with treatment delivered primarily from a network of 20 permanent locations, comprising 11 Departments of Community Mental Health, six Mental Health Teams, and three locations with a permanent Community Mental Health Nurse. In-patient care is provided in dedicated psychiatric units through a central MOD contract with a partnership of eight NHS Trusts.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Personnel deployed to combat zones are supported by a GP-led healthcare team with access to a mental health nurse. In Iraq and Afghanistan, we deployed uniformed mental health nurses to deliver in-theatre care and treatment, and consultant psychiatrists visited periodically to provide clinical support. A permanent on-call consultant psychiatrist was available to provide specialist support by phone 24 hours a day, and a UK-based team of a psychiatrist and a mental health nurse was at immediate readiness to deploy to the operational theatre to support the local team if required.</p><p> </p><p>Trauma Risk Management (TRiM) is widely employed as a support model for deployed personnel. It aims to empower non-medical staff to spot those who might have been affected by traumatic events in order that their peers and leaders can provide them with appropriate support or, where it is required, to refer them for specialist help. As TRiM is primarily a Unit-led innovation it is intended to reduce the stigma associated with mental health problems.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood grouped question UIN 269083 question first answered 01/07/2019 13:53:41 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	4440 label Biography information for Marion Fellows

1134550

registered interest
date	25/06/2019
answering body	Ministry of Defence
answering dept id	11
answering dept short name	Defence
answering dept sort name	Defence
hansard heading	Armed Forces: Mental Health Services
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps she is taking to (a) protect the mental health and (b) treat mental health issues of members of the armed forces during service in combat zones.
tabling member constituency	Motherwell and Wishaw
tabling member printed	Marion Fellows
uin	269083
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/07/2019 answer text <p>The Ministry of Defence (MOD) recognises that maintaining good mental health, and providing treatment when required, is fundamental to maintaining a fit, healthy, and effective military force. The comprehensive 2017 Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy set out measures to further improve the psychological health of the Armed Forces, including a new operating model focusing on Promote, Prevent, Detect and Treat.</p><p> </p><p>Personnel in training receive the same mental health support as their fully-trained colleagues, including stress management training and a wide range of psychiatric and psychological treatments. Basic healthcare is available through Service primary care facilities, with treatment delivered primarily from a network of 20 permanent locations, comprising 11 Departments of Community Mental Health, six Mental Health Teams, and three locations with a permanent Community Mental Health Nurse. In-patient care is provided in dedicated psychiatric units through a central MOD contract with a partnership of eight NHS Trusts.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Personnel deployed to combat zones are supported by a GP-led healthcare team with access to a mental health nurse. In Iraq and Afghanistan, we deployed uniformed mental health nurses to deliver in-theatre care and treatment, and consultant psychiatrists visited periodically to provide clinical support. A permanent on-call consultant psychiatrist was available to provide specialist support by phone 24 hours a day, and a UK-based team of a psychiatrist and a mental health nurse was at immediate readiness to deploy to the operational theatre to support the local team if required.</p><p> </p><p>Trauma Risk Management (TRiM) is widely employed as a support model for deployed personnel. It aims to empower non-medical staff to spot those who might have been affected by traumatic events in order that their peers and leaders can provide them with appropriate support or, where it is required, to refer them for specialist help. As TRiM is primarily a Unit-led innovation it is intended to reduce the stigma associated with mental health problems.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood grouped question UIN 269082 question first answered 01/07/2019 13:53:41 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	4440 label Biography information for Marion Fellows

999686

registered interest
date	01/11/2018
answering body	Ministry of Defence
answering dept id	11
answering dept short name	Defence
answering dept sort name	Defence
hansard heading	Armed Forces: Mental Health Services
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) veterans and (b) serving armed forces personnel that enlisted aged 18 or under have sought mental health support in each of the last 10 years.
tabling member constituency	Dwyfor Meirionnydd
tabling member printed	Liz Saville Roberts
uin	187102
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/11/2018 answer text <p>The Ministry of Defence (MOD) does not hold information on the number of veterans who were diagnosed with a mental disorder after leaving Service.</p><p> </p><p>The number of serving UK Armed Forces personnel, who enlisted aged 18 or under, and had an initial assessment at MOD Specialist Mental Health Services is provided in the following table. Figures include only those patients referred to a MOD Department of Community Mental Health or admitted to a MOD in-patient provider. Some patients can be treated wholly within the primary care setting by their GP or medical officer and are not captured in MOD management information.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p><strong>UK Armed Forces personnel, who enlisted aged 18 years or under, with an initial assessment at MOD Specialist Mental Health Services, by Financial Year</strong></p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Financial Year</p></td><td><p>Numbers</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2008-09</p></td><td><p>2,060</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2009-10</p></td><td><p>2,370</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2010-11</p></td><td><p>2,370</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2011-12</p></td><td><p>2,200</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2012-13</p></td><td><p>2,660</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2013-14</p></td><td><p>2,520</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2014-15</p></td><td><p>2,400</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2015-16</p></td><td><p>2,460</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2016-17</p></td><td><p>2,320</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2017-18</p></td><td><p>2,240</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p><strong>Notes:</strong> <br> 1. Patients may not have been aged 18 or under when they were assessed at MOD Specialist Mental Health Services.</p><p>2. Some patients seen at MOD Specialist Mental Health Services may have been assessed as having no mental disorder present.</p><p>3. Numbers are rounded</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 09/11/2018 14:23:14 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	4521 label Biography information for Liz Saville Roberts

997422

registered interest
date	29/10/2018
answering body	Ministry of Defence
answering dept id	11
answering dept short name	Defence
answering dept sort name	Defence
hansard heading	Armed Forces: Mental Health Services
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) permanent and (b) non-permanent staff were employed in (i) Departments of Community Mental Health and (ii) other secondary mental health care services in the Armed Forces at the end of each financial year since 2009-10; and what the ratio of military staff to civilians in those services was in each of those years.
tabling member constituency	New Forest East
tabling member printed	Dr Julian Lewis
uin	184831
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/11/2018 answer text <p>The table below shows the numbers of Regular, Reserve and Civilian permanent staff employed in the Defence Medical Services since 2011. We do not hold the data requested for 2009 and 2010. It is not possible to break down the figures into those employed in Departments of Community Mental Health (DCMHs) and elsewhere within the Defence Medical Services.</p><p> </p><p>Non-permanent staff such as locums may have been employed during this period to fill temporary vacancies and staff absences, such as operational deployments. It has not been possible to obtain verified figures for these within the timescale available.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p><strong>Regular </strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Reserve</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Civilian</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2011</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Psychiatrist</p></td><td><p>10</p></td><td><p>~</p></td><td><p>Not available</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Psychologist</p></td><td><p>0</p></td><td><p>0</p></td><td><p>Not available</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Mental Health Nurse</p></td><td><p>120</p></td><td><p>50</p></td><td><p>Not available</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Social Worker</p></td><td><p>0</p></td><td><p>0</p></td><td><p>Not available</p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p><strong>130</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>50</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>0</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2012</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Psychiatrist</p></td><td><p>20</p></td><td><p>~</p></td><td><p>Not available</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Psychologist</p></td><td><p>0</p></td><td><p>0</p></td><td><p>Not available</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Mental Health Nurse</p></td><td><p>120</p></td><td><p>30</p></td><td><p>Not available</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Social Worker</p></td><td><p>0</p></td><td><p>0</p></td><td><p>Not available</p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p><strong>140</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>30</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>0</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2013</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Psychiatrist</p></td><td><p>10</p></td><td><p>10</p></td><td><p>5</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Psychologist</p></td><td><p>~</p></td><td><p>0</p></td><td><p>10</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Mental Health Nurse</p></td><td><p>120</p></td><td><p>50</p></td><td><p>10</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Social Worker</p></td><td><p>0</p></td><td><p>0</p></td><td><p>10</p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p><strong>130</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>60</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>35</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2014</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Psychiatrist</p></td><td><p>10</p></td><td><p>~</p></td><td><p>5</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Psychologist</p></td><td><p>~</p></td><td><p>0</p></td><td><p>10</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Mental Health Nurse</p></td><td><p>120</p></td><td><p>40</p></td><td><p>10</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Social Worker</p></td><td><p>0</p></td><td><p>0</p></td><td><p>10</p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p><strong>130</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>40</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>35</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2015</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Psychiatrist</p></td><td><p>10</p></td><td><p>~</p></td><td><p>5</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Psychologist</p></td><td><p>~</p></td><td><p>0</p></td><td><p>20</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Mental Health Nurse</p></td><td><p>110</p></td><td><p>40</p></td><td><p>20</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Social Worker</p></td><td><p>0</p></td><td><p>0</p></td><td><p>10</p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p><strong>120</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>40</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>55</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2016</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Psychiatrist</p></td><td><p>15</p></td><td><p>~</p></td><td><p>5</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Psychologist</p></td><td><p>~</p></td><td><p>0</p></td><td><p>25</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Mental Health Nurse</p></td><td><p>105</p></td><td><p>50</p></td><td><p>15</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Social Worker</p></td><td><p>0</p></td><td><p>0</p></td><td><p>40</p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p><strong>120</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>50</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>85</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2017</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Psychiatrist</p></td><td><p>15</p></td><td><p>~</p></td><td><p>Not available</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Psychologist</p></td><td><p>0</p></td><td><p>0</p></td><td><p>Not available</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Mental Health Nurse</p></td><td><p>90</p></td><td><p>45</p></td><td><p>Not available</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Social Worker</p></td><td><p>0</p></td><td><p>0</p></td><td><p>Not available</p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p><strong>105</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>45</strong></p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2018</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Psychiatrist</p></td><td><p>15</p></td><td><p>~</p></td><td><p>5</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Psychologist</p></td><td><p>0</p></td><td><p>0</p></td><td><p>25</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Mental Health Nurse</p></td><td><p>85</p></td><td><p>50</p></td><td><p>40</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Social Worker</p></td><td><p>0</p></td><td><p>0</p></td><td><p>45</p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p><strong>100</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>50</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>115</strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>The tilde (~) denotes a number less than five.</p><p> </p><p>Figures are rounded to the nearest five.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 05/11/2018 17:06:26 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	54 label Biography information for Sir Julian Lewis

945591

registered interest
date	20/07/2018
answering body	Ministry of Defence
answering dept id	11
answering dept short name	Defence
answering dept sort name	Defence
hansard heading	Armed Forces: Mental Health Services
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to improve mental health support for (a) veterans and (b) serving Military personnel in North East England.
tabling member constituency	Jarrow
tabling member printed	Mr Stephen Hepburn
uin	166464
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/07/2018 answer text <p>I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 13 March 2018, to Question 130845.</p><p>https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/ 2018-03-05/130845/</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 27/07/2018 13:32:58 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood attachment 1 file name Hansard Extract 13 March 2018 130845.docx title Armed Forces: Mental Health Services
tabling member	520 label Biography information for Mr Stephen Hepburn

940651

registered interest
date	13/07/2018
answering body	Ministry of Defence
answering dept id	11
answering dept short name	Defence
answering dept sort name	Defence
hansard heading	Armed Forces: Mental Health Services
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much funding he has allocated and how he has allocated it to the (a) Big White Wall and (b) Veterans' Gateway projects in each year since their inception; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Bridgend
tabling member printed	Mrs Madeleine Moon
uin	163770
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/07/2018 answer text <p>The Big White Wall (BWW), a digital support and recovery service, was established in 2007 not specifically for Service personnel and veterans but for the wider population suffering with mental health problems.</p><p> </p><p>The decision to contract for the BWW services was made following the publication in 2010 of Dr Andrew Murrison MD MP’s ‘Fighting Fit’ report. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) fund the Service personnel spaces on the online mental wellbeing website provided by the BWW, while the Department for Health and Social Care fund access for veterans and families of serving personnel.</p><p> </p><p>The MOD has contributed the following payments to the BWW in the financial years shown:</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Financial Year</p></td><td><p>Amount (£) excluding VAT</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2012-13</p></td><td><p>73,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2013-14</p></td><td><p>75,600</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2014-15</p></td><td><p>100,800</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2015-16</p></td><td><p>91,100</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2016-17</p></td><td><p>35,745</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2017-18</p></td><td><p>26,250</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>The MOD payment to the BWW is expected to continue for the near future, dependent on whether serving personnel still require access to the BWW or if they have access to other support.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has funded the Veterans Gateway through the Covenant Fund, which ran a grants programme to award a single grant to a pilot project to create the Veterans Gateway. A £2 million grant was awarded to a consortium of charities led by The Royal British Legion. A further £200,000 was awarded to support a university-led evaluation of this pilot project and to support activities to improve the reach of the Veterans Gateway.</p><p> </p><p>The Covenant Fund provision for the Veterans Gateway was provided in order to help establish the Veterans Gateway and cover the start-up costs. This was made with the explicit understanding of all the charities involved that this grant would be a one-off payment. We strongly support the work of the Veterans Gateway; however, there are currently no plans for the MOD to provide regular funding.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood grouped question UIN 163771 question first answered 18/07/2018 15:52:48 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	1490 label Biography information for Mrs Madeleine Moon

940652

registered interest
date	13/07/2018
answering body	Ministry of Defence
answering dept id	11
answering dept short name	Defence
answering dept sort name	Defence
hansard heading	Armed Forces: Mental Health Services
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if the Government will commit to funding the a) Big White Wall and (b) Veterans' Gateway throughout this Parliament.
tabling member constituency	Bridgend
tabling member printed	Mrs Madeleine Moon
uin	163771
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/07/2018 answer text <p>The Big White Wall (BWW), a digital support and recovery service, was established in 2007 not specifically for Service personnel and veterans but for the wider population suffering with mental health problems.</p><p> </p><p>The decision to contract for the BWW services was made following the publication in 2010 of Dr Andrew Murrison MD MP’s ‘Fighting Fit’ report. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) fund the Service personnel spaces on the online mental wellbeing website provided by the BWW, while the Department for Health and Social Care fund access for veterans and families of serving personnel.</p><p> </p><p>The MOD has contributed the following payments to the BWW in the financial years shown:</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Financial Year</p></td><td><p>Amount (£) excluding VAT</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2012-13</p></td><td><p>73,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2013-14</p></td><td><p>75,600</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2014-15</p></td><td><p>100,800</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2015-16</p></td><td><p>91,100</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2016-17</p></td><td><p>35,745</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2017-18</p></td><td><p>26,250</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>The MOD payment to the BWW is expected to continue for the near future, dependent on whether serving personnel still require access to the BWW or if they have access to other support.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has funded the Veterans Gateway through the Covenant Fund, which ran a grants programme to award a single grant to a pilot project to create the Veterans Gateway. A £2 million grant was awarded to a consortium of charities led by The Royal British Legion. A further £200,000 was awarded to support a university-led evaluation of this pilot project and to support activities to improve the reach of the Veterans Gateway.</p><p> </p><p>The Covenant Fund provision for the Veterans Gateway was provided in order to help establish the Veterans Gateway and cover the start-up costs. This was made with the explicit understanding of all the charities involved that this grant would be a one-off payment. We strongly support the work of the Veterans Gateway; however, there are currently no plans for the MOD to provide regular funding.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood grouped question UIN 163770 question first answered 18/07/2018 15:52:48 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	1490 label Biography information for Mrs Madeleine Moon

927907

registered interest
date	20/06/2018
answering body	Ministry of Defence
answering dept id	11
answering dept short name	Defence
answering dept sort name	Defence
hansard heading	Armed Forces: Mental Health Services
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many calls the Military Mental Health Helpline has received since it was launched.
tabling member constituency	Dwyfor Meirionnydd
tabling member printed	Liz Saville Roberts
uin	155888
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/06/2018 answer text <p>Since its launch on 25 February 2018, the Combat Stress 24-hour Mental Health Helpline has received 571 calls (as of 18 Jun 2018).</p><p>Callers to the helpline are not asked at what age they joined the Armed Forces and therefore this data is not captured.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood grouped question UIN 155889 question first answered 27/06/2018 15:07:43 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	4521 label Biography information for Liz Saville Roberts

927908

registered interest
date	20/06/2018
answering body	Ministry of Defence
answering dept id	11
answering dept short name	Defence
answering dept sort name	Defence
hansard heading	Armed Forces: Mental Health Services
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many calls the Military Mental Health Helpline has received from people who joined the army aged (a) 16, (b) 17, (c) 18, and (d) over 18 since that helpline was launched.
tabling member constituency	Dwyfor Meirionnydd
tabling member printed	Liz Saville Roberts
uin	155889
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/06/2018 answer text <p>Since its launch on 25 February 2018, the Combat Stress 24-hour Mental Health Helpline has received 571 calls (as of 18 Jun 2018).</p><p>Callers to the helpline are not asked at what age they joined the Armed Forces and therefore this data is not captured.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood grouped question UIN 155888 question first answered 27/06/2018 15:07:43 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	4521 label Biography information for Liz Saville Roberts

868427

registered interest
date	21/03/2018
answering body	Ministry of Defence
answering dept id	11
answering dept short name	Defence
answering dept sort name	Defence
hansard heading	Armed Forces: Mental Health Services
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to improve mental health support for (a) veterans and (b) serving military personnel in (i) Coventry and (ii) the West Midlands.
tabling member constituency	Coventry South
tabling member printed	Mr Jim Cunningham
uin	133647
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/03/2018 answer text <p>The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is absolutely committed to the mental health of our Service personnel, providing robust training, welfare support and development opportunities. When necessary, we ensure that both serving personnel and veterans are given the mental healthcare and treatment they need. We do this by working in close partnership with a variety of different organisations, including the NHS (which is responsible for the provision of healthcare, including mental healthcare, for veterans) and Service charities such as Combat Stress.</p><p>Recent initiatives include the new partnership, announced last October, with the Royal Foundation, aimed at helping maintain and develop good mental fitness. And in February 2018, the Secretary of State announced that we have built on our existing partnership with Combat Stress to provide a new MOD-funded Military Mental Health Helpline for serving personnel and their families, providing out-of-hours advice and assistance and running in conjunction with the charity's existing helpline for the veterans' community. We will also be providing an additional £2 million of annual funding for military mental health services, on top of the £20 million a year we already spend.</p><p>For serving personnel, mental health services are already provided through a network of 20 permanent locations, comprising 11 Departments of Community Mental Health (DCMHs); six Mental Health Teams (MHTs); and three locations with a permanent Community Mental Health Nurse. DCMH Donnington is located in Telford, Shropshire, and covers the regions of the West Midlands (including Coventry) and Wales. It also provides a visiting clinic four times a week to Defence Medical Services (DMS) Whittington in South Staffordshire, to improve access for patients based in or around the West Midlands.</p><p>Personnel leaving the Armed Forces who have had mental health issues during their Service are able to access services at a local DCMH (including Donnington) for up to six months after discharge, to help them during the transition period. A Veterans' Transition Protocol ensures any Service person discharged with a diagnosed mental health disorder is handed over appropriately to the NHS in England. Where a Service person is leaving the Armed Forces but has enduring need for mental healthcare, we work in partnership with NHS England through the Veterans Mental Health Transition, Intervention and Liaison Service (VMH-TILS), to ensure continuity of care.</p><p>The VMH-TILS service provider for the Midlands and East of England region (which includes Coventry) is Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust. The service provides a range of treatment and support for veterans, as well as Armed Forces personnel approaching discharge. The VMH-TILS will arrange for veterans to be referred if necessary to the NHS England Veterans' Mental Health Complex Treatment Service (VMH-CTS) which will be launched on 1 April 2018; the service provider for the West Midlands is Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust.</p><p>Other services available from MOD to veterans in the West Midlands and elsewhere include the Veterans and Reserves Mental Health Programme (VRMHP), for veterans that have served since 1982 and Reservists with operational service overseas since 2003 (also provided through DCMH Donnington), and the Veterans UK and Veterans Welfare Service.</p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 26/03/2018 15:16:05 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	308 label Biography information for Mr Jim Cunningham