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<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>
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