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>
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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>
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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>
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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>
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